So yes, there really are two David Gandys. There’s the one you don’t often see: the reserved, dog-walking family man who yawns at the skittishness of fast fashion. And there’s still the boy racer, the risk taker, the entrepreneur who lives and dresses on his own terms.

Is it just us or do you want to be both those guys?

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5 Ways To Rethink Your Tailoring, Like David Gandy

In FashionBeans‘ photoshoot with David Gandy, he wears the tailoring pieces he designed for Marks & Spencer repeatedly. That’s deliberate. The aim was to show that a suit, even a dinner suit, doesn’t have to sit at the back of your wardrobe gathering dust until the next wedding or work event calls for it.

You can deconstruct it. You can wear it as separates and style it up or down. Be bold and you’ll find your suit pairs with more items than you thought. It’s also one of the most expensive things in your closet – so why not wear it more often? Here, with Gandy’s help, we explain how.

Reformulate Your Formalwear

“I mix a lot of things. And that’s something that I always say to men: you don’t need a whole expensive outfit. Yes, spend money on certain items: a great overcoat, or a suit. But you don’t need to spend money on the T-shirt or the accessories.” A suit is versatile: in our shoot, we styled the tailoring with a V-neck sweater, a track top, an overcoat, a roll neck, a T-shirt and a bare chest. Oh, and occasionally a shirt.

Dress It Up, Dress It Down

The three-piece suit is a mainstay of traditional British tailoring, but that’s not to say it’s an inflexible straitjacket. “It looks stunning with a shirt and tie, but I realise that men are not dressing up, or power dressing, in that way,” Gandy says. “It does look great for an occasion, but you’re not going to be wearing that every day. But it looks amazing with a roll-neck, and great with a T-shirt.”