Flamboyance and flamingoes

The Dhaka our fathers grew up in was highly influenced by pop culture. Men would pull off body-hugging clothes, brightly coloured and often featuring loud prints — something practically impossible to see today. Time changes everything! 

The days of popped collars are long gone, but there have not been a new wave of expressive fashion that really highlights the features of a man. While the 21st century has been a blessing, in terms of smart casual and formal wear for men, style still remains somewhat monotonous.

Mehruz Munir, head designer of Zurhem, believes Bangladeshi men have a lot to catch up on. A brief rendezvous revealed the most obvious — that flamboyance comes with age. However, this can be easily hacked. Simply learn from the most experienced dressers; your fashion role models. 

Fashion blogger Shahzaman Mozumder (also known as the 'King of Dhaka'), shared his two cents — "A navy-blue suit with a pink shirt; a light blue tie with a pink pocket square; white linen suit in summer with a Panama hat or a pink seersucker suit." 

Photo: LS Archive

Mozumder added, "To be classified as flamboyant, one has to alter the colours of the ensemble and make the combinations bolder and more vivid." To him, flamboyant outfits are all about showy colours.

First and foremost, one has to understand that it is all about making the commitment of staying away from looks and pieces that are considered safe and dull. Being true to one's inner style is of paramount importance. It is not only about the watch you choose to match with your outfit, or the shoes you choose to match the belt — flamboyance is very much about taking care of yourself as a man, which includes taking care of the skin, hair, nails, and if you can rock it, even the beard! 

Munir elaborates, "Everyone has to look after their physical appearance. Simple and manageable beauty regimens such as washing the face and applying a moisturiser in the morning or at night will not make anyone any less of a man!

"Metrosexual or not, I think taking care of ourselves is completely acceptable as long as the measures we take for looking our best are not imposing any danger to our health and are not taking too much of our valuable time." 

Munir accurately exemplifies the difference between flamboyance and metrosexuality — "I'd say in the movie 'Wolf of Wall Street', Leonardo DiCaprio's character had a pretty flamboyant lifestyle, while Christian Bale's character in the movie 'American Psycho' portrays metrosexuality perfectly." 

Flamboyance is a term attributed to a group of flamingos! In comparison, young men wear dull colours today just like the fact that baby flamingo's feathers are grey till maturity. With the right role models and proper fashion knowledge, the youth of Dhaka will soon learn to embrace their inner flame and become flamboyant men of the future.

By Sanumkia Siddiqui

Note: Designer Mehruz Munir of Zurhem was inadvertently misquoted in the article. The necessary corrections have been made.