Bank statements, police statements, damage limitation statements; the consensus on statements is that they’re no good thing. However, statement looks – when approached with the right amount of chutzpah – can fast-track you from middle of the road to menswear maestro.

We know, we know, ‘statement pieces’ often create the kind of outfits that lead to well-meaning celebrities ending up being mercilessly mocked in the web’s comment sections or immortalised via memes.

But fear not, because we’ve tapped the advice of some of the fashion industry’s most clued-up so you can reap the rewards of dressing daringly with minimal chance of online annihilation. Wardrobe crisis averted.

White Trousers

Stating the obvious: white trousers may as well be physically moulded from Marmite because of their ability to polarise opinion. Everyone has something to say about white legwear, and more often than not they aren’t fans. But there are ways to keep the haters at bay.

“Ensure your white trousers are cut slim and not too long at the hem, so showing a bit of ankle,” says Reiss head of menswear design, Alex Field. If those ankles are as white as the trousers, it’s advisable to slap a small amount of tan on them, or you risk looking like you’re wearing sports socks.

While tonal outfits in shades of black, navy and even beige are a solid choice, when it comes to white Field suggests breaking up the look to avoid any sailor jibes. “Style the trousers with something that isn’t white. Preferably a knit in a neutral colour or navy for a classic, nautical look.”

Key Pieces

Floral Shirt

We love the minimal, painfully tasteful Nordic menswear movement as much as the next pseudo-Scandinavian dresser, but (dare we say it) sometimes it gets a bit, well, boring. What’s the antithesis to boring? A floral shirt, of course.