Courtesy of Abrams Books

Tim Pilcher’s titillating new title, Erotic Comics: A Graphic History certainly covers the territory. Beginning with the salacious mosaics of antiquity—oh, those naughty Ancient Romans—and Japanese Shunga woodblocks, it travels through Hogarth’s London and the ostensibly repressed Victorian era to the Tijuana Bibles of the 1930s, the rise of men’s magazines following World War II and the underground “comix” era of the ’70s.

However, we’re partial to the ’50s and ’60s (as usual) and the work of fellows like Bill Ward (above) with his impossibly-proportioned pin-ups and burlesque queens. He drew more than 10,000 of them over the course of his career, more than any other such artist before or since, and his influence is still apparent today—just check out the cover of the Fratellis’ Costello Music for one.

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Comic actor Will Smith isn’t typically our beau idéal of a stylish fellow, but we have noticed him turning out in some pretty snazzy threads of late.

Still we were surprised by the boldly checked three-piece Tom Ford suit he wore to the premiere of his new superhero spoof Hancock the other night. We expect this sort of thing from MOTH whiz Daniel Day-Lewis but hardly the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

More on today’s MOTH»

When manga artist Takashi Murakami was first tapped to collaborate with Louis Vuitton, he opened our eyes to the burgeoning cultural renaissance taking place in Japan.

Now the Japanese avant-garde is getting the full treatment in Ian Luna’s Tokyolife: Art & Design, which showcases the work of over 80 creative types pushing the boundaries in those fields as well as architecture, film, photography and of course fashion. While some names like Nigo of A Bathing Ape are already widely familiar and influential, others have yet to make their mark on the West.

Here’s your primer.

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Ah, a benefit bash in Southampton during the high season. Where the fuck else would you find people dressed like this? And god bless ‘em for it. It’s been rather a dull summer so far sartorially, and we welcome this demonic display of madras as much as we would one of those cocktails they’re clutching.

Now let’s examine their full tribal regalia a little more closely - not only are they wearing madras, which any amateur can do, but patchwork madras and clashing bowties. Guy on the left - we’ll call him C.K. Dexter Haven - also has on shorts embroidered with little green lobsters. Guy the right - aka Sniffin K. Bellows IV - is wearing a contrast club collar shirt and a chronic case of lockjaw.

Now please put those jackets away until next year.

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Though we find his self-consciously under-designed collections a bit precious at times, we’re all for Rogan Gregory’s new collaboration with two-time MOTH Michael Stipe.

Last seen rocking some Freeman’s Sporting Club chalkstripes, the R.E.M. frontman is apparently a Rogan fan to boot. He’s also something of a frustrated artist, judging by his installation, entitled Relics, at Rogan’s new Bouwerie Lane Theatre digs.

This snap is from opening night, where Jeff Koons and Coldplay’s Chris Martin also made the scene. The show runs through July 27 so you can judge for yourself.

Showing up too early for a Rolling Stones shoot has proved fruitless for many a young photographer, sent away with a sneer from a certain famous pair of lips. For John “Hoppy” Hopkins however, it was the beginning of something big.

When he arrived to take some pix of the band one day in the summer of 1964, the former physicist and the recalcitrant Stones frontman hit it off. Hopkins later recounted that Jagger said he was the only photographer whom he’d ever allowed to take his picture before lunch.

The moody result, above, is included in Hopkins’ genius new book, From the Hip: Photographs by John “Hoppy” Hopkins 1960-66.

More on Hopkins’s new masterpiece»

It seems that Burberry’s “just us blokes” creative director Christopher Bailey was as impressed with Anton Corbijn’s Ian Curtis biopic Control as we were.

He’s hired Sam Riley, who played the Joy Division frontman, to star in Burberry’s new Fall/Winter 2008-09 ad campaign shot by Mario Testino — in black-and-white like the movie.

