Andre Benjamin is someone to be admired for his accomplishments, a successful music career (Andre 3000 one half of Outkast), a successful career as an actor (13 movies) and his own fashion line (the fall 2009 line is being released under lock and password). Andre Benjamin also has separated himself from the crowd dramatically with his great personal style.
His personal style is exactly that, personal. He walks to the beat of his own stylist. He mixes vintage suits & hats with preppy school boy clothing or modernize a vintage farmer. He plays with colors and hats marvelously. He will try almost anything in his style and most of it actually works. Style is often in how you wear it, not what you are wearing. Andre Benjamin proves this every time he leaves the house.
Another aspect of his style that I admire his he always keeps it fresh. While some outfits may have similar trends or feel, the next few are completely out of left field. This consistent change is something many of us forget. It is quite hard to keep your style personal and fresh, but Andre Benjamin accomplishes this.
A measuring stick I use for most men as a style barometer is the tuxedo. How do they dress at a black tie affair. While in today's society the range of acceptable fashion fluctuates depending on the event, moving more to informal style with every passing day. The black tie event, in my opinion, is the exception. This is the one area where the range of acceptable style is very limited, meaning that a well dressed man needs focus more on fit and classic choices than going off course and paving their own path. Andre Benjamin, does just that. He incorporates hi own personal style into the acceptable black tie attire. Well done.
Overall, his style while not in my own range of possibilities, it certainly can be inspirational. The colors, mix of patterns and boldness of the outfits are certainly worth learning from.
Tomorrow, I will be featuring Andre Benjamin's clothing line: Benjamin Bixby. It may be a lot more stylish than you expect.
