Sportcoat or blazer with this shirt?

[Casaubon]

Hi all,
I picked up this shirt recently to complement my casual A/W wardrobe. It is a brushed cotton fabric, so a bit thicker and warmer.
I can see it paired easily with chinos of different colors, with a field jacket or something similar over it. However, I was wondering whether it lends itself to something slightly more formal, like a sport coat or even a blazer. If so, what should I keep in mind?

There aren't many guides on styling windowpane shirts, or at least I haven't been able to find them. I've seen white shirts with a dark windowpane pattern worn successfully under sport coats, but that's about it. Although grey is generally versatile, it doesn't seem to be as much in a shirt. Of course, I'd be more than happy to wear it as a purely casual piece but I generally wanted to hear from more experienced people on this matter.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Given the texture and color, I think something like tweed or donegal.

A nice cardigan, too, would provide a bit more formality without too much contrast.

 

[Casaubon]

Thanks for the feedback, @Phileas Fogg, it is much appreciated. I especially like you suggestion to wear a donegal sport coat, the texture of it looks amazing. Will set out to find one as soon as possible. As far as ties are concerned, should a wool one be a requirement? How about a silk knit tie?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Thanks for the feedback, @Phileas Fogg, it is much appreciated. I especially like you suggestion to wear a donegal sport coat, the texture of it looks amazing. Will set out to find one as soon as possible. As far as ties are concerned, should a wool one be a requirement? How about a silk knit tie?

With that shirt, skip it. Just my recommendation.

 

[dieworkwear]

Personally don't think that shirt is very useful in a tailored wardrobe (meaning, something to wear with sport coats). Grey won't work with grey trousers. Shirt has an autumn texture, but city color. Too dark for dark sport coats; not "cheery" enough for spring/summer jackets. I would just keep that to casualwear.

 

[adrianvo]

Hi all,
I picked up this shirt recently to complement my casual A/W wardrobe. It is a brushed cotton fabric, so a bit thicker and warmer.
I can see it paired easily with chinos of different colors, with a field jacket or something similar over it. However, I was wondering whether it lends itself to something slightly more formal, like a sport coat or even a blazer. If so, what should I keep in mind?

There aren't many guides on styling windowpane shirts, or at least I haven't been able to find them. I've seen white shirts with a dark windowpane pattern worn successfully under sport coats, but that's about it. Although grey is generally versatile, it doesn't seem to be as much in a shirt. Of course, I'd be more than happy to wear it as a purely casual piece but I generally wanted to hear from more experienced people on this matter.


View attachment 1584722

I suggest pairing it with Tweed (as Phileas Fogg mentioned) or a houndstooth blazer like shown above. As for the trousers, flannel in dark brown or even cream (but not with the blazer above) would look good.

You can also try this color palette:

Since the pattern is quite prominent on the shirt, I would suggest keeping the rest of the patterns and textures subtle so that each piece doesn't fight each other too much for attention. In general I think blues and browns are your friends in order to make this shirt work.

 

[Mr Tickle]

I wonder if it would work with a sort of oatmeal or light brown jacket like I have here?Then I think I would want brown trousers like the ones above.

 

[dieworkwear]

I wonder if it would work with a sort of oatmeal or light brown jacket like I have here?Then I think I would want brown trousers like the ones above. View attachment 1585141

I think when you mix non-traditional colors like this, you have to be very aware of what look you're creating.

Classic men's style runs on a certain logic and tradition. Traditionally, men's shirts are variations on white or light blue. There are some rare exceptions, such a madras. But white and light blue are basically the staples of a classic men's shirt wardrobe.

When you move away from this, you change the meaning of an outfit. Creating an outfit is not like creating art. You can't say "grey goes with blue, so I'll just pair blue and grey together."

Here is an example. This outfit communicates professionalism.

It's not just that the colors white, grey, and black go together. It's this very specific combo -- white shirt, grey suit, black tie, and white pocket square. When put in this way, you have a message.

If you were to change these colors -- say grey suit, black shirt, white tie, and black pocket square -- it would no longer communicate the same thing. In fact, black shirt and white tie would just communicate "bad taste."

Clothing is ultimately sociological. We associate good and bad taste with certain social norms.

So even if the texture of that shirt in the OP's post may be autumnal, the color is not (it's a very modern city color). And while you may be able to pair an autumnal shirt texture with an autumnal jacket, a grey shirt doesn't make sense with a tweed. If you wear it with a tweed, it will just communicate that you have bad taste. (I don't mean to sound harsh, and this comment isn't directed at you in particular. Just trying to say what that would communicate).

There are rare instances when a dark shirt can be worn well, but they require an even stronger grasp of the social language of clothing. One example is a slightly darker blue shirt, like this

But that slightly darker blue shade is still within arm's reach of tradition, and it has its own tradition in other social areas. Grey windowpane shirt with a tweed has no such tradition, so it will just look like you don't know how to dress.

