Be ahead of the curve with the nine style rules to live by this season.

Fashion comes and goes, but style is for ever. That’s what they say, anyway. Ms Coco Chanel and Mr Yves Saint Laurent are among the influential designers to have been associated with this old aphorism, which contrasts the fleeting nature of fashion with its more constant companion, style. It’s got a nice ring to it, sure. But does it hold true?

In the eight years that have passed since MR PORTER sold its first ties, socks and button-down shirts, we’ve witnessed a small revolution in the way men dress, the way they shop and the way they treat themselves. Boundaries that were once sharply defined have blurred or vanished altogether. Sartorial rules that were once treated as gospel now seem quaint or downright wrong-headed. And, as more men have begun to take an interest in their appearance, the language we use to talk about style has in turn become broader and more inclusive.

If we’ve learned anything in this time, it’s that style, though timeless in some ways, is not set in stone. It is not some immutable concept defined by a single set of rules or a solitary perspective. It is far more fluid and open to interpretation than we previously thought. It doesn’t stand still like some ancient obelisk in the desert. It shifts with time like a sand dune in the wind. Style, in short, is not one-size-fits-all. And, as the fashion industry comes to terms with the fact that it must respond to the desires of an increasingly diverse market, the way we think about and consume trends is also changing.