Follow the Rules: Lucas Ossendrijver

Lanvin’s inventive men’s designer on the merits of sneakers, the tackiness of logos, and why you should invest in a mismatched suit.

1.You shouldn’t adapt to what people expect you to wear—you should make your clothes your own. For me what’s interesting is to wear the jackets and pants of suits separately.

2.I think it’s distasteful when people buy clothes with logos or brag about what they spend on their clothes. Luxury should be something intimate.

3.Jewelry is very difficult for men, but they can go a little more extreme with shoes and bags. Wear trainers with a suit and the look completely changes.

4.I think clothes are more elegant when they’re nonchalant. You can wear something quite sophisticated but not look too overtly luxurious.

5.Friday-wear is very typically American. You have this office uniform, and then suddenly it’s the weekend and it’s the opposite. I think it’s better to mix the two and make officewear a little less formal and Friday-wear a little less casual.

6.When I was younger I used to wear a lot of T-shirts, but now I wear more and more button-down shirts. I think it’s actually very cool to just have a lot of really great shirts in a very good fabric.

7.It’s important that clothes be light when you’re layering. It’s very nice if you wear three jackets instead of one—but not three suit jackets. I mean a shirt and a shirt jacket and another jacket made out of very light fabric. There’s a richness to that look.

8.A lot of men are very insecure when it comes to dressing. They ask themselves every morning, “What am I going to wear? Is it the right thing? Does it match?” Once they find something they stick to it, and I think that’s a shame. I think men should make a bit more of an effort. They should see clothing not as something necessary but as something fun.

9.There’s something modern about dressing up—wearing a shirt and a tie—but in a lighter way. We made ties that were just strips of fabric-—sometimes in the same fabric as the shirt. It’s a new way to wear a tie.

10.I don’t really like wallets. I prefer that you carry your money in your pocket or put everything in a bag and carry it there. Just keep it simple.

(source: men.style)