The House of D Statutes of Sagacious Style
Back in April, I mused over the curious little word sagacious and suggested that the best-dressed people often have less in common with fashion than with good judgement.
It seemed only fair, then, that House of D should eventually set that judgement down in writing.
Admittedly, the legislative process has taken rather longer than anticipated. There have been committees. Subcommittees. Lengthy consultations. At least one adjournment for tea and cream buns.
But the wait is over.
So, without further delay, I present our Five Statutes of Sagacious Style.
The sagacious dresser buys fewer things.
Better things.
And wears them for many years.
D, unfortunately, has always been extremely good at the latter part, and somewhat less disciplined about the first.
As a result, D’s enthusiasm for clothing continues to outpace the available wardrobe infrastructure.
House of D therefore might be considered something of a public service. Others may now benefit from his lessons learned, and excellent garments will be able to live out their next chapter in the wardrobes of others.
Fine clothing deserves more than a single brief outing.
A well-cut coat, a tweed jacket, or a properly made pair of shoes is not disposable. These things improve with age, acquiring character and occasionally the faint suggestion of a story.
At House of D we are not selling clothes so much as re-homing them.
Fashion is a suggestion.
Style is a decision.
Sagaciously stylish people understand that elegance rarely comes from chasing trends. It comes from wearing things with ease and confidence.
The Italians have a word for this: sprezzatura — the art of appearing effortlessly stylish, even when a certain amount of thought may have gone into the matter.
A slightly rumpled tweed jacket worn with confidence will almost always look better than something perfectly on-trend but worn nervously.
Renowned British fashion designer, Hardy Amies, famously emphasized effortless elegance and quality, saying: “A man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them”
Style, in the end, is not simply about the clothes.
It is about the attitude inside them.
The best dressers are rarely the most perfect.
They are the ones with quirks.
A well-loved jacket.
A slightly eccentric scarf.
A pair of shoes that have clearly seen interesting places.
Sagacious style leaves room for individuality.
Clothes are not merely practical objects.
They are small invitations to adventure.
When I look at certain pieces hanging in D’s wardrobe, I occasionally find myself wondering:
Who might have worn this in another time?
A journalist on a night train.
A philosopher in a smoky library.
A gentleman explorer somewhere slightly chilly.
The sagacious dresser understands that what we wear can help us step — just slightly — into the next chapter of our own story.
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And so the House of D Statutes of Sagacious Style now stand — drafted without parliamentary approval, but based on years of careful observation and one rather enthusiastic wardrobe.
They are not rules, exactly.
More gentle observations about the quiet wisdom that tends to produce excellent wardrobes.
Of course, these statutes raise an interesting question.
Who, in fact, follows them?
You may have someone in mind already — perhaps an actor, a writer, a philosopher, or a quietly well-dressed grandfather who has been wearing the same excellent coat since 1983.
If so, I would be delighted to hear your nominations.
Together we may yet assemble a rather distinguished roll of the Sagaciously Stylish. Indeed, I am a little giddy at the idea that together we might develop, The Sagacious Style Files…