Yo! Plainly, humans need quite a lot of attention both intimate and ambient (I made this up, but I essentially mean impersonal but existent attention from relative strangers—”good morning”s with a neighbor, a nod from your bus driver, etc) to feel sufficiently socialized—some people need more than others, but it’s simply pointless to pretend that the majority of us don’t need more attention than we get on a daily basis. This isn’t a relationship blog, so I’ll leave intimate attention to the professionals (I can’t tell if Ask Polly resonates with me or repels me, and I’m sure she’d say that was the point), but one of the best ways to open yourself up to ambient attention is to dress in a provocative way—not necessarily sexually (especially in the winter, when it’s harder to rely on sheer carnal appeal to wow the public), but thought or emotion-provoking in some way.
Not all of us, however, are Sara Camposarcone maximalists, and the attention you may receive from wearing an overtly unhinged (complimentary) outfit might not be as fulfilling to you as a more filtered response only from people who take the time to really process your outfit, more than likely with an intrinsic appreciation of fashion. Plus, we can’t all afford huge wardrobes of conversation-starting statement pieces. I guess this is just me saying the quiet part of all these fashion blogs out loud—one of the main reasons to dress interestingly in public is to compel witnesses to give you some sort of attention, and I think that fashion is a largely healthy way to court that! Below, some fairly accessible, straightforward pieces to look for or ways to style what you already have that will certainly draw the attention of the like-minded clothes-lovers you encounter on your travels.
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I stopped breathing for a second when I saw this look because if I had to choose only one outfit to wear until April, it would be this one. I think the layering would work with nearly any light color as the base long sleeve polo, a saturated contrasting shade as another long polo layered over (I love this configuration of the collars [top: folded up like a stand collar; bottom: splayed out like a funnel]; the cuffs [rolled up into two tubular strips at the wrist]; and the hem [top tucked in the middle, bottom peeking out one side]; but of course, you don’t have to mimic this precisely—it’s a good starting point), and a third, dark and subdued contrasting shade for a collared coat, preferably wool. Ground it all with black pants, shoes, and belt, then slip on gloves in a saturated shade similar to the top polo for just the right amount of chromatic friction, and finish with literally any old bag. Absolutely anything, even one of those god-awful Coperni x Disney bags would work with this look. The long hair tucked into the collar is also perfect. This is one of the most well-styled but completely wearable (comfortable, even!) outfits I’ve ever seen.
We’ve been seeing a lot of awkwardly stuck-up collars recently, from shrunken boat necks like the Fidan Novruzova number above to slouchy cylindrical collars/extremely loose turtlenecks like this one at Michelle Del Rio:
And artificially-heightened lapel collars like those on these prolific leather jackets from this season’s Bally show:
It’s gonna be funny to see how fast fashion creates chaotic homunculi in response to this look once it trickles out of the high fashion circles, but in the meantime, it’s a fun one to experiment with: my best ideas are to purchase a fold-over boat-neck top like the below a few sizes too small and let the neck rest on your shoulders instead of settling down around them. This may require some trial and error, but I’ll do my best to find an example and test drive it.

I know this is a bateau/boat neck, but is there any more specific name for this thickly folded style?

Mascs deserve attention too, and the absolute best way to attract it in a more formal setting is to wear a fuck ass tie. The trick is, you have to look REALLY cool otherwise to make the fuck ass tie work and not just look tragic, so studdy up on @dieworkwear and stick with wide cuts, tailored well, in muted colors and natural fabrics. Once you’re on Richard Gere’s level of swag, pop on some wire-rim sunglasses and a tie with—and this is important—a stupid, singular illustration. As long as it’s not straight-up offensive, this illustration can be anything, but something schmaltzy and retro like Richard’s romantic ol’ horse is perfect.
This will *not* work with a repeating pattern—sure, those ties can be great, but the specific attention-grabbing nature of this look is predicated upon the singularity of the tie’s illustration. Commission an artist to paint a portrait of River Phoenix or a rooster weathervane or something on a plain tie and you’ll be the belle of the ball. I PROMISE YOU, EVEN IF YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE RICHARD GERE NATURALLY, if you just mess around with proportions until you find the perfect suit for you then add this single accessory, you will get swarmed by fans.