Thursday, December 13, 2012

Primarily Colorful

Oh, the good intentions I had. Had I not come down with a cold that turned me into a useless, sniffling idiot, I would have posted this entry last week. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

Anyway, it dawned on me after wearing it for a couple of hours that my outfit was based on only neutrals (grey, brown, and white) and primary colors (red and blue). I felt like a million bucks in it, so I figured I'd do some attention-seeking on the Internet under the guise of giving sartorial advice.

To be fair, it's a bit of both. But like any decent peacock, I do love to show off. Thanks for humoring me.



This picture is crap, but it at least serves to capture the simplicity of the color scheme. For starters, the jacket is one of my made-to-measure jawns from work. The color isn't depicted accurately here, so trust me when I tell you that it's actually a shade of blue -"cadet" blue, according to the fabric swatch- a bit lighter than navy. It's gorgeous and functions well as a blue odd jacket too, which you'll see later.

The shirt is a simple blue check on a white background, and the tie is one of my most patriotic: a red, white and blue repp stripe. The pocket square (scored for all of $8 at a Nordstrom Rack) is a light blue with playful white polka dots.

In addition to the smooth pattern mixing (note the large scale/small scale tie/shirt combo, grounded by the solid jacket), this combination is harmonious because of the color story. There's a different blue in each piece, and throwing red in there means that we're now working with primary colors, which generally play nicely together. If the background of the pocket square had been yellow instead of blue, I'd have gotten all three colors in one ensemble and hopefully have won a prize.


Never one to sleep on his hosiery game, I figured I'd get a little seasonal with some fairisle socks. While they provide a stark contrast with the light grey pants and brown monkstraps surrounding them, they work with the outfit because the red with blue accents tie back directly to, well, the tie. And there's grey in there, kind of. Right?


I always feel mega-awkward taking iPhone pictures of myself in a mirror, and it translates to the blank look on my face (which is actually just me trying to not look stupid). For completeness, though, I wanted to give you an idea of how the whole ensemble worked together. I finished it off with the beautiful vintage tie bar my girlfriend bought me and the one pair of suspenders I own (light tan with dark tan leather button holders), but the point is that a simple color scheme with well-fitting clothes is a winner every time.

Also, stripes+checks+dots+fairisle= I mixed four patterns. This isn't Fred Astaire skill we're talking about here, but I'd like to get there one day.

3 comments:

  1. Jawn, really? Please kill yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's correct, jawn. Troll elsewhere.

      Delete
    2. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who was trolled by that disgusting schvartze terminology. What's next, are you going to start sticking up all the neighborhood boychiks for their mezuzot?

      Delete

This blog is a forum for me and anyone else to discuss men's style, share ideas, and ask/answer questions in an adult, civilized manner. As such, any comments that deviate from these guidelines will not be published. Thanks for understanding, and I look forward to hearing from you.