Fashion should be about subtlety. It should be about fit over flair. It should be about bespoke over bedazzling. These are rules for every man to take into consideration, but they should take on a more non-negotiable tone for anyone who starts his day with a fiber-based breakfast cereal.

Am I being ageist? No, just honest. Think about it: nothing stands out more than a Man of a Certain Age taking style cues from One Direction. Jumping on every trend, and wearing them all at once, is a recipe for disaster. At a certain age, a man should have his own fairly well developed sense of personal style. He should know what works for him and what doesn’t. He should know when to avoid concert tees and hyper-cropped suits and anything with skulls.

This doesn’t mean we should be avoiding the right fashionable flourish. George H. W. Bush seems to have the right idea. Take, for example, a recent photo I saw of the former president (at a gay wedding, I might add) wearing a navy suit, button-down shirt and his signature colorful socks. Now that’s how to work the proverbial “pop-of-color” into your life.

Don’t take what I’m saying as a mandate for 40-plus men to be boring. That’s not the point. It is, however, a gentle reminder that a whisper is always louder than a shout. Unless you have cultivated a certain look over the years, like my friend Simon Doonan and his many floral patterned shirts, embrace flash at your own risk. Just bear in mind that people can tell when you’re wearing your midlife crisis on your cap sleeve.