“I interviewed the great textile designer and menswear innovator Nino Cerruti at the beginning of this year. He remarked to me that while he was pleased that many of the old rigid rules on dress etiquette had been relaxed, one result is that we have never lived before in a time when ugliness seems to be so acceptable. I detest those low-slung jeans and other casual trousers that reveal the wearer’s underclothes. How depressing.”

