Believe it or not, but there was a time – pre-Instagram, pre-Facebook, even – when people didn’t actually turn up to fashion shows wearing every item of designer clothing they owned all at once. Of course, the opposite is true now; for those of us that work in this precariously image-conscious industry of clothing, debuting a strong, memorable and, crucially, photogenic outfit on a daily basis when attending such industry events has become as important a professional practice as checking for spelling mistakes on your CV, or talking in a very loud voice when you turn up to the weekly “ideas” meeting.

In fact, such is the prevalence of what we shall call, for want of a better word, “loud” dressing in today’s fashion world, that sartorial choices that veer towards the opposite pole – that is, subtle, understated, largely and wonderfully dependent upon the colour navy – tend to be obliterated in the frenzied media onslaught that follows each edition of the biannual fashion weeks. Until now, that is.

In the following images, we pay tribute to the men who, over the past few weeks, have shown self-assurance, courage and, let’s face it, the audacity to clothe themselves in neutral shades and classic pieces while queueing up to see the latest offerings from Messrs Raf Simons, Virgil Abloh and more. Wallflowers of fashion week, we see you.

No, they are not the most eye-catching colours in the world, but don’t they all look good together when worn like this? Black shoes in particular, we feel, mean business, just as much as being always on your phone, which is also impressive. The professional feel of this look – see the grey tailored trousers – is undercut slightly by the turtleneck. The coat, a classic navy mac, is one of those pieces you buy begrudgingly and then wear every day. If only all our choices could be as sensible as this man’s sartorial ones.

The camel overcoat is a classic piece, as is the double-breasted suit, but somehow this outfit is more than the sum of its tried-and-tested parts. Perhaps it is (it definitely is) the rather louche folds of the scarf, or the slightly old-fashioned appurtenance of a notebook. Though you might not look twice at this outfit in passing, as we stare at it now, we very much appreciate the subtle interplay of greys and browns here, plus the double-double breasted layers of the coat and suit.

If one piece of navy clothing is a reliable choice, a whole outfit comprised entirely from the stuff is what you might think of as “stealthwear”. It’s a colour that’s so easy on the eyes, in fact, that it can easily slip right past them, so we can only assume this gentleman was on some kind of very stylish secret mission. Well, if the mission was to artfully combine many subtly different shades of blue, it is very much accomplished. Again, it’s the accessories here that lift this outfit from “boring” to “understated” – a chunky scarf in a quiet contrast to the fine wool of the suit and the glimmer of blue in the bracelet.

There is an episode of the British TV series Room 101 where comedian Mr Alan Davies (he of Jonathan Creek fame) argues that the jacket-and-jeans combo should be banned for evermore from the public realm. But we hope that, if he’d ever seen this image, he would have changed his mind. In fact, there is great colour play going on here: the washed blue of the denim plus the deep brown of the jacket plus the bright turmeric colour of the sweater. You could wear the whole outfit to teach an undergraduate literary theory class, or to a fashion show, at least, if we’re to take the lead of this intrepid soul.

This is perhaps a little more of a concerted “look” than some of the other examples here, but it derives its effect from many of the same principles. Complementary colours (olive, brown, beige) are thrown together in a straightforward way, with a strong finish (the loafers) to lift the whole ’fit. Of course, at Pitti Uomo, where this image was taken, and the phrase “dressed to the nines” takes on new meaning, this is about as restrained as it gets.

The people featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown