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»

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.

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.

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.

Photo courtesy of the Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris / Phaidon Press

If it hadn’t been for a certain dapper Swiss genius named Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris—Le Corbusier to you—the likes of Richard Meier and would still be playing with Legos. Perhaps the very first starchitect—and way cooler than Frank Lloyd Wright—the dapper fellow in the bowtie and black specs masterminded the Modern movement and laid the foundation, literally and figuratively, for all avant-garde design to come.

The Phaidon Press has just come out with a $200, 20-lb., 2,000-image tribute to this towering talent, entitled Le Courbusier: Le Grand. In it you can see how came up with groundbreaking designs for everything from chairs to skyscrapers, dressed to the nines all the way.

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Manolo Blahnik’s name is of course familiar to shoe fetishists and Sex & the City slatterns. Quite apart from that however he is also one of the world’s best-dressed men. The dapper designer has both the panache and gravitas to pull off the old school double-breasted suit and bowtie look in a way that few men really can. Note that he does not look remotely silly even when clutching a satin stiletto (he’s about to sign it for some Bergdorf Blondes, not try it on).

Note also the ticket pocket and turned-back cuffs on the jacket which fairly shout “bespoke”; the jacquard bowtie of perfect proportion, disheveled just enough so that there can be no question of its being one of those horrific pre-tied affairs; the natty tortoiseshell specs; and the bodacious boutonniere, a nice Wildean touch. Whether he chose the suit to match the shoe we wouldn’t venture to say.

We may be saps, but we love a good shoutout. Especially when it’s directed at us.

The latest one comes from Michael Williams of A Continuous Lean, who managed to land an interview in this month’s MR to big-up bowties, J. Crew, and the rise of men’s style. It’s required reading if you happen to be running a menswear store.

If all you’re doing is dressing yourself…you still might learn a thing or two.

Below, the wisdom of Mr. Williams»

Although the bowtie has been getting more cred lately, it’s still a flashy move with an uncertain payoff in many circles. The best bowties are the ones that keep their heads down, usually through softer fabrics that make them almost scarflike, but we may have found another solution.

This shirt-and-tie outfit comes from our old friends at Commonwealth Utilities, and though it’s still months away from stores, we’re ready to call it as the second coming of the bowtie. It looks like a natural outgrowth of the shirt, and surprisingly enough, ends up looking more casual than a regular tie would. A loose knot, an ascot-esque drape, and a little fabric matching is all it takes, apparently.

Scotch plaid has always been a little too garish to be taken in anything but the smallest doses, but a bowtie happens to be just the right amount. It’s so colorful that you’ll have to be careful not to clash, but we assume you’re clever enough to handle it.

And it should stay comfortably above the waist.

The Beardless Leading the Beardless: The recently shaven Bill Richardson stops by to offer some life lessons. [Esquire]

Naval Gazing: Military research finally pays off. In the form of toggle coats. [Selectism]

Bows and Arrows: If you have lived this long without knowing how to tie a bowtie, all hope is not yet lost. [The Pursuit Aesthetic]

Sloppy Suspensions: Sean Avery proves himself to be less than a gentleman. The NHL disapproves. [Gawker]

This Band of Outsiders bowtie just made an early appearance at Seattle’s Blackbird, and we’re immensely pleased. Of course, after last season we already have a bowtie or two in our closet…but there’s always room for one more.