This summer, everyone wants to dress like Stanley Tucci

Menswear stylist Ken Thompson also highlights Tucci’s preference for Italian-cut trousers and suits that emphasise the waist and lengthen the appearance of legs.

“Sticking to plain, worsted fabrics enhances the illusion of leanness and height, with a slim tie anchoring the ensemble,” Thompson says. “I also follow his dictum that the size of your spectacles should increase in direct relation to the recession of your hairline.”

Tucci has skirted on the edges of fashion for decades, modelling Levi’s in a 1986 advertisement and starring opposite Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada in 2006. His upgrade to fashion’s frontlines began in 2019 when Searching For Italy started filming. Four years later, the enduring appeal of Tucci’s classic clothing demonstrates the value of investment pieces.

“Through his travel show he has shown us how much mileage can be made from just two shirts; the classic denim and crisp white shirt,” says MJ Bale founder Matt Jensen.

“Tucci is proof that elegance is timeless, and by that I mean ageless. He calls himself old fashioned, but he’s actually got a broad range of style that keeps him relevant.”

It also gives men a guidebook for looking polished in a world where casual clothing has been pushed to the forefront by athleisure wear and pandemic lockdowns.

Loading

“I mean, everybody’s dressed like a nine-year-old,” Tucci told travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler last year. “And you think, but you’re not nine years old! You’re a person. Put a shirt on, wear a pair of shoes. Why do you have to wear sweats?”

The Tucci approach to dressing is also pushing the stealth wealth trend forward. On Succession, the billionaire characters wore cashmere caps and vests without logos to communicate luxury to those in the know.

“This is different and more casual,” Byrne says, “You’re not signalling that you’ve closed the deal of a lifetime. It communicates an understanding of yourself rather than worrying about what others think. It also goes well with an apron.”