TL:DR is at the bottom if text walls aren't your thing.

A couple of nights ago, I went to an Xmas party for work. I showed up out dressing everyone, not intentionally but it happened. Whispers at work said that people were going to be dressing up but my vision of dressing up and theirs was skewed, to say the least. I was the peacock. This may have played into the short altercation.

I enter the building behind a couple of coworkers and their plus 1s. We have to navigate through the resteraunt area to the private room which was up stairs. As we're on the stairs one of my female co-workers spots me, she glances at me at first then double takes almost stopping myself and her bf on the stairs with her, to greet me. I don't think anything of it.

We reach the top of the stairs where all three of us stop for short introductions. We'll call co-worker Ann and bf Fred. Context - I'm wearing, leather boots, dress pants, a light button down and a very nice jacket that compliments everything. He's wearing sneakers, dark jeans, and a grey sweater. -

Sweet everything is going well, there's an open bar, food, music.. All the signs point to a good time. I make my rounds greeting people that are already there and come back to get some of the food. Where I'm sitting, I'm facing the bus trays with the food. So of course I'm going to see who is at the food. I'm eating and interacting with everyone around me and I look up Ann & Fred are plating their things. Not a second after I look up does Fred turn to lock eyes with me. He turns away I go back to eating.

A few moments later they're walking back with their plates and Fred is staring at me I only notice because I glance up, I didn't break eye contact with him and I think that set him off. Instead of walking back to his table he then makes a beeline to where I'm sitting. Fred make a scene interrupting everyone asking why I'm starting at him, asking do I know him etc. I'm caught off by it I don't really have anything to say.

I end up saying 'yeah you've got a familiar face', stopping short of saying 'yeah you look like an asshole' to escalate.

Everyone knows me to be the laid back insouciant kind of guy, so escalation would have been out of place.

What are good ways to deal with public confrontation and disrespect, in social settings? Is there any literature on this?

Also how much eye contact is too much?

TL:DR At Xmas party co-workers guest thinks I'm giving too much eye contact.