by Joseph DeAcetis Apr 22, 2022
Today we are excited to debut a regular column from our new contributing editor, Joseph DeAcetis on MR-Mag.com. Besides being a celebrated fashion and menswear journalist, Joseph is also a designer, the founder, and president of Potro, Inc., an aspirational apparel brand focused on the Latino American luxury menswear market, with a focus on the empowerment of social impact. As the former style director at the highly esteemed Forbes Media, Joseph is one of the most recognizable faces in menswear and his style credentials warrant a place in the global luxury menswear industry. While at Forbes, Joseph produced and styled the magazine’s covers and fashion editorial pages where he gained valuable experience in the marketing aspect of the fashion industry. Joseph was also the Global Fashion Director of Playboy Magazine, and holds Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
It’s no secret that the way in which men dress for work has shifted. I’ve long been of the mindset, that men should be comfortable and have freedom of expression when it comes to office attire and, now, finally, it feels as if the world’s menswear designers and brands are falling into step. Nowadays, even the most sartorially conservative workplaces are lightening up on traditional rules that were once set in place for a very long time. But all that is subject to change. For instance, multinational investment bank and financial services company Goldman Sachs recently revised the employee handbook to suggest that dressing in “good judgment” to represent the firm, is all to be required.
It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that the luxury menswear brands of today, which traditionally focused on tailored garments, have developed a fresh approach to the menswear suit– with trends that have gone into overdrive. Tailoring has taken a new step-up approach but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be required to dress well during office time. Luckily, savvy menswear brands are creating easy-wearing two pieces that can readily be worn in an office as well as in a variety of settings such as travel and office events.
At Dunhill, a British luxury goods brand, specializing in ready-to-wear and custom menswear, new codes and tailoring traditions are explored with new clarity. In short, Dunhill is known for its longstanding expertise in refined menswear. But for younger millennials and Gen Z (zoomers), new icons such as the racy half-warp jacket and trousers made with a split hem seemingly take on a modern era look – especially when worn with a technical outerwear piece.
“As a British House born in Mayfair, we’ve always had a unique perspective on London, of its archetypes and iconography; it’s something I love to examine and explore. We value tradition, taking inspiration from our archive whilst considering the needs of today’s man – with craft and innovation at the heart of everything we do,” says Mark Weston, Dunhill’s Creative Director
The current advertising campaign was produced and directed in Mayfair and shot by renowned lensman Jack Webb. The aim of the brand was to capture the momentum of life in the city, beautifully distilled in a series of black and white images. The campaign visuals include the iconic streets, close to the London flagship, Dunhill House, which are part of an evolving legacy for almost 130 years.
British menswear codes and the tailoring traditions of the House are explored once more, but with new clarity. Notions of executive style are skillfully subverted with a modern flair.
For example, chances are that if you live in the USA, you’ll know that the temperature can change significantly from region to region. Fortunately, Dunhill has developed a clever way of creating office attire made with fabrics that have been enhanced through advanced technology as well as modified weaving processes to adhere to current consumer demands for comfort and style.
Longstanding expertise in leather, so integral to Dunhill’s DNA, is applied this season in new ways, with signature bags, trousers, and the innovative Compendium Mac, the latter being the latest evolution of the multi-functional outerwear concept. More to the point, Dunhill’s London is a place where integrity, elegance, and masculinity are retold time and time again, through the lens of now. Embracing conventions old and new, these pieces call on a familiar collision of the old guard and modern trends, recurrent in Weston’s vision for the House.
Moving into the roaring twenties, I believe the traditional menswear brands that embrace conventions old and new, will be right on the money. This season alone, these hybrids are formed by a collision of great heritage integrated with a robust sensation of excitement, retold through style codes demonstrating a renewed creative energy not seen in years. In fact, for me, this collection is considerably more exciting to review and write about – with a satisfyingly wide span of on-trend enthusiasm for the Spring/Summer 2022 season.