Style: the decline of.

How many pairs of jeans did Frank Sinatra own? None. How many did Fred Astaire own? Not a one. I haven’t worn a pair since high school. But of course millions do, looking like a massive army of ditch diggers. Clothes are language so dress up and speak well for yourself. Perhaps clothes are my private vice incurred from all my years in London where looking smart is a civic duty. Yes, I had my suits and jackets custom made on Savile Row but I suggest you could go to Costco and still come out looking like a million dollars. The cosmetic mogul Harry Revson said to women: “You have plenty of clothes but you don’t have a look—get one!” Tap into your inner Fred Astaire or Audrey Hepburn. I was in Wynn on the Vegas Strip this week. My son Tony is getting married there next month. I was there when he picked out his tux and I’ve seen his fiancee’s wedding dress. They are going to look very smart and there won’t be any Elvis impersonators at the service. Wynn is like a tastefully done airport with hordes of poorly dressed people milling about. They simply don’t fit the venue. I suppose a pair of ripped jeans, a cheap Led Zepplin t shirt and a baseball cap proclaiming “Ukiah Lumber” is a hip look, but remember that clothes make the man . Don’t join the “schlepers and lepers”, adopt my motto: Dress British, Think Yiddish. OK, so I’m a snob but I will put in a good word for jeans. I have a picture of Marilyn Monroe lying on a bench hoisting a couple of small barbells. She’s wearing a pair of jeans and a bra. She looks wonderful.