“The same suit worn to an elegant dinner can be worn casually,” says Yermagyan of Nick Jonas’ John Varvatos pinstripe look. “It’s all about having classic pieces and the confidence to put your own spin on them.” --
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“His style did not shout — it whispered,” says Nick Jonas‘ stylist Avo Yermagyan, who explains how late French icon Serge Gainsbourg’s “discreet elegance” is surfacing in male artists today — from Wiz Khalifa‘s barely-buttoned shirt to Mark Ronson‘s choice of shoes.
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The Open-To-There Shirt
Wiz Khalifa in a classic white button-front shirt (open, natch) with a Giorgio Armani jacket. “Gainsbourg paired classic staples, but the looks were always chic and minimalistic,” says Yermagyan.
The Original Canadian Tux
?Gainsbourg, who had an “ease when it came to dressing,” didn’t shy away from teaming denim on top and bottom, and neither does Pharrell Williams, here in a Levi’s jacket and G-Star jeans.
Casual Pinstripes
“The same suit worn to an elegant dinner can be worn casually,” says Yermagyan of Nick Jonas’ John Varvatos pinstripe look. “It’s all about having classic pieces and the confidence to put your own spin on them.”
The Shoe That Serge Swore By
Oxfords By Parisian ballet company Repetto still remain white-hot this season.
Legend has it that Serge Gainsbourg went through more than 30 pairs a year of Repetto’s white Zizi oxfords, which took their name from legendary French dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. Gainsbourg’s then-girlfriend Jane Birkin found the shoes for him in the 1970s as a solution to sensitive feet — and supposedly the last of those pairs still sits in a hallway closet of his untouched Paris apartment (which daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg often has discussed turning into a museum). The latest musician to carry on the white-sole tradition? Mark Ronson, who frequently pairs the Repettos with another signature Serge look: the double-breasted jacket.
For The Man In Cannes
So louche and luxurious a la Serge Gainsbourg at the Riviera’s annual Cannes Lions advertising festival (from June 18-25), now with its first-ever music program. For more details on where to eat, stay and play, check out our guide here.
1 Our Legacy poplin box shirt, $190; eastdane.com. 2 Barena pinstripe blazer, $800; mrporter.com. 3 Sandro jeans, $225; mrporter.com. 4 Cartier Tank MC steel and leather watch, $9,950; cartier.us. 5 Repetto white goatskin leather Zizi oxfords, $365; repetto.com.
Never A Faux Pas? Too Much Denim
1 Saint Laurent denim shirt, $690; mrporter.com. 2 Charvet silk pocket square, $80; charvet.com. 3 Ring Jacket double-breasted blazer, $2,175; A.K. Rikk’s Grand Rapids, MI 616-957-3242. 4 Soludos espadrilles, $55; soludos.com. 5 Boglioli leather belt, $395; boglioli.it. 6 Frame L’Homme straight-leg jeans, $239; saks.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 18 issue of Billboard.