More on Burberry’s new campaign»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

The cat in the hat here is usually found behind the seams, if you will, when it comes to MOTHs like Adrian Grenier and Nigel Barker.

So it’s nice to see dandified downtown tailor Duncan Quinn out and about himself for once. We spotted the bespoke Brahmin at a party for Tanqueray No. 10 and Elle magazine hosted by architect/designer Campion Platt the other night - which explains the odd choice of headgear.

More on today’s MOTH»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We’re sorry to say it, but Graydon Carter is a stubborn ass. Not eight weeks after we commended him for ditching unflatteringly-padded double-breasted suits in favor of sleek-making single-b.’s, the Vanity Fair editor is back enfolded in extra layers of fabric again, drawing undue attention to all those late night snacks at the Waverly.

We consider the pitfalls of the double-breasted jacket»

Following the passing of its gentlemanly founder last year, the House of Gianfranco Ferre seems to be intent on sexing up its image after abruptly parting ways with new designer Lars Nilsson a few months ago.

Just take a gander at this image from Ferre’s brand new Fall/Winter ‘08-‘09 ad campaign shot by Steven Meisel, which features this well-suited gent frolicking with frequently topless babes. Probably not the sort of thing the buttoned-up, unfailingly elegant Mr. Ferre would have greenlighted himself before he went to the great couture house in the sky, but we like it fine.

Meanwhile, the Ferre men’s presentation (staged in lieu of a real runway show) in Milan the other day was something of a mixed bag, but the shades were pretty slick at least.

Don’t know about you, but we’d pretty much given up on ever finding a motorcar worthy of sharing garage space with our Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermes.

Leave it to Donatella Versace to save the day. The leathery Italian fashion queen has long been said to be collaborating with Lamborghini on a limited edition supercar.

More on the Versace-Lamborghini tag team»

We should make it clear from the start that while we never watch television, we do have something of a Netflix addiction to House M.D..

And though we were drawn to it by the prospect of Bertie Wooster playing a misanthropic American medico, Jennifer Morrison (aka Dr. Cameron) is certainly easy on the eyes. If only the wardrobe department wouldn’t insist on stuffing her into ill-fitting Club Monaco career separates.

Another pic of our newest Kemptress and more info after the jump»

Shakespeare in the Park is a storied New York rite of summer, and the Public Theater’s annual gala on opening night is always quite a scene.

At this year’s fete, we’d like to have been a fly buzzing around Table 26 where multi-talented mates Steve Martin and Mike Nichols were holding court. Martin, in trademark fedora - this one in two-tone straw for summer - and The Graduate director Nichols are on either side of Martin’s adorable New Yorker scribe wife Anne Stringfield.

In this snap Nichols looks as if he’s putting over a particularly toothsome bon mot — perhaps something about gentlemen who fail to remove their hats during dinner.

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan

We’ve previously mentioned our predilection for pulchritudinous pairings, so there’s no need for much of a rationalization to run this photo.

It features proto-Kemptress Erin Wasson, aka the Texan Tomato, and Barbados-born songbird Rihanna schmoozing at the Thompson Beverly Hills.

More on the pulchritudinous pairing»

Lanky Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore is one of the few No Wave-ers to have achieved a measure of commercial success.

So its no wonder that he pays homage to the musical subculture that his hipster empire is founded upon in his cool new book, No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York 1976-1980.

More on Moore»

You can pick up a vintage Bentley that once belonged to Sean Connery, the greatest Bond of all, at Bonhams’ auto auction as part of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiast’s Club’s annual rally this weekend for a relative pittance. The beautiful 1961 S2 saloon, finished in two-tone Tudor Grey / Shell Grey with a contrasting red leather interior, is estimated at only £12,000 - £15,000, or about $24,000 - $30,000, a fraction of what a new, less distinguished model sans pedigree will cost you.

