Matching a Striped Suit with a Striped Tie

[mikeczyz]

So, for any of you who saw my "help me match a tie to this shirt" thread, you are already fully aware of how much fashion help I need.

For this week's installment, I am loooking for help with matching a striped suit to a striped shirt. From what I have been able to gather on the interwebs, the strips should differ in size so as not to clash with one another. I have gathered two outfits from my wardrobe to see what all of you think. I tried to do a third with a striped shirt, a striped suit and a Repp striped tie but just couldn't get it right.

I feel that this shirt stripe is too much for this suit:

An attempt at an outfit

I like this shirt much more:

An attempt at an outfit.

So, what am I doing wrong? What am I doing right?

 

[poelow]

Striped shirts just mesh better with a solid suit IMO. It gets more complicated obviously when you have more stuff going on- you "have to know what you are doing." At least the second shirt's stripes are not as bold, and from a distance probably not recognizable.

However, for your second "outfit" I would suggest not wearing the button down collar with the suit, especially the businessy pinstripe. I like your tie patterns and color choices...

 

[bmulford]

Both work because you have differing scale on the stripes with a balanced scale on the foulard tie. I myself would reconsider wearing so many "cool" tone colours (charcoal with light blue/white shirt, and navy tie is very cold), but otherwise these work.

 

[Brad]

I like the stripe of the BD with the suit. If I don't wear a solid shirt with a striped suit, I often wear some sort of small check.

 

[mikeczyz]

Originally Posted by poelow

However, for your second "outfit" I would suggest not wearing the button down collar with the suit, especially the businessy pinstripe.

Please explain? I think I read that a button down collar is considered more casual and, in a formal business environment, should be reserved for the end of teh week but have never heard a prohibition on wearing the button down collar with a suit.

 

[highball]

I think the first shirt works great. I don't think there's anything wrong with the latter either, but I tend to shy away from mixing a very close pencil stripe with another stripe as I think it adds an element of busyness that I don't care for.

Originally Posted by mikeczyz

I think I read that a button down collar is considered more casual and, in a formal business environment, should be reserved for the end of teh week but have never heard a prohibition on wearing the button down collar with a suit.

I think this is a pretty accurate assessment. I believe the thinking is that a pinstripe suit typically carries a more professional or formal connotation, and the button down collar seems incongruous with that. I think many don't like the look of a button down collar with a suit, and though I tend to agree I don't think there's anything outright wrong with it. For me it just sends a mixed sartorial message, that's all.

 

[poelow]

Originally Posted by ericd

Originally Posted by mikeczyz

Please explain? I think I read that a button down collar is considered more casual and, in a formal business environment, should be reserved for the end of teh week but have never heard a prohibition on wearing the button down collar with a suit.


I think this is a pretty accurate assessment. I believe the thinking is that a pinstripe suit typically carries a more professional or formal connotation, and the button down collar seems incongruous with that. I think many don't like the look of a button down collar with a suit, and though I tend to agree I don't think there's anything outright wrong with it. For me it just sends a mixed sartorial message, that's all.

Agreed. Of course, a BD collar with a seersucker or khaki suit is even to be expected. As mentioned, the business connotation of the conservative pinstripe suit clashes with the sporty look of a BD IMO.

 

[overdog]

Both combos look fine to me, but I like the 2nd more than the first.

 

[kaxixi]

The scale differs more in the second than the first. I am guessing that this is why you like the second combination more.

Edit: That is, it's not the color, but the scale that's making the first shirt appear to be "too much" for the suit to your eyes (obviously, not to everyone's eyes--but think I agree with the OP).

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by kaxixi

The scale differs more in the second than the first. I am guessing that this is why you like the second combination more. Edit: That is, it's not the color, but the scale that's making the first shirt appear to be "too much" for the suit to your eyes (obviously, not to everyone's eyes--but think I agree with the OP).
+1

 

[jcriswel]

Originally Posted by mikeczyz

So, for any of you who saw my "help me match a tie to this shirt" thread, you are already fully aware of how much fashion help I need.

For this week's installment, I am loooking for help with matching a striped suit to a striped shirt. From what I have been able to gather on the interwebs, the strips should differ in size so as not to clash with one another. I have gathered two outfits from my wardrobe to see what all of you think. I tried to do a third with a striped shirt, a striped suit and a Repp striped tie but just couldn't get it right.

So, what am I doing wrong? What am I doing right?


The answers to your questions lie in these posts:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/f...ad.php?t=69451

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/f...ad.php?t=69480

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...ching+patterns

 

[JimInSoCalif]

Button down collars, which I wear a lot, are the most casual shirt collar and a pin striped suit is rather formal. I would save the button downs to wear with more casual suits, blazers, and sport coats.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[houserichichi]

I'd rather the button down with the yellow tie if I was wearing the outfit myself, though I'd prefer the BD wasn't BD in the first place as I hate them when paired with suits. That said I think the stripes are more flattering toward the outfit.

