How to dress like a gentleman: the basic rules for modern men

Once upon a time, a gentleman didn't need to think too hard about his daily attire. His valet would conjure up a perfectly pressed shirt, his Oxfords would gleam like conkers, his trousers would boast a sleek, knife-edge pleat.

As Bertie Wooster so memorably commanded: "Bring me my whangee, my yellowest shoes, and the old green Homburg. I'm going into the Park to do pastoral dances."

Not so today. Decorous, Downton Abbey-style dressing might exist in a few stately homes, but today's sartorially switched-on man is more likely to be booking his shirt-ironing via app than awaiting the arrival of Mr Carson.

And I should know. My job as men's style editor of this parish might lead people to imagine my home set-up is all pristine rails devoted to tailoring, temperature-controlled vaults for cashmere, row upon row of polished shoes sliding from devoted cubbies.

The reality - a one-bed Brixton abode, my wardrobe jostled by my boyfriend's - is distinctly chaotic. I own an embarrassing number of suits, but they are huddled together like battery suiting. Shoes live above the wardrobe, albeit in their boxes, and accessories (ties, scarves - both evening and day - and foulards) are draped over the wardrobe door.

It's a situation many men can relate to. Fashion might wax lyrical about new trends, but what about the nuts and bolts, the day-to-day minutiae of caring for your clothes? The style 101s of whether to wash your knits or how to iron your shirt?

From rules around hanger width to the fine details of keeping cashmere fresh, I have released my inner Jeeves to proffer advice on the basics of wardrobe maintenance.

1. Pamper your knits

Should you store your knitted sweaters on hangers or fold them neatly in drawers? Are moth balls a necessary evil or can you avoid them with relatively little risk of gnawing?

Jess Mcguire-Dudley, marketing and design director at historic knitwear specialist John Smedley, has some insights. "We take great pride in creating the finest knitwear, but also in maintaining it. You want knits to keep their smooth, silky appearance, and to do this I recommend steam-pressing after washing. Do this inside-out, on a low temperature setting, while the garment is still damp."

We've all fallen foul of shrinking, which is caused by too-high temperatures and the wrong kind of detergent. Mcguire-Dudley advises avoiding biological detergents, which will 'attack' the wool and strip it of its fibres, and washing on a 30C setting.

"Once washed, make sure you always dry it away from heat; never put your wool on a radiator." (This damages the shape.) And to ward off those cashmere-craving winged beasties? Clean knitwear will help deter them, particularly if folded and stacked en masse. John Smedley also offers a Wool Wash Solution, which contains cedar, a natural insect deterrent.

2. Care for evening wear

Oliver Spencer is the undisputed king of exquisite eveningwear; his label Favourbrook creates luscious velvet tuxedos as well as stately morning suits. And his know-how on keeping the most formal pieces of a man's wardrobe centre on some industry tricks; "if you have a velvet jacket, it needs to air out. Before and after wear, always brush the velvet with a clothes brush; this will allow the "pile" in the velvet to rise and help the fabric look as sumptuous as possible".

And while a creaking plastic trouser press is about as stylish a contribution to a bedroom as a plastic commode, Spencer recommends a "gentleman's stand" - a handsome wooded affair - to keep the pleat on formal trousers sharp.

3. Organise your underwear

When it comes to your smalls, it pays to keep a tight edit of the best-quality cotton T-shirts and underwear. "Sunspel T-shirts are made using the finest Sea Island cotton, all handmade in the UK, as they have been since 1860," says the company's chief executive, Nicholas Brooke.

"If you have very high-quality cotton, it actually softens and looks better with age. I'd say compile around five to 10 T-shirts and underwear, and wash it all at 30C, making sure you never tumble dry." James Bond, a fan of Sunspel's minimal, beautifully made T-shirts, can't be wrong.

4. Keep suits sharp

Caring for a good suit should start with the width and solidity of the hanger, says Simon Kirby, creative director of Savile Row tailor Chester Barrie. "Invest in a good, heavyweight wooden hanger. Wide shoulders will make sure your suit has space," he says. Keep suits in hanging bags to repel moths and switch suits every two or three days. "Give it a chance to recover its shape after a few wears by leaving it on the hanger, assuming you have more than one suit for the working week." 

Be mindful, too, of handing your suit to a dry cleaner. "Suits are built for resilience, and made to recover their shape, but don't dry clean your suit too often. It's a very synthetic process, and doesn't do the fabric any good." If needs be, he advises putting a suit in a steaming bathroom to smooth out any wrinkles.

5. Iron like a pro

Forget the myth about starched shirts somehow being more upstanding, says Steve Miller, chief executive of shirt maker Hilditch & Key on Jermyn Street. "Don't starch your shirts. It weakens the fibres in the cotton and damages them. Instead we recommend ironing while the shirt is damp, but take care how you do it."

The direction of the glide of the iron is key here. "When it comes to the collar, iron from the points of the collar inwards towards the centre. Never iron from the centre of the collar outwards, because in doing so you roll over the seam and eventually you wear it and cause fraying. The same applies to cuffs." 

Always ensure shirts are hung, as opposed to folded, and choose collar stays depending on how stiff the shirt needs to be; silver or mother-of-pearl will give a more upright stance.

6. Don't neglect the details

Silk accessories might be an afterthought when you're undressing, but dump them in a forgotten corner at your peril, says Olie Arnold, style director of luxury e-tailer Mr Porter.

"Most ties are silk, which means when you take your tie off you should roll it and set it aside to reduce creasing, then hang it on a tie rack if you have one," he advises. "Otherwise keep your ties rolled up. Never leave your tie knotted; it will cause permanent creasing and damage the silk." Pocket squares should be folded and ironed under a tea towel to add that final flourish to your jacket.

Pocket square, £55, Anderson & Sheppard (mrporter.com)

7. Invest in a shoe tree

There's something gloriously ceremonial about the polishing of shoes - the rustle of newspaper and brisk scudding of the brush. Sunday nights across the country used to be devoted to this small exercise in personal pride - not so much any more.

Shoe trees, which seem faintly twee and courtly at a time when trainers are de rigueur, have suffered a similar fate. But according to James Fox, brand director of Crockett & Jones, which has been making shoes (above) in its Northampton factory since 1879, they are a wise investment.

"Always use shoe trees. They reduce creasing, but they also absorb moisture," he says (the wood is designed to wick it away to avoid cracking). Should your monk straps get stuck in an almighty downpour, don't be tempted to put them under a radiator. "Leather is skin, and like any skin, it doesn't like drying out too quickly. Don't put them next to any heat source; allow shoes to dry out naturally," he says.

Bracken burnished calf leather Oxford, £410, Crockett & Jones 

When it comes to the art of polishing shoes, make sure you arm yourself with the correct tools. "Use soft, horse-hair brushes, and make sure you have separate brushes for the removal of dirt, for adding the polish and for removing it," says Fox.

"Finally, my top tip, passed to me by a master in the shoe trade: buy a chamois leather and use it to give your shoes a final buff - and never throw that chamois away." The cloth will become smoother with time, he says, and provide a greater depth of colour as it takes on the shade of the polish.

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