Dries Van Noten's 10 Rules of Style

The following article is from the Holiday issue of DETAILS magazine with Jonathan Rhys Meyers on the cover.

Dries Van Noten's 10 Rules of Style:

1. Gay men and straight men dress nearly the same now. Young people pick up styles of clothing without saying “This is too gay” or “This is too straight.”

2. I have as much respect for somebody who knows how to cook perfectly on a barbecue as I do for a three-star chef. I don’t have respect for people who say “I’m not interested in food and wine,” because those are some of the joys of life.

3. Everybody dresses the way they want to dress. David Beckham—he’s trying very hard. I’m not so fond of his look, but I think a lot of people consider it extremely stylish. So who am I to say it’s unstylish? I’m not a dictator.

4. Kids should be dressed as kids, not as little grown-ups.

5. Listen to what other people are saying about the way you dress, because in the end, fashion is a way of communicating. When you get your message wrong, it’s good that the people around you let you know.

6. Smell is important. I love perfume, but the moment that you can smell it from far away, I don’t like it anymore. It has to be discreet.

7. I don’t like it when men purposely dress incorrectly at a formal event. When it’s black tie, I dress black tie. But I give it my own personal twist.

8. I like to wander around a city and pop into stores when I’m traveling. I try not to go back to the places I’ve found. I prefer to keep the memory of the magical moment I first walked in.

9. I wear my hair short. I always go to the same hairdresser, who cuts it in 10 minutes. I love that. I’ve been going to him for 25 or 30 years now.

10. You shouldn’t have a completely vintage look. Fashion has to move forward. We can’t live in the past.