 

[Film Noir Buff]

The idea that stripes should be of differing gauges is something to consider from a design point of view but it is only one element and far from an overriding regulation. Sometimes stripes of the same gauge work together. Some of it has to do with your desired results. I sometimes wonder who this composite dresser we are all theoretically supposed to be? Stylish man? He has limitations depending on where you are and what you are doing. Some things look good on people when they should not and some things that look good on most people just dont work for some and sometimes it doesn't matter I suppose the easy answer to why would worry over stripes next to stripes matter is that when they are varied, the outfit looks better or rather it is easier to look at. But from what viewpoint? And further, who cares? Maybe you want it to be hard for people to look at you. American and English businessmen have worn stripes of similar widths together in outfits for so long, I rather doubt that anyone even notices. I also think it is odd to concern oneself with getting things "right" vs "wrong". Whether you should consider concepts like this or not, is not the point, rather too much anxiety over what should be trial and error is an arresting obstacle over developing your own sense of style. Try the outfits on and maybe take pictures, if it doesn't look wrong to you why would anyone need a consensus? There will always be someone who has a problem with what you are wearing. Some woman told me you shouldn't wear dotted ties on striped shirts. It was someone's opinion and never absolute logic that started discussions over what goes with what. Usually those people are fussbudgets, after-all who else would spend the time trying to fit everything into a category? The idea of collar scales and, shapes, stripe gauges, colors that go with hair or skin are factors to consider but under no circumstances should they restrict what you should wear. otherwise you run the risk of becoming a slave to opinion or imaginary judgments; and that's rarely stylish.​

 

[jcriswel]

Originally Posted by Film Noir Buff

The idea that stripes should be of differing gauges is something to consider from a design point of view but it is only one element and far from an overriding regulation. Sometimes stripes of the same gauge work together. Some of it has to do with your desired results.

I sometimes wonder who this composite dresser we are all theoretically supposed to be? Stylish man? He has limitations depending on where you are and what you are doing. Some things look good on people when they should not and some things that look good on most people just dont work for some and sometimes it doesn't matter

I suppose the easy answer to why would worry over stripes next to stripes matter is that when they are varied, the outfit looks better or rather it is easier to look at. But from what viewpoint? And further, who cares? Maybe you want it to be hard for people to look at you. American and English businessmen have worn stripes of similar widths together in outfits for so long, I rather doubt that anyone even notices.

I also think it is odd to concern oneself with getting things "right" vs "wrong". Whether you should consider concepts like this or not, is not the point, rather too much anxiety over what should be trial and error is an arresting obstacle over developing your own sense of style. Try the outfits on and maybe take pictures, if it doesn't look wrong to you why would anyone need a consensus?

There will always be someone who has a problem with what you are wearing. Some woman told me you shouldn't wear dotted ties on striped shirts.

It was someone's opinion and never absolute logic that started discussions over what goes with what. Usually those people are fussbudgets, after-all who else would spend the time trying to fit everything into a category?

The idea of collar scales and, shapes, stripe gauges, colors that go with hair or skin are factors to consider but under no circumstances should they restrict what you should wear. otherwise you run the risk of becoming a slave to opinion or imaginary judgments; and that's rarely stylish.

​

FNB,

Good post and good observations. It often strikes me as ironic that so much attention is focused on the details within our community when we all know that outside our community no one notices. At the end of the day, you know when you have done well because you have pleased your most demanding critic, yourself.

The threads that I hyperlinked earlier were excellent posts that manton authored. To be fair, most of his material came from Flusser. Flusser's influence can be felt throughout SF and AAAC when it comes to defining what is pleasing to the eye. We all know that Alan is a bit on the conservative side and sometimes discourages taking risks with style. He does acknowledge that there have been those who have taken risks and have been able to pull it off - Duke of Windsor, etc.

His day in the sun was in the thirties and the man died in 1972. We probably should move past some of the rules that have existed for such a long time. This might sound like heresy on this forum, but I think that it is perfectly acceptable to push the boundaries a little. This probably is not your thesis so I am not trying to support or criticize it. It is a good analysis though and I believe it gives the OP some perspective on not getting too hung up over whether A, B, or C works best. The one that works the best is the one that you like.

I hope this does not detracted from the topic, but I submitted this stripes on stripes combination last year to AAAC. There were some who thought it was great. There were others who said the equivalent of, "Don't even try that. You don't know what you're doing. It takes years of practice to be able to pull off something like that. You obviously are not there yet."

I found the stripes on stripes combination that I chose pleasing and wore it. I did want some feedback from my friends in the community to get their reactions. They ran the full spectrum which did not surprise me. When you have a full spectrum of responses, you realize that in the end, you must decide and trust your own tastes.