Photo Credit ( Freepik )
Gentlemen, in case you were unaware, your sixties are now the new thirty. This year marks the 60th birthdays of Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, but George Clooney, Tom Ford, Barack Obama, and I have all previously reached that milestone. I realize it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. And judging from Brad Pitt’s performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with a polished, toned body that must have put most wannabe Magic Mikes to shame, maintaining a trim and appealing appearance is as crucial for men in their sixties today as it was in those days when we were all much younger.
Indeed, compared to ten or twenty years ago, we all appear to be much more at ease with becoming older. Men in their sixties don’t worry about fashion nearly as much, mostly because we’ve been thinking about it our entire lives and know, for the most part, what works and what doesn’t. as we are aware of our preferences.
Naturally, because they had lived their entire lives caring about everything else, the generation of our fathers didn’t give a damn about what they wore when they became sixty. Since fashion didn’t really enter their life, our fathers didn’t care about it, but since we were teenagers, we have been willing consumers. I have, at the very least. Even while I haven’t given my body as much thought as Brad, I have definitely given my pants enough thought.
The 63-year-old Dylan Jones demonstrates
Therefore, the key at sixty is to appear at ease. And by that, I don’t mean comfortable in clothes that are too young for you, but comfortable in your own skin. Men should never attempt to appear younger than they actually are because doing so will just make them appear desperate.
Following a Giorgio Armani fashion presentation a few years ago, George Clooney told me, “I just throw on a pair of jeans and hope for the best.” A similar philosophy has been followed by Sir Paul Smith, 76, who told me not too long ago, “I go simple and never try to scare anyone.” “I honestly just wear the same old stuff.”
As a result, males over a particular age should stay away from huge watches that resemble metal boxing gloves, gaudy open-necked shirts, narrow pants, and fake tan. The only men who ever looked as good as George Michael were those who had designer stubble), colored leather, tattoos, elasticated waists, and an excessive amount of jewelry. In fact, the only men who can pull off an excessive amount of jewelry are those who design it, so forget about it unless you look like Stephen Webster or Theo Fennell.
Denzel Washington, George Clooney, and Tom Ford
The cashmere shirt with a quarter zipper is the trendiest item for any adult man to wear this season, if you’ve been paying attention. From David Beckham (Loro Piana) to Rishi Sunak (Ralph Lauren), everyone wears them. Even Mikel Arteta of Arsenal dons a quarter-zipper beneath a puffer jacket, and Gareth Southgate, the manager of England, ultimately traded in his waistcoat for one during the 2022 World Cup (from M&S, no less). A sequence in the TV version of Fleishman Is in Trouble features Jesse Eisenberg wearing one, and last week at Richard Caring’s new Brobdingnagian Mayfair restaurant Bacchanalia, I think I saw a Greek prince wearing one. Alternatively, perhaps it was George Michael’s spirit. Whoever it was, in any case, looked pretty damn awesome.
Though it has a zip that extends from my Adam’s apple to my waist, I’m wearing my own version. It is made by my favorite Italian designer of the season, the legendary Brunello Cucinelli, and is navy blue cashmere. To be honest, I’m willing to venture that Brunello is currently the most stylish option for men in their sixties. His clothing is exquisite, sophisticated, well-tailored (I possess two gilets, a jacket, a zipper top, and two pairs of chinos) and, for the generation of guys raised on Stella rather than gold-top, comfortingly pricey.
But even sixty-year-old guys require a little assistance. Tom Ford still wears shades even though he’s probably in even better shape than Brad Pitt (I saw him a few months ago and he looked decidedly distinctive). He argues that as you age, you should gravitate more toward dark-framed spectacles so that “that pair of dark glasses stays sharp and crisp while everything else can droop and slide.” And let’s be honest—Ford ought to know. even if his shirt isn’t a quarter-zipper.