 

[Casaubon]

Thanks for the advice and suggestions, everyone!
@dieworkwear I get what you are saying about the shirt having contradictory features as far as smart clothing is concerned. Still, in my untrained eye it somehow doesn't seem too dark for pairing with darker sport coats. As far as tradition is concerned, they all have to start somewhere. Not necessarily saying that I'm about to start one, but it's important to keep in mind that what might seem gauche at one point might become a staple of good taste in the future. Not referring to the black shirt-grey suit combo, of course.
@adrianvo Great look! Shows how easily you can find this pattern, color pallete and texture in a sport coat, but not in a shirt. Makes sense what with going easy on the rest of the patterns, I'm not even sure if a houndstooth would be too much.
@Mr Tickle If dieworkwear is right about the shirt being a bit dark, then an oatmeal sport coat might be a good idea. I definitely was aiming toward the browns (and greens!) essentially.
For now, this discussion is mostly theoretical as my smart wardrobe is very deficient at the moment. Still, I am looking forward to springing for a new sport coat in dark green or brown donegal sometime in the near future, and maybe another pair of flannel pants (only have mid-gray ones) so I might try it out then. But, as I said, the shirt will get a lot of wear casually, maybe with a thicker cardigan as mentioned above. It was the closest that I got to an impulse buy in the past four-five years.

EDIT: Spelling

 

[dieworkwear]

Here in the US, this kind of modern mixing of non-traditional colors, particularly when done with a sport coat, often comes off as a sales associate in a mid-market business. Like a Nordstroms sales associate. Or a car rental company.

I realize this can all sound very classist. There is a very gross class element that undergrids classic men's style because a lot of this has to do with upper class traditions. If you want to dress outside of these norms, you should be aware of what you're communicating.

Personally, I think if you were to break these norms, you'd do better by just going into SWD looks. Very non-traditional CM looks just look bad to me.

 

[Casaubon]

No offense taken here, I am genuinely appreciative of your comments and the effort you put into them. Moreover, I like your sociological approach to menswear as opposed to merely combining textures, colors, and patterns so that they complement each other. And I hope I didn't come off as arrogant at any point, going out and starting new traditions and all that. Just wanted to add how it seems to me that smart menswear is becoming more democratized in a way, which might limit the influence of old traditions and current upper classes, whatever that may mean. And I genuinely posted this thread out of curiosity, as I myself have noticed that I'm having trouble imagining this shirt with smart outfits, but not being able to put my finger on the exact reason why.

 

[dieworkwear]

I'm totally fine with things that are not in "good taste." I have polyester dress jeans, Western shirts, black side zip boots, and all sorts of questionable items in my closet. We had a discussion on this forum many years ago about black dress shirts -- the quintessential "bad taste" item. I think they can be worn well, but it can't just be a guy in a black dress shirt and navy suit. He has to know how to create a certain sleazy look. It's about the silhouette of his clothes, the collar, the fabrics, etc. Getting that look right requires some familiarity with the social language of dress.

 

[Casaubon]

Yeah, I don't think I could pull that off...

 

[Panama]

I think when you mix non-traditional colors like this, you have to be very aware of what look you're creating.

Classic men's style runs on a certain logic and tradition. Traditionally, men's shirts are variations on white or light blue. There are some rare exceptions, such a madras. But white and light blue are basically the staples of a classic men's shirt wardrobe.

When you move away from this, you change the meaning of an outfit. Creating an outfit is not like creating art. You can't say "grey goes with blue, so I'll just pair blue and grey together."

Here is an example. This outfit communicates professionalism.

View attachment 1585220


It's not just that the colors white, grey, and black go together. It's this very specific combo -- white shirt, grey suit, black tie, and white pocket square. When put in this way, you have a message.

If you were to change these colors -- say grey suit, black shirt, white tie, and black pocket square -- it would no longer communicate the same thing. In fact, black shirt and white tie would just communicate "bad taste."

Clothing is ultimately sociological. We associate good and bad taste with certain social norms.

So even if the texture of that shirt in the OP's post may be autumnal, the color is not (it's a very modern city color). And while you may be able to pair an autumnal shirt texture with an autumnal jacket, a grey shirt doesn't make sense with a tweed. If you wear it with a tweed, it will just communicate that you have bad taste. (I don't mean to sound harsh, and this comment isn't directed at you in particular. Just trying to say what that would communicate).

There are rare instances when a dark shirt can be worn well, but they require an even stronger grasp of the social language of clothing. One example is a slightly darker blue shirt, like this

View attachment 1585222 View attachment 1585221 View attachment 1585223


But that slightly darker blue shade is still within arm's reach of tradition, and it has its own tradition in other social areas. Grey windowpane shirt with a tweed has no such tradition, so it will just look like you don't know how to dress.

Would Bruce pull it off? Asking for a friend.

 

[Panama]

I could never keep black shirts lint free.
They were always covered in white fluff.