I recently spotted a man wearing a floor-length black leather overcoat, black cowboy boots and toting a beat-up, black leather briefcase. I had my own issues with the jacket - the man was exiting a subway in midtown Manhattan at 10 a.m., not working as Nicolas Cage's stunt double in "Ghost Rider 2." He didn't need a black leather duster. No one does. But most importantly, he certainly didn't need to wear it with the briefcase and boots. All black leather everything - not a good look.

Have you ever heard the phrase "visual interest?" Perhaps an art museum guide used it to describe an abstract Picasso. Maybe a Realtor dropped the term when listing the features of a prospective home. Visual interest isn't just for art and architecture, though. Guys should aim for visual interest on a much smaller scale - in their wardrobes.

What does a visually interesting outfit look like? Don't get intimidated, I'm not suggesting you sport a blazer made of a Magic Eye painting, or pants covered in Astroturf. Neon lighting piped through the seams of your sweatshirt? Not quite.

Luckily, finding visual interest in your closet isn't as difficult as mastering Picasso's brushstrokes or appreciating the finer points of American Colonial style. It's actually pretty simple: The most compelling outfits are those that incorporate fabrics with different textures and colors. Just like eating the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner gets boring fast, so does wearing the same kind of clothes head to toe.

A visually interesting outfit could mean almost any mix of colors, prints and patterns. A corduroy sports coat layered over a wool sweater, layered over an oxford cotton button-down shirt. A striped shirt with a pin-point tie. Bright red socks peeking out from between brown brogues and gray trousers. Even if you want to wear one color all over, you can still switch up the fabrics - like gray wool slacks with a charcoal cashmere sweater over a heather grey cotton T-shirt.

So the next time you get dressed, consider adding a few new elements to your outfit - like a shirt and tie combo in complementary colors or patterns. Even a new pocket square will shake things up. It might not be Picasso, but you'll have people studying your style in no time.