Tips: What is a “too much” look? Is it always necessarily wrong?

Too much: to do too much.

Yes, but still?

Under his French side , too much refers to that moment when, in one way or another, our outfit has something excessive.

Total look, plethora of patterns, jewelry a little too imposing... The list is long. Conversely, is doing too much systematically bad? Beneath its apparent simplicity, the subject seems more complex to me.

I suggest that we look more closely at this question which, in my opinion, goes beyond the framework of clothing itself. We left !

A matter of context

In some cases, the shift is only due to a misreading of the context . Example: you are invited to a beer and football evening, to which you show up in a costume. I'm deliberately caricaturing but you get the idea.

If in doubt, ask yourself whether the occasion requires a particular outfit - the dress code - or at least a certain "register". It wouldn't occur to you to go to the office in jogging pants, the same logic applies to all situations!

Beyond that, I especially want to emphasize one thing: too much is defined through a system of conventions , to which it precisely does not belong. What is excessive in some cases will not necessarily be excessive in other situations, nor from one person to another.

I know that it seems obvious said like that but you will see, it will be useful to us for the rest of the reflection.

Common Mistakes You'll Quickly Abandon

When you start in a discipline, it is normal to try to do more. A bit like a novice in athletics who runs without warming up, here are some tips to avoid fashion breakdowns...

Overdose of colors and patterns

I don't have much to say here. The explosion of colors and the wave of patterns are urban legends that have no reason to be true. You'll be the first to realize it if you look like a rainbow. And if you're still worried, you need to read this article .

Create reminder at all costs

Ah, a much more common error already! We sometimes tend to say to ourselves that our outfit lacks coherence, so we look for elements to reinforce its harmony. The idea is good, but be careful not to think too much.

Let's take this photo. The whole outfit is based around a shades of beige to brown, a form of elegance emerges... In short, we clearly understand that this gentleman spent time thinking about his look... but precisely, it That’s the problem. Each piece appears to have been used because it would remind one of another.

Mind you, it's not a failure either and I wouldn't go so far as to say he's poorly dressed. However, with such an intellectualization of colors, we lose the spontaneity which also makes a look interesting .

Excess of accessories

Obviously, we can only encourage you to wear accessories. Ties, jewelry, scarves... it's the best way to personalize your style without taking too many risks. ( If necessary, click here for the booster shot .)

However, as with everything else, they should be used sparingly: a few are enough to express your personality, don't let them speak for you . The same goes for jewelry!

For the anecdote, Coco Chanel said: "With accessories, the most important thing is to always remove the last one you added.".

Not taking your age into account

For now, it works one way or the other:

• a young man who will dress with influences that are too "mature" for him,

• a mature man who would persist in wearing the clothes of his youth.

Fortunately, neither life nor style stops after 40 ! On the other hand, it is a turning point where we must find new ways of expressing our influences , which will have been refined over the years.

Conversely, the same advice applies to younger people: don't make yourself look older than you are. This is particularly the case for fans of the sartorial style: of course you can wear a blazer if it suits you, but stay measured, you will have plenty of time for the three-piece suit and your Richelieus.

So far, we have covered the most obvious. Ultimately, it's just a matter of adjustments that come with experience. Nothing insurmountable then.

But can we overdo it even when our look is successful? Do we sometimes exaggerate to compensate? More subtly, can we have a good style, influences that work, while still being too-much ?

The total look, a false safe haven

One of the mistakes we could make would be to opt for a kit look, a complete panoply of codes and influences that we translate literally.

Where we can see a reassuring side - no hassle; group membership ; a beginner's need for identity - we often find ourselves with a bunch of clichés, without feeling anything personal about them.

The temptation of the tribal look

By tribe, I mean “preppy”, “grunge”, “skater”, “dandy”, “bohemian” and others.

There is good in each of them, as well as bad. For example, I like the grunge checkered shirts but much less the bottom of jeans that are too big and frayed at the heel. In summary, take what's interesting and leave the rest . It's not every day Carnival, no fan of the adventurer style wants to look like Indiana Jones.

Beyond measure, this poses a problem on a social level. Adopting a tribal look from head to toe often means thinking only in this culture and closing yourself off from others. It is also making a literal interpretation of an idea, without trying to refine it : not really doing enough, in a sense, is already doing too much.

Unfortunately, it also sends a negative image , or even seem difficult to access.

The ease of the “mono-brand” wardrobe

Same reasoning for brands: why put all your eggs in one basket? If a brand perfectly transcribes what we like to wear, there must be interesting things elsewhere, right?

Brands adapt depending on the tribes they sell to, typically Vans for skateboarders. If you always fall back on one or a few brands, you end up with the same problem. Another thing: they don't have a monopoly on good taste from one season to the next... (which is also true for quality). We therefore remain vigilant.

In short, a single-brand style is often a coherent style but... which lacks depth. No matter what, it's never completely yours.

The totem brand: style offered on a platter?

Another notch above, there is the totem brand. This time, it's a bit the opposite way: the community goes to the brand . In this configuration, the brand's word is authentic. It's a notion that we find a lot in luxury but also among certain streetwear labels, crowned with hype .

Totem brands generally benefit from at least two elements: very marked stylistic biases and a rich universe , conveying a strong image .

As a result, they represent a form of ideal that their communities will seek to achieve. The more you have, the better, so much so that you find yourself the self-proclaimed muse of the brand. The problem is that we:

• ends up wearing almost anything from the brand, both the beautiful and the less beautiful,

• loses its reflexes, the right questions to ask yourself : is it a good product? how is it made? what does this mean...?

• finds himself a member of a mass.

What is treacherous is that as long as we find ourselves in this stylistic communitarianism, we do not realize anything. Whereas from an outside perspective, it’s a completely different story.

Quick question in passing: the day the brand changes creator, and therefore artistic direction, how does it happen?

Overplaying an attitude

I briefly move away from the clothes, for a little digression.

Corollary to the previous points: I have sometimes seen people change their attitude when they put on their best clothes. Men acting like peacocks in their power suits.

While I can fully understand that an outfit can help us feel confident in ourselves, be careful not to overplay it though. You can be excessive in your way of dressing as well as in your behavior.

Well, overall, we have just seen how to avoid being too much when building your style, from beginner's mistakes to the pitfall of false sure values.

Once you have built your style, are you done with excess? Even more, can we consider that a little excess is sometimes good?

Is too-much necessarily bad?

Haha, I'm throwing a huge wrench in here! But honestly, who hasn't ever seen a man wearing an improbable piece and thinking "it couldn't fit anyone else." ?

If a person is inherently extravagant and their clothing should reflect their personality, isn't it logical that their outfits should be as well (at least, different)? Isn't that what also contributes to his personality?

Take the example of Nick Wooster, rather telling.

Can you imagine me in this outfit? I would look ridiculous in the bowler hat. For what ? Because it's not a piece that speaks to me, it doesn't represent me and that will inevitably show in the way I wear it. On the other hand, when the “grain of madness” really resonates with your personality, it’s something entirely different.

If this sounds like you, then embrace that little extra extravagance or kitsch . It’s also what defines you.

Obviously, you have to be careful not to cross the line between original outfit and disguise, but when you get to this stage, you live your clothes so much that the question no longer really arises. Our style becomes purely and simply a representation of our spirit.

The final word...

First of all, let's keep in mind that "doing too much" is necessarily linked to a context, a given situation, even if we consider certain errors to be quite general.

When you're starting out, it's normal to be a little excessive sometimes, as if you want to do too well. In 99% of cases, these small defects disappear over time as the eye trains.

Less obviously, we tend to overdo it when we follow a label: a battery of rules that best define our style; our behavior and social interactions at their worst. In the same spirit, beware of brands with a strong identity that suggest that you can jump into their lookbooks with your eyes closed. As with everything, take the best and make it your own.

From there, once a style is firmly established, we can take liberties with “the norm”. It is then done with such conviction that there is ultimately nothing shocking .

All in all, remember that dressing is, above all, a pleasure. Try, fail, succeed, try again but above all, have fun.

And you, how do you understand all this? Do you have your favorite piece that only suits you? What is your worst failure? Tell us in the comments!