Portuguese influencer Marco de Cunha is one of Donhall & Bell’s most loyal (and fashionable) supporters — a man whose meticulous approach to style proves it’s sometimes good to sweat the small stuff.
It’s never been easy to define what makes great masculine style. But that hasn’t stopped writers in every century, in practically every language, from having a go. In France, it’s ‘l’art de cacher l’art’; in Germany, ‘Ein Verachtung oder Unachtsamkeit.’ During the Renaissance, humanists dubbed it ‘habitus neglectior,’ and early English translators opted for everything from ‘nonchalance’ to ‘recklessness’.
More southerly nations, though, have always seemed to have a better handle on it. In Catalonia, it’s ‘descuido,’ while the Italians call it ‘sprezzatura’; the art of effortless style (or, to be more precise, the art of purposefully refining and perfecting your style to the point where it SEEMS utterly effortless). The closest Portuguese comes, meanwhile is ‘habilidade’ — a term that roughly translates as ‘dexterity’ or ‘know-how.’
That’s an attribute epitomised by Lisbon resident Marco de Cunha, a man whose approach to dressing has made him one of Donhall & Bell’s must-follow Instagram accounts ever since we began. His modern-classic aesthetic — elegant tailoring and timeless colours, spiced up with bold prints and subtle textures — comes rounded out with an impressive accessories wardrobe. Every outfit is thought through with impressive attention to the finer points, from Panama hats to polka-dot socks, and from monogrammed shirts to the matching beach combos he sports with his equally-stylish son Salvador. So it’s no surprise that Marco’s made full use of Donhall & Bell’s online Bespoke service — most recently in a pair of midnight blue slippers complete with his initialled crest. As the man himself is fond of saying,‘Our life is made of small details.’ And that’s a principle that works in any language.