More on the classic ride»

Here at Kempt, we may fly the flag of the stylish man, but we can’t help ourselves when it comes to a beautiful woman. We’re sure you’ve noticed the healthy helping of enticing ladies on our site, but it’s high time they had a corner of Kempt to call their own. Thus we give you the Kemptress—a glimpse into the lives of the women we love. After all, MOTH’s get lonely…

It’s no easy task to fill the formidable stilettos of Claudia Cardinale, one of the most beautiful silver screen sirens of the Sixties. But we think Brazilian bombshell Isabeli Fontana has the chops.

Click here for more on today’s Kemptress»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

It would remiss of us not to point out when one of our MOTHs oversteps the bounds. Regrettably that’s just what former Talking Head David Byrne did the other night at the annual Webby Awards.

More on the Talking Head»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We had to hand this MOTH to Dennis Hopper for pulling off the not inconsiderable feat of posing next to a drug-addled sex bomb fifty years his junior while wearing clothes made for his grandkids—and managing not to look remotely ridiculous in the process.

More on Mr. Hopper and Ms. Lohan»

Two things they don’t make like they used to—movie posters and movies. Case in point: Michelangelo Antonioni’s brilliant 1966 flick Blow-Up.

David Hemmings plays Thomas, a debauched fashion photographer based on David Bailey who thinks he may have witnessed a murder. But the plot takes a back seat to the movie’s incredibly stylish mise-en-scène, not to mention Thomas’ navy blue Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud convertible, slant-pocketed velvet hacking jacket and endless stream of beautiful bedmates.

At Bonhams Entertainment Sale in London on June 18, you can snag a piece of the magic in the form of this original poster from the film, estimated at £300 - £500. If you think you can outbid us, that is.

The New York Observer recently went batshit over gladiator sandals, oddly devoting the entire cover to a story entitled Ben-Her.

Cited as examples of the hot women warriors sporting the style this summer were Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashley Olson and Cynthia Rowley. However, we think mouthwatering model Erin Wasson wore them best by far, at the after-party for the CFDA Awards the other night—wore one, that is, accessorized with a matching pair of glossy black crutches.

More on Ms. Wasson»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Two of our favorite fellows who both happened to be named Paul got together in London the other night for a very stylish fete.

The great Sir Paul Smith hosted a book bash for his brother-in-arms Paul Weller, aka “The Modfather,” founder of seminal Brit band The Jam and the aptly named Style Council.

More on the pair of Pauls»

Italian photographer and documentary filmmaker Fabio Paleari is best known for capturing one of the last interviews with Allen Ginsberg before his death in 1997. We assume he saw a similar window of opportunity with his latest subject, smack rocker Pete Doherty, who by all accounts should be dropping dead any minute now.

More on this momentous tome»

The great Sir Paul Smith may have recently signed on to design new off-pitch duds for the Manchester United Football Club (that’s soccer to you), but the sporting supermen were not always in need of such sartorial succor.

Back in the ’50s they wore good old classic club blazers when not actively pummeling opponents, and needed no other decoration, as Bonhams upcoming Sporting Sale demonstrates.

More on the style of Man United»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We’ve never been huge fans of Moby’s music, but we have to admit we like his style. For a little bald guy with glasses he does himself pretty well. Sartorially he may not be much to write home about, but he manages to exude the right kind of insouciant electro-rock star cool in a way that’s essentially inimitable: just you try walking around like this and see how far you get if you don’t believe us.

More on the rock»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

The information that downtown dude John Varvatos had opened a boutique in uptown East Hampton somehow passed us by, but then we spend more time upstate than on the East End these days—for reasons which should be obvious enough if you’ve ever been bumper-to-bumper on the Montauk Highway.

In any case, the designer who recently revamped CBGBs celebrated the first anniversary of his Hamptons outpost the other night with an exhibition of photos by the legendary Mick Rock, famous for his iconic shots of the likes of Iggy, Bowie, and Syd Barrett.

