Constrasting views

I have to admit, I’m usually pretty certain about what I like and what I don’t like when it comes to clothes. But every now and then, I come across something I really can’t make my mind up about.

An article in the Guardian today addresses the issue of Sky News correspondents having taken to wearing shirts with contrast collars (i.e. where the collar is a different colour – usually white – to the rest of the shirt), and alludes to the possible influence that the recent film Frost/Nixon may have had on this.

My immediate response was one of horror. Those shirts were supposed to have gone out with the 1980s (if not before – Frost/Nixon is set in the 1970s, after all), and I’d always had contrasts down as being too flashy and garish to warrant a place in my collection.

Photo: Mark Puplava

But a quick trawl of the net has made me wonder whether it’s me that’s being old-fashioned. Both Men.Style.com and AskMen.com have commented favourably on the use of contrasts in a modern man’s wardrobe, going as far as saying they even have a place outside the office.

Ultimately, I think I’m going to have to decline the invitation. To me, there just doesn’t seem to be any point in having a multitude of colours knocking around other than in an attempt to show off. The affected style of dressing common to the 70s and 80s needs to be left where it belongs – after all, when it comes to dressing, I’m not looking for sass. I’m looking for a bit of class.