Use color to spice up the dull – The Free Weekly

Q. I realize that when you wrote about black velvet or corduroy jackets recently, you weren't a fan, but I'm trying to find something to make my clothes more interesting. My work clothes are the uniform shirt and tie and my casual variety is khaki or denim. There was a cropped jacket I saw in a new issue of Esquire that was ridiculously overpriced ($3,700), and it wasn't even a standout color. It might sound good to me, but I can't imagine spending that much money on it. Is it worth the cost to add some spice to my look?

A. No and yes, that is to say it's definitely not worth that amount of money unless you have millions to spend, but your mention that it wasn't even worth a special color suggests the idea of ​​adding color. This is exactly the right idea.

I completely agree with you that the prices of clothing currently seen in major men's fashion publications are outrageous. And don't think the amount you saw was so rare. I've seen men's jackets ranging from $3,700 to $5,000 in recent issues of GQ, the NYTimes, the Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair; pants from $370 to $1,400; shirts from $450 to $2,100; chinos for $675; even a pair of jeans for $1,300! And nothing I saw stood out as special or much more memorable than the items in the very affordable Lands End and LL Bean catalogs.

Such awards may make sense to sports stars and music celebrities, but in reality they are now rather insane to the average man (no matter how successful). If you like to make a little statement and stand out, I can tell you that nine times out of ten, even at such prices, these clothes do not achieve such a goal. Most of the time when we see extremely expensive items, they aren't even visible and don't make any impression. For what? Because, unlike women's styles, men's clothing is usually so similar that, unless it's bright or so color-coordinated that we can't help but notice it, it tends to disappear in a blur of similarity.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that a man should never splurge on something he really likes. What I'm saying is that he need don't do it to look good. Instead, he should choose clothes considering the colors he likes, the colors that look good on him, and the colors that go well together. Nothing makes an immediate impression more than a well-used color. And the color is free.

Wearing two-tone is the starting point of a well-dressed man. Make sure you repeat one of these colors in more than one other element of your combination. For example, with a brown and blue tweed jacket, wear beige or khaki pants and a light blue shirt. This also works with a navy blazer instead of the tweed jacket. If you want to wear a paisley tie, make sure it has blue or brown in the pattern. Or, with gray pants, you can wear a small check shirt with gray and another color in the pattern. Men with silver-gray hair might consider a silver-blue tie or a pale pink polo shirt.

Avoid too many neutral colors which can make an outfit indescribable; add a pop of color. Strange colors, like purple, yellow or green, work well as accents.

Another wise way to spend your money is to choose interesting accessories that personalize your suits. Your accessories can also be used to repeat one of the colors (for example, a brown belt and shoes). Pocket squares are good choices. The same goes for all styles of sweaters, from cardigans to vests; they allow you to introduce just about any color you like.

To find good prices, be open to new places to shop, like end-of-season sales at high-end department stores and men's boutiques that might be too expensive during the season. Make sure your clothes fit your size.

Finally, be open to feedback from other helpful sources, such as observing what you see on well-dressed men and in men's clothing catalogs. Listen to the compliments; When you receive at least two unsolicited compliments, you know that something you wear looks good on you. Before long, you will hear them often.

Please send your questions about men's dress and grooming to MALE CRY: [email protected]