More on the photogenic trio»

Compass Box, the no-nonsense artisanal Brit whiskymaker whose ambrosial offerings we first told you about last year, has just come out with a new bottling of its limited release Hedonism Scotch in time for a certain Hallmark holiday.

Hedonism is a blend of rare old Scotch grain whisky — traditionally low grade, unmatured stuff made from wheat or corn added to malt whisky to make the major brands of blended Scotch. However, when properly aged in oak, Scotch grain whisky can achieve its own delectable character, albeit of a much lighter, honeyish, toffee-like variety; a before-dinner Scotch if you will.

Compass Box bottles the stuff when it can find enough mature grain whisky—20 years old on average—in good oak casks. No easy task, but we’re certainly glad they bothered.

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

New York Rangers roisterer-turned-Vogue intern Sean Avery gets away with lots of out-there antics. We draw the line, however, at silver boots. Apparently Hedi Slimane has been passing these things around as a joke and fashion victims like our awkward forward here have fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

More on the Mr. Avery’s unlikely choice in footwear»

Since it opened as a museum a year ago, Philip Johnson’s famous 1949 Glass House in New Canaan, CT has been flooded by both seekers after architectural wisdom and design junkies in general—so much so in fact, that all tours for the rest of 2008 are already sold out.

Your ticket inside»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We were pleased to see our old friend, author, Nightlife Decathlon star and all-round bon vivant Anthony Haden-Guest crop up in the photos from Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld’s book party at the Pace/MacGill Gallery the other night—where we also spotted three-time MOTH whiz Hamish Bowles.

More on the unlikely pair»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Gentlemen: After seven months of MOTHs, we’re pleased to announce that one of our fellows has finally scored the first hat trick in this hotly-contested sartorial series.

Author, editor and World’s Best Dressed Man contender Hamish Bowles has beat out 48 other natty candidates to be the first to put a third MOTH on his mantel. You other two-time MOTH whizzes—Alan Cumming, André Benjamin, Cameron Silver, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Michael Stipe—not to mention the rest have got some serious catching up to do, and we’ll brook no slovenliness this summer no matter how high the mercury rises, is that understood?

More on Mr. Bowles’ trifecta»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

First of all, this will be our final photographic dispatch from Vienna’s louche Life Ball, so it’s no use begging or appealing to our better nature—which so far as we know is non-existent anyway.

While Agent Provocateur founder Joe Corre’s shenanigans were certainly entertaining, it was molten media heiress Lydia Hearst who really stole the show.

More on the heiress»

NEIL RASMUS/PatrickMcMullan.com

Agent Provocateur founder Joe Corre is nothing if not a consummate showman—but then what else would you expect from the son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren?

An explanation for this puzzling image»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

A MOTH likes his WOTH s, WWLs, and whatever they call the gratuitous knockouts in GQ just fine, but it’s exceedingly rare to find all the qualities one desires in just one woman. Often we’ve found that at least two are required.

And when it comes to the perfect pairing, it’s hard to beat the two pictured here: statuesque stunner Jessica Stam and cooler-than-thou actress Chloe Sevigny.

More on the stunning pair»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

When it first came out in 1973, Lou Reed’s tragic rock opera Berlindisappointed fans who’d been expecting an upbeat follow-up to his glam opus Transformer. Left to gather dust, it took twenty years for critical opinion to come around and finally dub it a masterwork.

Larger-than-life artist/auteur Julian Schnabel had, of course, always been a believer»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Sex Pistols svengali Malcolm McLaren is one of Thom Browne’s biggest fans. Perhaps the subversive nature of Brown’s sartorial spin appeals to the old saboteur. McLaren’s been a firm believer in épater la bourgeoisie since the SEX days.

More on the mogul in the wild»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

When he last made the MOTH scene at the Tudors premiere, Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was decked out in a killer custom-tailored midnight blue dress suit by John Galliano. For the Met Costume Institute Gala the other night, he one-upped the basic black tie crowd in a similarly more-sartorial-than-thou suit designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga.

