Now in fashion colors!

I’ve been involved in an ongoing argu … um … conversation about the appropriate use of color in one’s wardrobe. My point of view: the judicious use of the occasional garish tone or print can make an interesting and fun statement. However, as in a game of bridge, even a strong suit must be skillfully and cautiously played.

Case in point, one Graham Norton seems intent upon masking his inexplicable self-consciousness under a thick veneer of tackiness courtesy Roberto Cavalli and Jean Paul Gaultier. Dismissive of the other players, Mr. Norton goes for the grand slam when he could have conservatively bid, and more easily won, game – heck, even Gianni must be spinning in his grave.

Your very own Mystery Date (yes, I’m going to refer to myself in the 3rd person here – well, actually, that’s not even my name, so I guess I’m referring to myself in the 4th person … or maybe the 3rd person, once removed) has been accused of being too monochromatic in his color palette of fashion preferences. To which he counters, if you want to see monochromatic, take a look at anything from Banana Republic circa 1994-2003 and you will see more versions of grey, black, and beige than Communist East Berliners ever dreamed possible.

I am not monochromatic; I am polychromatic, but muted, classic, tasteful. (The site I just referenced is truly hilarious, by the way – you will see gems from it in my posts from time to time).

Fran Drescher put it best in an episode of The Nanny: “Always remember that with rouge, less is more;” she quickly added an equally true aphorism: “The exact opposite is true of hairspray.”