How much is too much?

In style there are lines. These lines are what separate the elegant, the audacious or daring..... And the ridiculous. Elegant, audacious and ridiculous can all be the same thing and that is the point of style, showing your personal flair; some like pink suits in a gingham like Robert Redford in The Great Gatsby whilst others perhaps like collar bars or boutonniere flowers. The former and latter are both things that can be seen as strange but are in reality immensely elegant or versatile items that can really open new pathways to more style options. Ridiculous might be socks with shorts or rainbow suits and psychedelic flower cravats as you will see shortly.

Elegance is all about the little details being there to add depth, colour and complexity to ensembles. For example, a pearl tie pin may not be noticed at first, but when it is it can be a positively potent conversation starter. Elegant accessories like cufflinks, pocket squares and leather bracelets can have their ridiculous members but those are reserved for either the overcompensating or insecure sartorial blasphemers. I am not saying don't wear yellow or pink or rainbow even, just don't overwhelm your palette nor bring too much attention to individual accessories, nothing screams cheap like a person who's outfit shrieks "look at me!!"

In the picture above, you can see John Slattery's amazing portrayal as advertisement executive Roger Sterling in the TV series Mad Men. The outfit does contain a dimpled tie, pocket square, cufflinks and signet ring but none of it screams attention. This is elegant to it's perfect 50's finesse. The dark suit compliments his skin by showing his pale yet healthy complexion, his well groomed hair and the light colours of his other pieces. The white and creams all compliment but don't match completely, so they have panache without any sense of no imagination.

This beautiful double breasted suit on the far right is in a light summer fabric that appears to be a linen blend possibly, but it makes the tie pop out with audacity. This outfit is bold and requires confidence, but that's what it exudes, confidence. This picture is taken from the Pitti Uomo style  gathering in summer 2014, Pitti Uomo is the style equivalent to comic con or an awards ceremony, it is where every stylish gentleman and lady can converse with others and express their most beautiful or radical forms of style.

This is a prime form of audacious yet elegant style. This is Mads Mikkelsen's portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal. As you can see, the character favours windowpane and prince of Wales check suits of the 3 piece variety, this one has a double breasted waistcoat (note the severe crossing of the waistcoat's lapels under the jacket). Despite his large tie not have a sharp dimple, the designs and colour coordination do have elegance, albeit sometimes overstated and perhaps a little strong. There is little imagination to this outfit other than the suit's pattern, but a grey or pastel green shirt would have given the suit a whole new look, with the exception of a different tie and pocket square.

I spoke about showing you too much, well...... This is too much. Words cannot describe my respect for this gentleman as he has such confidence to wear this ensemble, but he pulls it off because of the disdain he wears it with. He sees this outfit as just that, an outfit. No other man I know could wear something so brash as this but he does and it is unfortunately too much. The beauty of his unique style is something to much be admired very much, in contrast (pun intended).

As you have seen, blurring the lines is not bad, but forgetting them is a very dangerous game that can make you look like a clown. A common rule of thumb is this from my experience; save the more audacious, bold patterns for when you gain more experience and knowledge of style. Once you know the rules, break them. Certain rules are there to be broken and bent so play that up.... Just not too much, at first at least.

Thank you for reading, I hope you found this as informative and numerous as I did from writing it.

Stay stylish-stay happy,

-Kieran