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pattern mixing - yes or no?

yeeth

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quick question - i'm not used to wearing this many patterns, but i think it looks fine. I'd like the opinions of some gents here on this.

I have a solid lavender pocket square, but i thought the orange popped more. Thoughts?
1000
 
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Stebbin

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I think it looks too loud. If the suit was solid (not self-striped), it could possibly work but having four patterns is too much.
 

yeeth

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that's a too-lazy-to-actually-tie-a-knot-for-a-picture knot, i was in a hurry to leave (not wearing that out)

Completely incoherent to me. Textures, patterns, and levels of formality are all over the place.


would you mind elaborating? i'm only 22, and i'm still learning. I thought they were sufficiently different in size and pattern to plausibly work, but i guess not?
 

GBR

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Dreadful and surely you are not saying you 'wear' (to be charitable) your tie in this fashion?
 

GBR

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that's a too-lazy-to-actually-tie-a-knot-for-a-picture knot, i was in a hurry to leave (not wearing that out)
would you mind elaborating? i'm only 22, and i'm still learning. I thought they were sufficiently different in size and pattern to plausibly work, but i guess not?


I doubt you have started learning if that is your explanation.
 

Macallan

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A plain shirt would be a lot better, e.g. pale lilac, if you want to avoid plain white and no pocket square
 

John B

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Yeah, ok, it's a bit much, but you had fun putting it together and it shows. You know it's a bit much, but that's what you enjoyed about it.

OK, here's my philosophy: There are the three principles of concord, contrast, and conflict.
Concord: Things go together because of their similarities. Let's say for example you changed the shirt to a solid lilac as mentioned, a solid navy tie, and put in a white pocket square with purple trim around it. This would be a very basic look where everything kind of went together.
Contrast: Things go together because of their differences. This is what you were going for. Sometimes it's something unexpected, which is fun, but sometimes it's because something stands out that it gets noticed.
Conflict: Things don't go together because they're too similar to be that different. A typical example is a dark navy with black—they're too similar to be that different. Things that can conflict include scale, color, pattern, and attitude.

The nice thing you did was to have four totally different styles of pattern (striped, plaid, polka dot, and paisley). It's fun and inventive. The scales and patterns provide nice contrast, and there is almost concord among the colors. As Caustic Man mentioned, one problem I see is the levels of formality. The shirt is a very casual plaid. Plaids are almost always on the casual side. On the other hand, the jacket has peaked lapels, which is often associated with a more formal look. The other thing to me is that the color of the tie conflicts with the other blues—it's too close to the same family to not match better in color.

Obviously, you're not wearing this on a job interview, so it's going out to have fun. This leads to two issues: one is that if there's this much going on with your clothes, it might distract from you. The other is that you might come off like a bit of a clown. If you have a powerful personality that won't be overshadowed by the outfit, and have the balls to pull it off, more power to you. Here's the important part: doing things that make you happy every day will lead to a happier life, so seek them out as you did with this.

Side note: I kind of liked the contrasting color for the pocket square, but without the concord of the wall behind you, it conflicts (to me). I had to cover up the background to see it.

Also, I'm not an authority like some of these other fellows—I'm just throwing some things in to think about.

Step back and look at what you like, and what doesn't work. You have a good eye, keep playing with this stuff.
 

Caustic Man

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would you mind elaborating? i'm only 22, and i'm still learning. I thought they were sufficiently different in size and pattern to plausibly work, but i guess not?

First of all, fit is as important as pattern combination. You have half dressed yourself by not buttoning your shirt all the way and leaving your tie undone. It presents a sloppy appearance and will not win you any fans here. Second, look at your patterns. They are all very bold. You have nothing simple or muted in your outfit to balance out the loudness of all your patterns. The shirt is awful IMO and doesn't belong with a suit. The pocket square might go nicely with a lighter suit or jacket, but with such a dark jacket it just gives too much contrast. Not only that, but it is sufficiently different in shade and brightness that it is the focal point of the entire outfit. You want to achieve balance, not s single "look at me" piece. The density of the pattern in the tie screams for a solid colored shirt. On top of all that, I'm simply not a fan of any individual item either. I can't imagine wearing any item you have on in any combination with anything I have in my closet. Try starting simple, don't be so ambitious. Think in your head of a navy blazer, some well cut denim, a light blue shirt, and a brown knit tie. That's a simple outfit that, if it fits properly, looks darn good IMO. This is my input, others may disagree, but I think it works.
 

mensimageconsultant

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Not horrible, but it doesn't quite work. The tie looks too shiny, when the pocket square already is shiny. If the tie or shirt were slightly quieter and the tie fastened properly, and the hair is dark or an impressive blonde mane, then the clothing combination could work.
 

yeeth

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First of all, fit is as important as pattern combination. You have half dressed yourself by not buttoning your shirt all the way and leaving your tie undone. It presents a sloppy appearance and will not win you any fans here. Second, look at your patterns. They are all very bold. You have nothing simple or muted in your outfit to balance out the loudness of all your patterns. The shirt is awful IMO and doesn't belong with a suit. The pocket square might go nicely with a lighter suit or jacket, but with such a dark jacket it just gives too much contrast. Not only that, but it is sufficiently different in shade and brightness that it is the focal point of the entire outfit. You want to achieve balance, not s single "look at me" piece. The density of the pattern in the tie screams for a solid colored shirt. On top of all that, I'm simply not a fan of any individual item either. I can't imagine wearing any item you have on in any combination with anything I have in my closet. Try starting simple, don't be so ambitious. Think in your head of a navy blazer, some well cut denim, a light blue shirt, and a brown knit tie. That's a simple outfit that, if it fits properly, looks darn good IMO. This is my input, others may disagree, but I think it works.


thanks for actually being constructive. i know it's loud, and i don't think i'd ever wear that out any time soon - i was just curious to see it it worked.

for all the haters who didn't read the text properly, i know it looks sloppy - i simply wanted an opinion on the combination and i was in a hurry, and rather than take individual pictures of the items i thought it would be better to quickly wear it, snap a picture, and take it off again. i see no reason to tie/button it up.
 

Caustic Man

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i know it looks sloppy - i simply wanted an opinion on the combination and i was in a hurry, and rather than take individual pictures of the items i thought it would be better to quickly wear it, snap a picture, and take it off again. i see no reason to tie/button it up.

If it takes you more than 1 minute to button your shirt and tie your tie into a decent knot, then you are doing it wrong.
 

Mute

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Too many things happening here. I'd put in a solid somewhere. Either the tie or the shirt.
 

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