By Lisa Neff

Contributing writer

Salvador Dali wrote in 1953, “Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dali, and I ask myself, wonderstruck, what prodigious thing will he do today, this Salvador Dali.”

That ego allowed for Dali’s artrageous manner of expression in art, life and dress.

He was a painter, but also a designer of jewelry, furniture and fashion. He famously designed a couch in the style of Mae West’s lips, lived in a home with sculptures of eggs, wore a flower moustache, sometimes fancied dresses and, according to legend, once showed up at his art opening in a chicken suit.

What’s the point?

When you attend a reception for a new art exhibit, you don’t want to try to upstage the artist or draw attention away from the art.

Some ideas for looking good but not stealing the show…

Basic black: For those seeking to stylishly blend in at the reception, go with black. For simplicity, think Jockey T-shirt and Levi jeans—just slightly worn. For black with an artistic statement, think Ed Hardy biker hoodie and Denim by Diesel—not at all worn. www.donedhardy.com, www.levistore.com, www.diesel.com

Pop art: Want a splash of color? New York neckwear designer David Hart and Company’s focus is on ties in eye-popping color and made of silks, wools and cottons by union craftspeople. Bowties are Hart’s specialty. He emphasizes learning to tie one as a rite of passage. He also emphasizes famed bowtie wearers, including Abraham Lincoln, Frank Sinatra, Steve Jobs, Ralph Lauren, Albert Einstein and Waylon Smithers. www.davidhartnyc.com

For those who can look at a new gadget and think, “That’s art,” there is Sony’s NWZ-S710F Walkman. The player keeps the volume down and the audio quality high. In a glossy fire engine red, the Walkman passes for pop art. A plus, the noise-canceling earphones can keep out that inane art gallery chatter—“I believe it exudes an existential, impressionist emotion…” www.sony.com

Cerebral concerns: The nerdy look looks good at receptions—a pair of glasses, a thoughtful expression, a taste of chewing gum. But most importantly the cardigan sweater—striped or solid, wool not cotton. www.urbanoutfitters.com

Classical style: Want tailored clothes at off-the-rack prices? DressMonkey.com has an interesting concept. Customers choose from a variety of fabrics, styles and cuts to create tailored jackets. Two 20-something entrepreneurs, Jeff Horowitz and Coley Dale, started DressMonkey.com to reinvigorate the men’s fashion market with high-quality but low-priced blazers, cheeky marketing and classical style. Think of DressMonkey as a way to say I’m different, but not as different as Dali.

Subtle statement: This falls in the what not to wear category—fragrance. In a crowded room, heavy perfumes and even some hairsprays, deodorants and body lotions can be too much for other art enthusiasts. And who knows what cheap toilet water does to pricey artwork.