Trust me, I fully appreciate the forward attention that has been afforded to the newly styled, contemporary gentleman – we deserve it. After a decade or so of being woefully neglected and blatantly ignored; the industry has decided to offer a myriad of natty and stylish options for our disposal. And for the most part, gentlemen everywhere have readily seized upon the opportunities. However, some have enthusiastically dove overboard. Delicately dancing on the margins of runway fashion, a new breed of extreme dandy has emerged, peacocking and primming for all to see. Gentlemen – and I say this with love – please cease and desist with the wild, gaudy pageantry that desperately screams for attention. Look, I get it, style is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but when I saw GQ endorsing a puffer vest being worn over a suit, I thought to myself that enough is enough. I even spotted a gentleman rocking high heels with a suit. What is that all about?
It just seems that men are throwing a wild variety of sartorial elements together and hoping to become that next Internet style sensation. Sometimes, it works. However, sometimes, it just looks silly. Listen, broadening your color palette is happily encouraged. Experimenting with varying fabrics is resolutely endorsed. Coordinating different patterns is roundly supported. Nevertheless, wearing an orange parka over a black tuxedo jacket with gray pinstripe trousers – all in the name style – is just lunacy. I’m not trying to be judgmental, and exhibiting pompous conceit is certainly not my intention. My only motive: preventing some wayward soul, thumbing through various magazines or scouring the Internet in search of sartorial inspiration, from looking like an utter fool. Throwing together a hodgepodge of expensive items doesn’t make you stylish, and raiding the neighborhood thrift store doesn’t automatically make you creative. Dressing should be organic, never forced. Remember that next time when you rock those wingtips with your overalls and fedora.