More on Mr. Rhys Meyers»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Here making his second MOTH appearance, the multi-talented André Benjamin (aka André 3000) stole the show at the Met Costume Institute’s gala Monday night.

What won us over was his beautifully-cut cream shawl-collared dinner jacket with a subtle tone-on-tone glen plaid pattern, which could be from his Benjamin Bixby line, though it looks a little on the formal side—perhaps Ralph Lauren or Brioni is a better call—worn with Hollywood-waisted dress trousers, velvet evening slippers and a perfectly-proportioned pointed-end black velvet bowtie. His signature flourishes were apparent in the straw fedora, pearl shirt studs and a somewhat faded-looking but nonetheless brassy boutonniere»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We’re not entirely sure just what look Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was going for with this stripey Hello Sailor rig he wore to the L.A. premiere of Iron Man the other night. Actually the outfit looks more suitable to swabbing the decks than manning the mainsail, though it’s possible Corgan wasn’t thinking nautical thoughts at all. Perhaps the movie’s comic book basis simply went to his head»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Browsing through photos of the usual muttonheads at the Washington Correspondents Dinner the other night we were surprised to see our old friend, brilliant writer/director Bruce Wagner, among the throng.

Wagner, whom you might know from his masterpieces cinematic (Wild Palms, Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills) and literary (Force Majeure , I’m Losing You, Memorial), is a writer/producer of British actress Tracey Ullman’s new satirical series, State of the Union.

More on Mr. Wagner»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

John Waters wasn’t the only one to surprise us with his stylistic splendor at the Cry-Baby musical premiere the other night. Waters’ fellow Baltimorean Adam Duritz, the Counting Crows frontman and record producer, blew in like a breath of fresh air with a preview of coming attractions, sartorially speaking, swathed in summer suiting befitting a southern gentleman.

More on Mr. Duritz»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We always just kind of took it for granted that king-of-camp John Waters only ever wears vintage threads. That’s what the writer/director’s skinny suits and ties always looked like to us, and it seemed to match his retro persona perfectly. The other night at the opening of the new musical version of his 1990 film however, we caught the unmistakable whiff of designer duds adorning his rail-thin frame.

It was the modernized boating blazer that tipped us off, of course»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

A few months ago we appealed to Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter—in an avuncular fashion—to discard the double-breasted suits which added an unflattering layer to his majestic midsection; the wrong kind of camouflage, if you will.

He has apparently taken our advice to heart»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Debonair designer Zac Posen has been on the verge of snagging many a MOTH before now, only to be usurped at the last moment by some slightly more splendiferous fellow. Truth be told, there were some very close calls where we ended up handing the prize to a less consistently natty rival, simply because we knew there’d never be a shortage of stylish Zac sightings. The man seems to be at every A-list event on the social calendar, and he’s usually the life of the party.

More on Mr. Posen»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

There’s something kind of frightening about this photo of Robert Redford and Christoper Walken—and we don’t mean in the good way that Walken usually gives us the willies. Perhaps it’s merely the fact that these two incredibly charismatic and stylish cinematic icons have gotten so damned old, while so few young fellows of any discernable panache or even talent have come along to replace them.

More on Bob and Chris»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Here we have a topping triumvirate to be reckoned with: haute hotelier Andre Balazs, literary lion Tom Wolfe, and dapper designer David Chu. Wolfe is of course a style icon of long standing, but the other two are no slouches in the dressing department either. In fact it’s rare to see three of the nattiest types in town across such a broad spectrum having a tête-à-tête.

Who could effect such a meeting of the sartorial minds?

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Quirky indie icon David Byrne has mastered many artforms, and he’s got the Grammys, Oscars and Golden Globes on the mantle to prove it. The Scottish-born former Talking Head and RISD dropout recently joined Paul Simon onstage for one night of the latter’s month-long residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

More on Mr. Byrne»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Ask, and ye shall receive: an extra helping of MOTH star Waris Ahluwalia for your viewing pleasure, that is. Our favorite beturbaned member of the bon ton is pictured here with gal-about-town Jessica Joffe at a Theory party for artist David Ellis the other night.

