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

The "classic" fit dress shirt, a faux pas.

To start off, let me say that I am lean with an athletic build and a 15.5 inch collar, so my shirts that fit me are my pride and joy because fit was once a large problem for me. Recently, I have been seeing men of all professions wearing shirts that resemble Victorian bell dresses, they are what these brands call "classic" fits.

The classic fit is aimed at the man of breadth and "traditional" proportions, but this results in a box cut and gaping collar that can crease from tie pressure. When I was in Bicester village last year, I was shopping for shirts at Gieves and Hawkes, but classic fits were all I could see. The design and fabrics were beautiful but the cut was terrible, for my figure at least.

Observe this gentlemen in the terrible trousers, not only is an undershirt showing, but he has enough fabric on that shirt to cater for half my shirt wardrobe! As you can see, it's a casual oxford fabric but the cut is still not contoured to his body, regardless of the situation. His sleeves are too long and the ballooning at the bottom comes from incorrect tucking of his shirt, but also the tight belt constricting his waist.

It doesn't matter if the shirt is as well made as something from Turnbull & Asser or as mass produced and cheap as something from Marks & Spencer, if it doesn't fit it will not look good. Now, you may be rushing to your wardrobe panicking about your shirts, but you do not have to throw them out; there are remedies to ill fits.

Firstly, any stylish gentleman should have an alterations tailor for his garments if they're large off the rack, if you have one utilise them. They can take your shirts, collars and cuffs in to a certain extent but that should be enough unless you are wearing something 3 sizes too large.

Secondly, if your shirts are made-to-measure or bespoke, like Kiton or Turnbull & Asser, you can have them re measured which is like altering. Fabric can always be put back into the garment reserve and remade so do not fret over you £160 cocktail cuff poplin, they can be fixed.

Personally, I prefer the final remedy which is simple; try the smaller size first that contours to your figure. This means if you are a 38 chest, try the 36 and if you wear classic fits, wear the slim or tailored fit. This more often than not prevents bad fits for me and some friends who I take shopping.

Remember though, slim fits and classic fits are all based of an ideal body type in that context, so they will not always fit you like bespoke or made-to-measure. If you have the time and money to utilise a shirtmaker then go ahead but remember that sometimes they can even fit poorly if not made well.

Shirts are the life of your outfit, they may be framed by suits but they are a base colour and determine your extras that all accumulate to one spectacular ensemble, take your time looking for shirts and always..... ALWAYS do it in the boutique, never online.

Stay stylish- stay happy,

- Kieran

Warm weather and bank holiday Monday

This Monday I went with my family and dogs to Bushey park for a leisurely stroll, but the wonderful weather was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I brought a camera! The weather was humid but had a chill to it at some points, so I wore a contrast waistcoat alongside a micro check two piece suit in a wool/cashmere blend.

This outfit is a poplin blue and white Bengal stripe tab French cuff contrast collar shirt in a full English cutaway style. The tie is a pink and white micro-stripe silk tie tied in a double windsor with 3 dimples. The waistcoat is a black wool/mohair 4 button sans lapel with 3 pockets and the suit is a charcoal grey and black micro check two piece suit with flap pockets, peak lapels and subtle pagoda shoulders with roped sleeve heads. This outfit has many breathable, light fabrics but also paired with thicker fabrics to keep the chill of the later day off.

The 3 dimples may not be to everyone's taste and may be seen as too narcissistic, but it has a purpose nevertheless. The high number of dimples framed the collar in showing how wide the knot was, accentuating my shoulders into that pagoda concave but leaving breadth in my chest. Usually I have one large dimple in The middle of all my ties but sometimes I like to experiment, because style is nothing if you don't make it your own!

The shoes that I am wearing are Liverpool double monks in black calf leather. I am recently one to be enticed by the seduction of monk shoes and monk boots, similar to the Jodhpur. I find the buckles quite accentuating of certain metals one may be wearing, such as cufflinks or wristwatches. The silver buckles on these monk shoes complimented my silver watch whilst also complimenting my silver cufflinks with their white enamel.

