Stripes on stripes

[bryce330]

I was wondering what the other forum members thought about the practice of wearing a repp-type striped tie with a striped shirt. I know the general rule is not to wear one type of stripe (such as vertical) in connection with another type, but I recently bought a lavender and cream striped tie which I think would look very sharp with some of my shirts (the vast majoirty of which have some type of stripes). I've tried a few combinations in the mirror and they look fine but I don't want to actually wear them together if I'm going to look like some sort of rube.

 

[Mr_Sweden]

I know the general rule is not to wear one type of stripe (such as vertical) in connection with another type, but I recently bought a lavender and cream striped tie which I think would look very sharp with some of my shirts (the vast majoirty of which have some type of stripes).  I've tried a few combinations in the mirror and they look fine but I don't want to actually wear them together if I'm going to look like some sort of rube.

Hi.

I think it's all right to do that. Make sure the stripes are  different sizes. If you have Flusser's latest book "Dressing...", check out the pictures of Astaire and Barbera wearing a striped tie on a striped shirt. Looks great IMHO.

/Mr Sweden

 

[marc39]

I often wear striped ties with striped shirts, however I'm careful to wear shirts with subtle, pencil-thin stripes and ties with wider stripes. I'll even wear a striped suit, too, because of the subtle shirt/tie combination. My feeling is that if you wear a shirt with big, bold stripes, such as a bengal stripe, with a striped tie, it's just too busy and the shirt and tie almost cancel each other out because of the cocophony of stripes. I think with a bold-striped shirt, it's more sophisticated to wear a solid-color tie, such as a navy blue tie, or a tie with a subtle pattern (animals, birds, geometric design etc).

 

[adirondaki]

I'm really conservative/conventional on this matter -- just can't bring myself to do it.  If I wear a striped shirt -- which I do only seldom -- I wear a solid color tie and a very plain suit.

About 10 years ago, I was working with a big deal public official who had formerly been a big deal banker.  He was wearing a pinstripe suit, a striped shirt, and a striped tie.  That settled it for me for all time.

Brooks Bros offers a book by Alan Flusser on men's style -- it has a one- or two-page section on mixing stripes

 

[marc39]

Brooks Bros offers a book by Alan Flusser on men's style -- it has a one- or two-page section on mixing stripes

ENOUGH of Flusser already. He's a has-been tailor-wannabee (tailor never-was, more accurately) who is a self-appointed style expert, with a really bad comb-over.

 

[adirondaki]

marc39 -- is there any other type of style expert?

 

[LA Guy]

Okay, I agree with Marc on this one. Flusser's personal style, or at least that shown on his jacket covers, doesn't recommend him in the least; and his advice is pompous and stuffy. If more men were to follow Flusser's advice, we'd end up with a nation of wannabe upper class twits.

 

[VWpete]

Rock the stripes with pride. Developing an eye for the look is important. Look at magazines, runway shots (Paul Smith, Etro, etc help for this), and well dressed men on the street and see what you like. A boring shirt and tie is just that and has a place in the world (banker, funeral). On the other hand a tie is one of the few accessories we can play with and add flavor to our outfit. I have, in the past, worn a pinstripe suit, tattersal shirt and a very small patterned tie. This particular suit was worn to a party at Gracie Mansion and I got a ton of compliments, even in this subtle setting. This was carefully put together and could have been disastrous if I would've picked it wrong. My advice: Throw the combo together and see if you like it. If it's a little louder than normal but you'd still be comfortable wearing it, give it a shot. Fashion is about individuality and fun.

And yes, I am pretty bored w/ Flusser's stuffy style. I love, but can't afford Kiton suits / shirts and Massimo Bizzochi's ties and think they're much more interesting in pattern than Flusser.
Cheers,
P

 

[marc39]

I'm from the school of thought that dictates you don't call attention to yourself for dressing loudly/flamboyantly/garishly, but for distinguishing yourself, and having people take note of you, for a quiet, polished, subdued elegance. To each his own.

 

[Steve B.]

IMO the practice of insisting on solid-stripe or having a solid always between a pattern or another stripe was adopted by gray flannel suit wearers in the 50s and engrained into the American man's consciousness by John Molloy in Dress for Success. I personally am in favor of subtle, sophisticated matching of patterns and stripes. I'm in the process of doing an article with some guidelines for doing this with a lot of help from a good friend who is much more sartorially advanced than I. I will be adding it to my next e-zine, and could post it here as well if anyone's interested...

IMO many men, particularly those reading this Forum, already have this skill innately...

 

[PeterMetro]

I think Patrick Bateman spoke at length about this when pretending to be on the phone: "Gotta go, T-Bone Pickens just walked in my office - just kidding."

I think the general rule is that if one has bold, thick, defined stripes, the other should have muted, thin, subtle stripes. I generally shy away from mixing stripes; it strikes me as the type of thing we'll look back on in a few years and shake our collective head.

 

[adirondaki]

the next step forward -- mixing plaids.

Just kidding, fellows.

I think it is delightful if my fellow forum members want to mix stripes. For me, it doesn't work; just doesn't look right to my eye.

I don't have an opinion on Flusser one way or the other. Just happened to browse through the book while I was killing time in Brooks Bros recently. In any case, my point may have been missed -- Flusser's book, as I recall, offered guidance FOR mixing stripes, not a prohibition against it.