Spring Essentials - The Bold Plaid Shirt

For good reason the bold colored plaid shirt is a popular choice this Spring, it is a Modern Dignified Spring Essential, every closet needs one.  It should have vibrant summer colors that pop, hopefully against a dark base.  The shirt should be lightweight but dressy enough to look good with chinos, shorts, jeans or even a suit.  Our favorites made this season come from three of our favorite designers.

Gitman Vintage has a full line of plaid shirts, but out favorite is this one with a strong orange accent.  The bright color will really pop on a nice sunny Spring day.  Man, we like think about the sun when it is this ugly out.

J Crew also have a few bright madras plaid shirts.  Once again our favorite features a bold bright color against a dark background.   The red and blues here make for a beautiful combination not often found in the same garment.  This makes the shirt versatile and a statement piece in every closet.

Band of Outsiders have a more traditional plaid shirt, but once again in bright, bold, spring colors.  The yellows, reds, blues and greens in this shirt, once again make it a nice versatile choice.

This Spring, add some bold plaid shirts to the wardrobe.

Holiday Office Party

First and Foremost, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.

Pictures are in from the Holiday Office Party.  I wore a gray charcoal Hugo Boss suit, a white bespoke shirt and an Express wool plaid tie.  The tie is mainly gray and black with highlights of red and white.  This is paired with a red silk pocket square.  The silk compliments the wool tie well, as the different fabric add interest to the outfit.  The red in the square picks up the same color in the tie, helping to accent it, without being too much red, or looking too thought out.

A man never wants the outfit to look too planned, accidentally color coordinated and planned is the goal.  What I choose to call sprezzatura. 

Evening & Weekend Blazer

Every well dressed man should have a few items that really make him stand out in a crowd...

Most men's wardrobes consist of suits and other more formal clothing for work and more casual clothing for weekends. The very well prepared also have some clothing for black tie affairs. Then on weekends and evenings when he needs to dress nice, the outfit will consist of a mix between the work items and weekend items. Most of the time, this is acceptable and actually encouraged. As a well rounded wardrobe should allow for such versatility.

But what happens when a man wants to stand out from the crowd? Wear something daring, with style and character. The evenings and weekends a man is allowed and often expected to show off his peacock feathers. This of course does not mean he should wear embroided and studded jacket with "Attitude" or "Dangerous" across the back. Any man with an Affliction or Ed Hardy jacket needs to stop reading this blog... I'll wait for you.

So how does a man appropriately strut his personal style without looking like a douchebag or a baffoon, or worse? He invests in a few stand out jackets.

Take this Tallia blazer for example. This is sold at Macys for $275, is classically designed but has bold colors, a modern slim fit and is not commonly seen adorned. Wear it with a crisp white shirt, raw denim jeans and a pair of well polished black boots and every woman in the room will notice you, and not because your jacket declares you as "Badass".
 
A few other options that will make heads turn, in a good way:
 

Indochino Metallic Suits - $369 full suit - Comes in either Midnight Blue or Silver
 

J.Crew Velvet Jacket - $275 - Slim "Ludlow" fit
 

Plaid Jacket - Top photo: Ashton Kutcher in charcoal plaid (a similar jacket sold at Express for around $100).  Bottom photo: John Varvatos light gray plaid
 

Express Satin Shawl Collar Blazer - $148 - Shawl Collar jackets are a great look.  Vintage, modern and fresh all at the same time.  Get one for nights out, you will not regret it.
 

Velvet Satin Trimmed Jacket by 2am - This jacket is available at Nordstroms for around $275.  I am cautious with satin trimmed jackets, they are becoming "fashionable" and not in a good way.  I like the look on this jacket, but if your are fearful of looking too fashionable, stay away from this jacket and opt for something less "in".

Tie w/ no Jacket

When you are wearing a tie with no jacket, wear a tie bar. It helps the tie look grounded to the outfit and literally keeps it "grounded" or attached to the shirt. This keeps the tie from looking out of place and helps tie the outfit in together. We at Dandy Fashioner believe that ties must be worn without jackets, so just throw on a tie bar to keep it looking right.

In the picture, notice also the use of multiple patterns in the outfit. Bold striped shirt, blue tie with red anchors and a small plaid to the pants. By following the rules of patterns, the outfit works well together and is not over-powering to the eye.

It also has just the right amount of sprezzatura: rolled up sleeves, undone & crooked tie and multiple patterns. The outfit looks thrown together, but took some planning to make it all fit together well.

Multiple Patterns - shirt and tie

Wearing multiple patterns at the same time is all about wearing complimentary patterns and colors. A blue striped shirt with a blue polka dot tie is attractive since the blues in both patterns are complimentary and the patterns don't clash. Two competing plaid patterns would fight against each other and be distracting to the eye.

Keep it simple. Focus wearing a simple patterned shirt: striped, windowpane, tattersall or gingham check all can be basic patterns and easy to pair with a tie.

The tie should have a simple pattern. A polka dot tie, a rep tie, a horizontally striped tie, a simple plaid or a minimalist paisley tie will work best. Most of the tie should have a solid color that is in the same hue as the shirt. The other color or colors in the tie should be in the same family of colors or a complimentary color.

Lastly, wear a plain suit with clean lines. Stay away from the herringbone, striped or windowpane check for the suit. A simple suit will add balance to the outfit and give the eyes a safe place to rest. The simple suit will act as an anchor keeping the outfit grounded.

Start with something safe before branching out to the more daring. Remember you must be comfortable and confident to be able to make the outfit work.