When I was a teenager, footwear was a declaration of allegiance. Mine came down to two essentials—creepers and monkey boots—as much a part of the punk scene’s vocabulary as spiky hair, leather jackets, and D.I.Y. album covers. I didn’t choose them for comfort or even utility.
They were signals—to friends, strangers, and perhaps most of all to myself—that I belonged to a certain tribe.
I’d like to say I’ve outgrown them, but the truth is they’ve simply evolved with me. The creepers now often anchor an unstructured Barena suit; the monkey boots surface under wide-wale cords on days when formality feels too fussy. They’re no longer rebellious declarations so much as quiet asides—Easter eggs for me and reminders that style isn’t something you have to discard with age. It’s a language you keep refining, one pairing at a time: equal parts personal signature and living history. It’s that mix that runs through this year’s fall style issue.
Take Alessandro Sartori, the subject of style editor Naomi Rougeau’s profile in “Sartori Rules.” The Zegna artistic director has spent the better part of a decade weaving his hometown’s textile D.N.A. into collections that refuse to be hemmed in by tradition. His clothes are built for layering, traveling, and living—pieces meant to blend with what a man already owns, so each new arrival deepens the wardrobe rather than overwrites it. Rougeau finds Sartori at once attuned to his clients’ habits and in step with the mills’ innovations. For him, a collection isn’t a reset but a continuation.
Writer Nick Hendry picks up the thread in “Cut Loose,” tracking the widening of the trouser leg from Neapolitan tailoring to Milan’s runways. The change may sound subtle, but the impact is dramatic: more ease of movement, better airflow, and fabric that drapes and billows rather than clings. While the silhouette has long been favored by style-savvy dressers, venerable houses are now embracing the cut—less a fad than a recalibration, with elegance expressed through proportion and movement instead of constraint.
From there, writer Eric Twardzik takes us inside the hushed salons where made-to-measure is having a moment. Long considered bespoke’s lesser sibling, MTM now arrives with craftsmanship, personal attention, and—crucially—speed in equal measure. Three renowned fashion houses present it not as a compromise but as a statement, with fabrics, finishes, and fits that carry each maison’s lineage while adapting to the wearer’s shape and style. The result: precision without the months-long wait.
Beyond wardrobes and runways, there’s more to discover. We spend time with a chef in Algarve, Portugal, who has kept two Michelin stars for three decades without repeating a menu; sample a Welsh gin smooth enough to sip neat; and check into a slate of supervillas that combine five-star indulgence with the privacy of your own estate. We even spotlight American watchmaking’s comeback—a reminder that reinvention is hardly exclusive to the fitting room.
As for those creepers and monkey boots, they’ve outlasted trends, crossed worlds, and adapted to more than a few dress codes. You’ll see that same dynamic at play throughout these pages, as heritage is recut for the present and personal style sets the course.
Enjoy the issue.
Authors
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John Vorwald