More on Waris and Jessica»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, last seen layering it on like a motherfucker, has always been distinctively dressed, but we’ve never seen him looking quite as natty as he did at the Food Bank for New York City’s anniversary awards gala at the Chelsea Piers the other night (where we also spotted a stylin’ Isaac Mizrahi).

More on Mr. Stipe»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Dashing designer Isaac Mizrahi makes a splash but always stays on the safe side of zany—no easy feat when you’re establishing yourself as a too-beaucoup TV personality. Though his women’s clothes and various bringing-style-to-the-masses projects get all the attention, he turned out a damn fine men’s collection for Fall 2008, which was good enough to get the nod from Bergdorf’s.

More on Mr. Mizrahi»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

The other day when we said there were no challengers to Keith Richards’ reign atop sex, drugs and rock’n’roll royalty, it obviously triggered something - the appearance of a certified contender, David Johansen of the New York Dolls.

More on Mr. Johansen»

By now, you’d think someone else would have come along to usurp Keith Richards’ as the archetype of sex, drugs and rock & roll style. As a group, the geriatric juggernaut that is the Rolling Stones seems a bit comic with their never-ending world touring, but while the rest of the band looks like they’ve traded hookers and blow for Depends and Metamucil, Keef keeps rocking on.

He’s not carefully-maintained and certainly not well-preserved, but rather perfectly and stylishly weathered.

More Keef»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Sharon Stoned, we mean—as far as we know foppish Fiat heir Lapo Elkann has steered clear of the hard stuff since that unfortunate incident with the transvestite hooker in Turin.

In fact, our boy Lapo is now such a testament to recovery he was hobnobbing with the actress at an event honoring his appointment as ambassador to some kind of newfangled medical center.

More on our esteemed Mr. Elkann»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Following in the footsteps of Sean Penn and Petra Nemcova, aging action hero Bruce Willis has been stepping out lately with a much younger model, sometime Victoria’s Secret siren Emma Hemming.

Willis isn’t really known for his sartorial savoir faire, but he does have the sense to realize that a new look is necessary to pull off a poule de luxe.

More on today’s MOTH»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

If you’ve spent any time on the New York style circuit, you’ve no doubt come across idiosyncratic aRUDE magazine founder Iké Udé. With his dandified duds, the Nigerian-born artist, publisher and aesthete brightens up many an otherwise dull evening.

More on today’s MOTH»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

He creeped us out in Match Point and modeled for Versace and Hugo Boss before embarking on his latest role—a kind of priapic, po-mo Henry VIII in The Tudors—but Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers has always won full marks for his stylish attire.

At the Tudors premiere the other night, he sported an ensemble that had an almost Rockabilly look to it: a midnight blue dress suit with satin piping on the lapels—custom-tailored by John Galliano—and a superskinny leather tie by Camilla Staerk.

More on Mr. Rhys Meyers»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Looking through the past week’s party pix we were struck by this classic triptych of extremely influential characters. At an opening of an exhibition of photographs by Mikhail Baryshnikov the other night, the coolest dude to ever don a pair of ballet tights was flanked by fellow icons Julian Schnabel and Lou Reed.

We’d watch that show»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Brazilian jewelry designer / socialite Luigi Tadini—full name Gian Luigi de Almeida Prado Tadini—is one of those rare fellows who can pull off an ascot. You might say he’s carved out something of a niche in the offbeat neckwear department.

Tadini, a sometime model who also had a small role in The Devil Wears Prada, describes his style as “a mix between a young Mick Jagger and 40 year-old Cary Grant and perhaps a little Alain Delon”. The man knows his references, at least.

More on Mr. Tadini’s influences»