Wasabi Nights

How to Coordinate Patterns...does this tie go with this shirt?

Coordinating patterns is not always intuitive, but the pay-off is great.  Unfortunately, many men give up before they even try.  They wear all solids and if they do wear a pattern (like a striped shirt or patterned tie), they wear solids every where else. Here are some guidelines to you pattern-challenged men out there.

1.  Many men assume if they wear a patterned tie, they must wear a solid shirt.  False!

  2.  Any shirt that has a single color pattern on it (ignoring the white background) such as a pinstripe, check, plaid, etc. can be considered for all intensive purposes a "solid" shirt. For example, the grey plaid shirt on the far right can be considered a "solid" white shirt.  A blue and white pinstripe shirt can be considered a white shirt if the pinstripes are thin and spaced far apart.  Conversely, consider it a "solid" blue shirt (see above) if the stripes are so close together the optical illusion is that it's a solid blue from a distance. 

If you consider shirts like this a solid shirt then coordinating a patterned tie or jacket becomes much easier.  However, unlike a true solid shirt you have a little more style and interest to your look!

3.  You don't have to match the pattern of your tie to the pattern of your dress shirt.  Contrast is recommended!

4.  If you are wearing a vertical stripe shirt, it's nice to select a tie with a contrasting pattern (plaid, windowpane, paisley, floral, stylish geometric, dots, etc.).  A striped tie is ok, but mix it up sometimes!

5.  The key is to create contrast and interest.  Too much matching leaves you with a dull look.

6.  Balance is another key to success when coordinating patterns.  If you have more than one bold pattern and you feel like a clown, it's because the patterns are competing against each other instead of coordinating with each other. (see the example at the very bottom of this article)

For example, I love the shirt and tie below (right), but not together.  The large coin pattern on the tie is unbalanced with the thin stripe on the shirt.  A better combination would be the orange geometric tie (below) with a smaller scale print that balances the narrow stripe better.

7.  There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  Too many patterns can overwhelm the senses and instead of looking stylish, you may just look stupid.

8.  Start slow...pick a stripe shirt and coordinate it with a contrasting pattern (a windowpane, glen plaid, check, paisley, dot-all the rage now-or floral).  This can be a tie, a jacket, trousers, a scarf, what have you.  Just go on and put the two together, make sure the colors coordinate (they don't have to match!  just look good together) and then go out and let the compliments pour in.  After that, you will be able to recognize the value of coordinating multiple patterns and will be able to "own" bolder combinations and find your inner chemist!  Mix away!
 
This photo, captured by The Sartorialist, is a perfect example for three reasons. 

While I think this man would probably look stylish in a paper bag, I do feel he is demonstrating the competing pattern problem I previously mentioned (the suit is a bold choice, but it's the shirt that sends his look over the edge in my opinion). 

However, he is beautifully demonstrating how to balance patterns with regards to scale.  The check and geometric patterns on his tie, suit and dress shirt while competing, are nicely balanced with regards to scale (size).

Lastly, and most importantly, style isn't something you wear, it's something you own, and it comes from within.  It's a confidence that some are born with, some are raised with and some learn by pushing their boundaries step by step until it comes naturally.  Don't be afraid to push your comfort zone a bit and learn to own your style.  It's one of my favorite parts of being a Trunk Club Expert...I get to see it happen everyday!

-Lisa Bruckner, Trunk Club Expert

What color goes with...Does this match?

Does this match?  I hear this question so often I chuckle each time I hear it.  Men, please take a deep breath and repeat after me..."I don't match, I coordinate!"

The man in this photo for example; captured and documented on The Sartorialist, is a nice, mainstream example of how you can wear four different colors together at the same time.  Sure, the pin dots play off each other in a potentially matching way; but nothing "matches" the blue shirt.  It's just a pop of color that coordinates wonderfully with the brown suit and burgundy tie.  Additionally, it's a great example of how you can mix different browns together.

Since you men like rules and guidelines, I will educate you in this format:

Matching Rules:

1.  Your socks should match the color of your PANTS.

2.  When wearing a formal suit, your suit jacket should perfectly match your suit pants (thus, always wear and dry clean them together).

3.  Another rule about formal wear; your dress shoes and dress belt should generally match (same color!).

4.  For a sleek, elegant look, go for the monochromatic style: your shirt, pants, shoes, belt, etc. are all the same color.  Or, wear all black clothing and a rich dark brown for the accessories (shoes and belt).  Yes, you can wear dark brown with black!

5.  If you are wearing black separates (items bought separately from different dye lots or different brands) make sure the black perfectly matches the other black pieces.  Nothing looks tackier than a man wearing black pants and a completely different hue of black jacket or shirt, etc.  Black is one of the toughest to match to be honest.

6.  Your pocket square does not need to match your tie.  Yes, you can, but you can also pick a coordinating color to add interest and a pop of color.  See the photo above for example.

 
How to Coordinate color:

1.  Don't match!!!!

2.  If you are wearing brown shoes, wear a brown belt, but they don't have to be the exact same color brown.  They just need to coordinate and be "similar" in hue (same type of brown-dark, light, red undertones, etc.).

3.  Think about colors that coordinate well together.  For example, turquoise and brown coordinate beautifully.  Olive green and pink/purple are awesome.  They don't match, they coordinate and add interest to each other. 

4.  Orange is a fabulous accent color, even for the timid.  Don't be afraid to coordinate orange accents into your wardrobe.  See how nicely the orange and lavender look together?  An orange tie like this would look fabulous with most dress shirt colors and would really add interest to a brown, black or navy suit or sport coat.

5.  When coordinating a tie to a dress shirt, you don't need to match the color of the tie to something in the dress shirt pattern!  Instead, make sure they coordinate (do these colors look good next to each other?).

6.  Dark brown shoes look amazing with black pants (and most other colors to be honest).  I repeat, yes, you can wear brown and black together!

7.  Grey also looks amazing with brown.  The lighter the grey, the lighter the brown (and vice verse).

8.  People who wear their style well and get a second, third, etc. look from others are those who wear a completely monochromatic look OR those who understand that matching is for the birds and coordinating is the key.  They mix different colors, sometimes incorporating bold, subdued and contrasting color all into one look.  See photo at right.

9.  Next time you get dressed, don't think "does this match?"  Instead, think "does it coordinate?"

The man in the photo to the right is a great example of a man who would get a second look.  While I feel the balance of his choices is a little off (his long legs are overly accented due to the short vest), his overall look is interesting and sophisticated.  The turquoise blue shirt pops and complements the mixture of browns.  I love how he mixes black and near-black accessories into his look.  And his hat is amazing and I would love to see more men wear hats (I think you might enjoy the weather protection too for those of you with short hair cuts!).

I'm curious... if I came up with a "manly" version of Garanimal-inspired tags for men's clothing, would you like this?  Basically, it would be a clothing tag where fashion-challenged men knew which items "match" and thus take the guesswork out of getting dressed.  I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are.

Kudos to Trunk Club members Mr. MD and Mr. MC for helping me formulate the idea!

-Lisa Bruckner, Trunk Club Expert