The inimitable McQueen – star of classics like Le Mans, The Thomas Crown Affair, Bullitt and everyone’s Christmas Day mainstay – The Great Escape – earned himself the moniker “The King of Cool” which wasn’t just a testament to his presence on film, but his keen eye for style.

And the man certainly knew a thing or two about layering up for transitional weather, as this snap from the ‘60s proves. Here, McQueen has shrewdly layered a crisp, white Oxford shirt with a fine-gauge V-neck jumper, topping off the look with a sporty, lightweight Harrington jacket.

This combination of classic elegance and casual cool is typical of his talent for effortlessly mixing style genres. Not only does the amalgam of contrasting pieces make for a visually appealing outfit, but it’s practical as well, with each component part working separately or together to tackle whatever mother nature has in store, come rain or shine.

^{Steve McQueen, c.1968}

^{Jean-Paul Belmondo, c.1962}

The iconic Gallic actor of the leading men of French cinema in the Sixties and is best known for his breakthrough role in Breathless, in which he plays a criminal on the run who draws an aspiring journalist – played by Jean Seberg – into a web of deceit. His performance in this now cult flick, made him the poster boy of French New Wave cinema overnight.

On those chilly office-bound mornings, you might feel reluctant to give up your winter overcoat, and here Belmondo shows exactly how you can keep your heavy-duty outer shell by layering it with lighter pieces, so you can shrug off the bulk when the sun does rear its head.

His look is also a fine lesson in textural and monochrome coordination. The herringbone wool overcoat sits well with a darker grey herringbone blazer and in turn over a fine-gauge cardigan and felted shirt. This blend of graduating grey tones and contrasting, yet complementing materials make it a smart and practical ensemble for tackling the fickle microclimates of spring.

A quick google image search for Paul Newman will instantly confirm his rightful status in the best-dressed annals; it seems he could never put a foot wrong in the wardrobe department – or ever took a bad picture, for that matter.

The actor with the Sapphire-blue gazed earned an Oscar in 1986 for his reprised role as hustler Eddie Felson in The Color of Money, but it was his turns in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Coolhand Luke that he is best remembered for.

He was also well known for his philanthropic nature and established a food line – Newman’s Own – where all excess profits are donated to charitable causes. It has been estimated this venture has raised over $400,000,000 since its launch in 1982.

And despite a prolific career on celluloid and his altruistic efforts, Newman also found the time to become a style icon – and one still very much revered today.

This shot, take in 1954, demonstrates Newman’s natural aptitude for spring layering. Wearing a polo shirt beneath tailoring can be a tricky feat to pull off, given it’s casual nature. The route to sartorial coherence in this case – as Newman shows – is to steer clear of starchy padded blazers and opt for a softer, deconstructed style. The more relaxed lines of the blazer make it a natural companion to the casual polo. A deconstructed style also has the added benefit of a half-lining, making it more breathable when the thermometer keeps running from cold to hot.

^{Paul Newman, 1954}

^{Pierpaolo Pasolini photographed on set during the filming of Il Gobbo (1960).}

Accomplishing more in his 53-year lifetime than most people could achieve given far longer, Pierpaolo Pasolini earned himself the professional titles of director, poet, writer, actor, novelist and political figure. Talk about multi-tasking.

In the fashion of a Mozart-style child prodigy, Pasolini started writing poems at the tender age of seven and later as an adult, quickly acquired a reputation for controversy, producing literary works and films that challenged the social norms of the time.

His first novel, Ragazzi di Vita, tells the story of a down and out boy who follows an illicit life in the Roman underworld of the 1960s. The work explicitly details the violence, crime and prostitution that was rife in the working-class neighbourhoods of Rome, known as ‘borgatas’. It scandalised a conservative Italy and resulted in Pasolini finding himself in hot water, with several lawsuits to contend with.

Despite his literary feats and directing credits, he also found time to step in front of the camera, with his most famous role playing a Second World War partisan in Il Gobbo.

Pasolini’s personal sense of style was redolent of that uniquely Italian concept known as ‘sprezzatura’ – a ‘studied nonchalance’ in plain speak. Whether he was layered up in leather, utility shirting, silk cravats or just a simple fine-gauge polo, he very much embodied the spirit of the nonchalant Latin man.

In this still taken on the set of Il Gobbo, he demonstrates his relaxed approach to layering – and it’s a look we’re definitely on board with.