The elegant man isn't the one with the most garments. It's the one with the fewest, but of quality. A solid wardrobe is built on one essential principle: a few well-chosen pièces, able to combine with each other effortlessly. Here is our list, forged over fifty years of conversations with real customers.
1. The Navy Blue Blazer
If you could only have one formal garment, this would be it. Unstructured blazer in fresco wool (super 110's, 250 g/m2), deep navy blue. It goes with everything: jeans, chinos, grey trousers, a white or light blue shirt, a dark polo in summer.
Armatori's advice: choose two buttons over double-breasted for versatility. The soft shoulder makes the garment approachable without ever losing formality.
2. The White Poplin Shirt
100% poplin cotton, semi-stiff Italian collar, single button cuff. The most democratic and powerful garment in the male wardrobe. Falls under a blazer, goes under a jumper, worn alone with chinos. You need at least two, for rotation.
3. The Light Blue Shirt
Same cut as the white one, but in a soft light blue. Softens overly formal suits, works well with denim, lightens the look. It's the shirt of the man who knows he has nothing to prove.
A man's wardrobe is judged by his shirts. They're the foundation everything else is built on.
4. The Beige Chino
Heavy gabardine cotton (250-280 g/m2), khaki or stone colour, straight cut with a very slight taper. The garment that saves the in-between seasons. Perfect under a blazer for the weekend, with a white shirt for informal meetings, with a fisherman's jumper on autumn Sundays.
5. The Charcoal Grey Chino
The beige's more formal alter ego. In cool wool gabardine for summer, in cotton flannel for winter. Instantly raises the tone of any outfit, it's the garment that turns a jumper into a look.
6. The Dark Denim Jeans
Italian denim, 13-14 oz, dark wash, straight comfort cut. Avoid fake whiskers, decorative rips, faded colours. A good dark jean can go almost anywhere except the most formal occasions. With a navy blazer it even becomes elegant.
7. The White Heavyweight Cotton T-Shirt
Not your usual 5-euro t-shirt. A t-shirt in heavyweight cotton (200-220 g/m2), structured collar, proportioned shoulder, reinforced seams. Costs three times as much as an ordinary one, but lasts ten times longer, and it shows when worn. Pure white, never off-white.
8. The Merino Crewneck Jumper
100% extra-fine merino wool, navy blue or charcoal. The most elegant and versatile jumper there is. Goes under a blazer, over a shirt, with jeans or trousers. It breathes, doesn't itch, doesn't weigh you down. A garment that, well cared for, lasts twenty years.
9. The Coat (Autumn-Winter)
Just one, if the climate allows. Camel or navy colour, knee-length cut, in cashmere and wool (or heavy pure combed wool). No belt, no metal details. Simple and noble. The right coat makes anyone look authoritative.
10. The Brown Leather Derby Shoes
Not garments, but essentials. A pair of brown leather derbies (not black, not burgundy) is perhaps the most versatile object in the male wardrobe. With a blazer, without. With jeans, with chinos, with trousers. Full-grain leather, Goodyear welted, polished regularly. They'll outlast you.
A man is judged by his shoes. And shoes are judged by the care he takes of himself.
The Method: Buy Less, Buy Better
There are men with 15 blazers who never know what to wear. And men with 3 blazers, one navy, one grey, one camel, who are impeccable every day. The difference lies in the initial choice, not the quantity.
The principle is simple: before buying something new, ask yourself what's genuinely missing from my wardrobe, and what would I pair it with? If there's no answer, the garment is superfluous, no matter how beautiful it is.
A Plan for the Year
One final tip, for those who want to build a solid wardrobe without spending a fortune all at once:
- Spring: the navy blazer and a white shirt.
- Summer: the beige chino and the heavyweight cotton t-shirt.
- Autumn: the merino jumper and the light blue shirt.
- Winter: the coat and the derby shoes.
In four seasons, a wardrobe for life.