Usually I wear some shade of brown with charcoal as it adds a nonchalance that can be elegant yet daring, but I was pushing it already with this wide colour palette already, the only thing that tied in all down for me was the grey prince of Wales check pocket square.

 If you look closely, the colours of the pocket square mute, compliment and accentuate all the right places of this outfit, in my opinion at least. These bright and muted colours all reflect the beauty of the sun's radiance but also the brevity of summer life, and how short it really can be. I love colour and I cannot wait to see what interesting combination I make this time round. 

Did I get carried away? Are there too many colours or the wrong ones? You tell me, but also be sure to send pictures too if you wish! Style is all about embracing instead of shunning, let us all embrace and see each other's style loves, quirks or mistakes even. 

Thank you for reading,

-Kieran

What is style?

A question with precarious opinions but never solid answers. Although, a common answer is that style isn't fashion. This is true. Fashion trends are in for a short lived stint and then they become a thing of the past, these trends are extremes and are not necessarily tasteful. Oscar Wilde once said,      " A fashion is merely a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we have to alter it every six months." These were wise words and it highlights how blind fashion can be, but not always.

Fashion in the past has broken the fourth wall and penetrated the world of style, a good example would be jeans. In the 70's and early 80's flares were popular but skinnier, tapered fits were rising in popularity, becoming the jeans we know of today in most catwalks. Do not mistake these for those skin tight scuba-esque pieces of rag that are skinny and spray on jeans, those are a prime example of extremes. Fashion is something that can be followed to a certain degree and incorporated into style, but not religiously. For example, I wear tighter fitting chinos with suede loafers but they still fit like a tailored garment, not like something shrunken in a wash. 

Style is classic and timeless, it's as simple as that. Style is what you saw on Michael Caine and Cary Grant back in the days of old with the likes of Jams Dean and Marlon Brando also showing it in casual, not to mention Steve McQueen and his perfection of casual. Style is the following of a clothing form that never ages or becomes unnattractive, it stays just as sharp and debonnaire as it did in 1950. This could be the shawl collar cardigan for example, or the charcoal suit with roman shoulders and a knit tie. 

Fashionnable items from the past are now considered stylish and some should be embraced if you like them of course. The contrast collar/cuff shirt is a prime example, it was a workers shirt in the 1920's and became popularised by Michael Douglas' portrayal of Gordan Gekko in the 1987 film "Wall Street". I prefer contrast collar shirts in warmer weathers as it has a relaxed vibe that can show a sprezzatura in your style, if you wish to convey that. Another example would be the fishtail parka; popularised by the mods of 1960's London to protect their suits from mud and rain, adopted from the Swedish airforce. I personally find parkas bulky and unnatractive but the principle still lies there, they're now stylish from once being Fashionnable. 

Style is, as you can see, a complicated yet delicate art. It requires a contemporary edge to be loved still but traditional values and staples to keep it sophisticated and genuine. Modern undertones breathe life into it whilst tradition and classic bodies shroud it with simplistic beauty and vibrancy. I hope you enjoyed reading this article, if you did please share and tell you friends to read too! 




Thank you for reading,

-K 

Welcome to the "Voice Of Elegance"

Hello ladies and gentlemen of style,

My name is Kieran Dolan and this is my blog. I am an avid reader of style blogs and find the world of gentlemen and style so wonderful and embracing, but it is dwindling. Unfortunately, my generation are losing a sense of style and elegance, diving towards the extremes of either end. I say my generation because I am 15 and yes, I may be young to talk about timeless style for some of you, but I see style as something anyone of any age can enjoy. I will be posting as often as my schooling can permit as well as my life, but style journalism and blogging to you readers is now of great importance to me already. I look forward to seeing where this leads us. Au Revoir.