A man's dress should never be perfect, for that would look too studied as well as too dull. Instead, it should always incorporate some sort of minor flaw, like the formality of the spotted bow tie in the photo next to a tweed suit, that keeps it from perfection.
It is easy for the blog writer to know when he has successfully incorporated a flaw, for he receives feedback letting him know that his ensemble would have been more successful if only he had not paired that satin necktie with an informal suit, or brown suede shoes with his navy worsted.
Feedback may be more difficult to come by for men without a public platform, but incorporating a flaw in one's dress is easier than it may appear on the surface. Just bend a rule. Wear knitwear under a suit jacket instead of a vest, or Norwegian slip-on shoes with a suit (any airline flight provides the perfect excuse for that one).
Always be flawed.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Always Be Flawed
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12 comments:
Will, that's a wonderful suit - may I ask who made it for you?
Nice post- I'm always flawed, so it's good to see sometimes it looks nice...
Is this anything like the Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi"?
Nice fabric! Details?
The suit is a London Lounge Cloth Club tweed from Lovat Mill and it was cut by Peter Harvey of Davies & Sons.
Despite my use of shibumi the other day, the concept is neither wabi sabi nor mono no aware.
Nice post. I've been dressing in slightly clashing colors or other odd combinations for the past few months, because it seemed more correct somehow. Thanks for putting this into words.
Perhaps this combination is technically flawed (by what standard, I don't know), but it looks fantastic to me.
Indeed.... and that is the whole point of wearing a self-tied bow tie, it never looks perfect.
If you want "perfection" (ie. too-perfect-it's artificial) go for one of those ready-tied apologies on a piece of elastic.
"Always be flawed"
Turns out I've been stylish my whole life and didn't realize it!
I always try to incorporate the Japanese idea of "wabi sabi" ( perfection in inperfection) into my outfits. its a great way of achieving a terrific balance.
To plan to be flawed appears to be at times a forced attempt to be different, which is some scenarios, especially artistic or leisure settings, might make sense, but at the price of artificiality, a bit like overdone sprezzatura. In certain professional settings, and especially in pure Black Tie and White Ties settings, those variations should be minimal, or, in the case of White Tie, absent, as the outfit is the at once the peak of elegance and the subdued backdrop for the ladies' ball gowns, avoiding to draw attention to itself. On the other hand, a perfectly styled country outfit following all the rules 100% appears often misplaced, as the country and nature are a bit messy anyway. As so often in style, one rule rarely fits all settings without exceptions. And full support to Ray Frensham's comment on the bow tie!
I hate to pick nits--no, that's not right. I love to pick nits, so here I go.
Wabi refers to the beauty found in simplicity, and is often translated as "subdued taste" or "quiet refinement." It is related to the word wabishii, meaning "dreary, shabby."
Sabi refers to elegant simplicity, and is often translated much the same as wabi. It is related to the word sabishii, meaning "feeling lonely." It is also homophonous with sabi, "rust."
The two words are most often used together, and indicate the aesthetic of simple modesty. Rather than "imperfection," the notion is that of naturalness as opposed to artifice.
A hand-tied bow tie does, in its own way, illustrate the wabi-sabi aesthetic: natural, not artificial like a pre-tied. However, the pairing of a city pindot with a country tweed is not, in and of itself, "quiet refinement."
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