A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.
Why are we so fussy about what to wear? Essentially, our costume serves two purposes: It makes us feel comfortable about ourselves. And it makes people surrounding us feel comfortable about themselves. The latter cause is often overlooked in the fashion system, but it plays a big part in how we choose to dress. Dressing too conspicuously posh can pose a threat to people around you. When discussing communication skills, Jim Rohn once addressed: “The first mark of civilization to be in a civilized society is the restraint of your emotion, the restraint of your words, the restraint of your power.” So it is in civilized styling, as our clothes communicate our identity and thoughts, our style should be restraint of being so striking that you blow somebody away.
For its restrained aesthetic and discreetness, the English style has long been considered the orthodox in tailoring menswear. And who can encapsulate the English way of dressing better than Sir Edwin Hardy Amies? Who once famously said: “A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.” For most of us who genuinely enjoy fashion and style yet are naturally shy, you can perhaps relate to a situation when spending a fortune on some garments but are bothered by the self-consciousness whenever you wear them out. Making yourself comfortable both physically and mentally is crucial to achieving good style. Even I love to occasionally put on a dashing avant-garde designer piece for events and admire the flamboyance of some Italian gentlemen in the city (Florence, where I’m currently based). But, most days, I feel more comfortable dressing in a rather Londoner’s way, wearing garments made of quality fabrics in darker neutral tones with some tailoring details. Blending in on the street and never being pompous to distract anyone’s eyes.
Hardy Amies noted that “correct dressing is only another form of good manners, and good manners are only another form of mental comfort”. If we can’t master the subtle art of not giving a f*ck, it is reasonable to suggest that the art of “forgotten all about them [your outfit]” is where we should work on. In order to shrug off the uncomfortable self-consciousness, being “intelligent” about what to buy and being “caring” when putting them on is the key. Being the perfect incarnation of this dressing rule, Hardy Amies is undoubtedly the man to learn from for anyone who wishes to bring comfort to both themselves and others.
