Learn Italian: Non odia l'eleganza, bensì l'abbigliamento troppo eccentrico. - He does not hate elegance, but rather overly eccentric clothing.

Yes, you could say Non odia l'eleganza, ma l'abbigliamento troppo eccentrico. However, bensì makes the contrast much stronger. It translates closer to "but rather" or "on the contrary," specifically emphasizing that the second element is the true state of affairs.

Is it required to have a negative statement before using bensì?

Yes. Bensì is specifically used to contradict and correct a negated statement. In this sentence, it replaces the negated idea (Non odia l'eleganza) with the affirmative truth (bensì l'abbigliamento...). You cannot use bensì to join two positive statements.

Why is there an article before eleganza when the English translation just says "elegance"?

In Italian, abstract nouns (like eleganza, pazienza, or libertà) require a definite article when speaking about the concept in general. While English drops the article for general concepts, Italian keeps it, which is why we use l'eleganza.

What is the difference between using l'abbigliamento here instead of i vestiti?