Modern Fashion: Pattern and Color Mixing
Underwear
With the trend of more body conscious clothing, let’s take this down to the very basic of elements. UNDERWEAR. Slimmer fitting jeans, dress slacks, and suit pants require the wearer to shift from the long stand-by of traditional “old school” boxers (the equivalent of a pillowcase in your pants) or “tighty whitey” cotton brief. These options only create a situation of bunching and VPL (visible panty lines) in your crisply tailored clothes. Not your best look, men!
A personal suggestion is a trim/fitted boxer brief or trunk cut of a micro fiber fabric. It will move with your jeans or trousers with ease. You will be surprised at just how comfortable the change of cut of the underwear makes due to its ability to move effortlessly with you and your pants. This particular type of fabric gives longer life without losing elasticity nor does it require bleach in the wash.
Go for a blast of color or pattern on those briefs or trunks. Have some fun! Only you and that special someone will know.
Clothing
Pattern and color mixing in your clothing. This is a fashion hurdle for anyone who wants to personalize their dress for the day.
Patterns: YES, you can mix pattern on pattern with confidence.
- Plaid on plaid. Just be careful to mix the size (make sure one is larger than the other). These work great: a bold statement on one clothing item or the other, or a more subtle pattern on the suit or sport coat with a more aggressive pattern on the shirt (do this with a more subtle textured tie of a solid or paisley pattern). Or, try this vice versa with a bold plaid on the jacket with a milder shirt pattern.
- Stripes and plaids really DO mix! Just select which pattern you want to be the statement and go with that piece as a foundation, then opt for a smaller scale pattern.
- When you opt for either of the above choices, please go for a solid-colored pant in a complimentary color IF doing a sport coat.
- Utilize color. This will take a bit of practice and pushing the comfort zone all men have. In the beginning, start with colors you like and are at ease with. It’s a fact that 84 percent of the time, men go to purchase a new shirt in some shade of blue. Also, 76 percent of men are color blind in varying degrees—most are commonly unable to see part of the red or green color spectrum.
Ask someone what “color” this is (i.e. special someone, friend, or retail professional).
Color Basics
Blues or greys with pinks, creams, whites, and lavender.
Browns with yellows oranges, greens, and lavender.
Pull up a color wheel on the net and use colors/shades that are next to each other (complimentary colors) on the wheel—it’s very simple and basically error-free. Once you build your confidence in working with color, then go for colors opposite each other on the color wheel. That would be called a corresponding color mix, i.e., blues with orange or yellow.
It can be really fun to mix patterns, textures, and colors in many different ways to create a vast wardrobe that is a statement of your personality. Enjoy the infinite possibilities that you can create.
Photo Credit: FxTran via Compfight cc
About the Author: John Hand
Related Posts
« Facebook is NOT the New Tinder The Keys to the (Bourbon) Kingdom – Blade & Bow »
