The automatic response when one man asks another what color socks he should wear is that they should be similar to his trousers, so as to provide an uninterrupted visual line to his shoes. But rules are made to be toyed with, and one way to demonstrate a proper dégagé, or casual, air when circumstances call for it is to wear hose that relate to little or nothing else in the ensemble, like our man in the Esquire illustration.
Of course, the thing behind all this is that well dressed men are supposed to carefully plan the day's clothes so that it looks as though no thought went into the combination, and that the happy result is mere chance. This is not easy stuff. I for one instinctively reach for things that match too much of the time, but I've found that the simplest way to look properly careless is to make certain that my pocket squares and my socks look as though they were chosen at random.
Wearing socks that relate to nothing else on one's body that day opens a variety of possibilities. On the most pin striped of days a bold man can still don a pair of wine colored hose. And the sky's the limit the rest of the time. Orange with red dots anyone?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Dégagé Air
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6 comments:
This whole infatuation with auspicious socks is perplexing. Perhaps it's too much of an Anglo persuasion for myself to understand.
I find it difficult to stray away from dark navy blue or conservatively colored argyle. Or dare no socks during the summer.
I found a few pair of vintage looking ringed socks the other day. Put a pair of them together with a fairly subtle plaid suit that picked up their colours and felt like I looked exactly like one of your Apparel Arts pictures from the 30's. Of course, the theater in the round play I went to ended up with me on the front row, on a riser, with my socks no longer a little flash of colour going by, but on full display. The "degage air" was suddenly crucial :D
I love colored socks, and thanks to a post-Christmas sale at Meier and Frank as well as Banana Republic in Portland, I was finally able to afford to acquire a decent variety on my post-baccalaureate English-teacher budget. The thing about relating to the outfit, though... My position may be colored by the fact that I studied (or rather practiced... studied is a bit too diligent to be an accurate descriptor) studio art as well as philosophy in college, but there are so many way to relate utterly 'unrelated' portions of the color wheel to one another. I find this man's socks definitely related to the rest of his outfit, though steering clear of either aspect of the common duality to which most adhere, that of strict matching or strict complementing. He's wandered away from either, yet the blue and grey (so it appears on my monitor) certainly relate in a sort of coastal earthiness to his jacket, as well as to his trousers. Yet the combination comes as just enough of a surprise to be tantalizing to the observer, something to enjoy and mull over. I find the practice of either complementing colors or matching colors to have a certain invisibility to it, which I believe is the point (as is appropriate to a given occasion). Personally I think he looks great. Much appreciation for another inspiring picture, Will. You've got quite the nigh-infallible catalogue, and I and others thank you for it.
it's absolutely critical for the degage look to have the worn-in look. the feel of old clothing that have molded to your body is priceless. The common american shops promote the tie match to the pocket square, which looks horrendous to the subconcious mind. Wine red socks are my favorite, i recently found a pair from brioni( $3) on sale. Absolutely gorgeous.
Being of a British persuasion I am, naturally, far too anally-retentive in regard to such extravagent gestures. (As the spelling denotes, it is more...er...French).
Having said that, I do have my moments, most notably in summer, when perhaps the pink or the lemon socks might squeeze their way out of my wardrobe.
But I have yet to succomb the the long-standing (now) habit, particularly amongst the media fraternity, of wearing scarlet red socks with everything......
In cases such as this, being anally-retentive has its positive advantages.
But I applaud your posting as it is simply all about individualism...and I most heartily support That!
...And my vast collection of silk pocket handkerchiefs - arranged drawer by drawer, plains and patterns, different colours for different drawers - attest to my attitude of wearing "whatever I damn-well feel like" on the given day!
Very true. Unlike the illustration I would even go further and suggust such bold colors as purple, pink, yellow or even paul smith like stripes. its a fun easy way to play with color. Plus not too many gentlemen dare to do so. Seperate yourself from the crowd!
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