Yesterday was, I think, the hottest day of the year so far. I couldn’t stomach the notion of wearing a tie, and wanted to wear a shirt that would keep me cool in the heat. Seersucker is a great fabric for such an occasion, but the contrast cutaway collar on this shirt has made me never wear it without a tie before. I decided I’d go for it, and am quite glad I did.
Though the shirt (by Lands’ End, and purchased on clearance for ~$17) is a bit trendy, in that it’s made of seersucker but also has a contrast collar in a cutaway shape, it is those very disparate and incongruous elements which make it a shirt that dresses down fairly well. I’ll probably wear this shirt several more times this Spring and Summer without any neckwear.
Coordinating, but not necessarily matching…
I’m a fan of having some sense of a through-line in an outfit to make it cohere. I’m also not one who shies away from wearing a little color. One simple way of doing both is having a color that appears 2-3 times in an ensemble. Sometimes, I think any more repetition than that and one runs the risk of looking a little too ‘matchy-matchy.’ Choose an item that will showcase the color (in this case the orange in the shirt), and then add an item or two that subtly include that color. Today, I’ve chosen a vintage pocket square that has a little orange in it—nothing too overwhelming. Since the shirt is quite loud already, and is also fitted with a fairly casual button down collar, I chose to forego a tie as that might have brought this outfit into the realm of costume (which isn’t always a bad thing, it’s just not what I prefer to go for).
Jacket: Vintage Brooks Brothers linen sport coat, thrifted $3
Shirt: Lands’ End tailored fit ‘Paintbrush’ shirt, clearance $12
Pocket Square: vintage, thrifted ~$2
WIWT: 5/13/13
Sunglasses and No Socks…I do believe spring is finally here.
Pants: Dockers Alpha Khakis, courtesy of Dockers
Shoes: Allen Edmonds Venetian Loafers, thrifted $22 (IIRC)
Washed Wool/Mohair, Seersucker, and Madras.
Jacket: LBM 1911, Yoox $125 (purchased w/ Visa gift card)
Shirt: Lands’ End tailored fit seersucker w/ contrast cutaway collar, $17
Tie: Vintage ~1990s Gap Madras, thrifted .50
Pocket Square: Solosso white linen, courtesy of Solosso.
Unbuttoned…
Pink and Blue
One of my favorite things is when I find a sport coat in the thrift store and it has a pocket square already stuffed in the pocket. It’s like a two for one. That’s how I got this pale pink linen hanky, and it even has some beautifully hand rolled edges. It didn’t come with this particular jacket, but the two look pretty good together on a hot day.
Looks like spring is here, though it feels like the dead of summer.
Details.
Tweed and paisley.
WIWY: 4/16/13
Feels strangely fall-like on this early-spring day…
Tweed and Grenadine.
American Originals: J. Press, PRL, and Lands’ End
Jacket: J. Press, thrifted $15
Shirt: Lands’ End Tailored Fit, $12
Tie: Polo Ralph Lauren Grenadine, thrifted $2
Stripes and Knits.
