Pattern Play
Patterns scare many guys. It's one thing to think about matching colors, it's another to now throw patterns into the mix. No need to fear, here are some examples and tips on how you can change up the basic solid color tie, suit and dress shirt for a more bold and interesting look.
Use a blank canvas to start.
A solid color suit is the perfect way to get into the pattern matching game. A solid navy, black or grey suit works well with almost any color. Once you have the base you can now explore and concentrate on mixing only two patterns as oppose to three.
In the following picture a blue suit was used as the base of the ensemble. Blue, white and red. Come on, thats an easy color pairing! Then a dress shirt with stripes was used to add a bit of interest. Movement was needed so the ensemble wasn't so vertical and a blue and red paisley tie provided the perfect swirl to give the outfit an eye catching look.
Now that we have two patterns mixing well together, let try for three. On a suit you will basically be dealing with a solid, stripe, window pane or check pattern (there are other patterns but these are the most commonly used).
Establishing a color palette is a great way to start. Now look at what you own within the chosen hues and select three patterns to mix with. In the following picture brown and light blue were used. A light blue window pane three piece was selected along with a striped tie and striped dress shirt.
Stripe on stripe is one of my favorite looks but always remember to mix up the stripes. Having a pinstripe tie on a pinstripe dress shirt could look a little strange (color variation could help that). For the picture below I used two different stripes but kept it similar in color so the look was cohesive. The light blue window pane now jumps out because of the difference in pattern and movement compared to the tie and dress shirt.
Another Stripe on window pane look....
Wearing a suit and tie doesn't have to be boring or daunting. If unsure, reach out to someone who's style you admire or trust. You can always google as well or ask yours truly!
Have fun.
C