VERITAS | Men's Style Blog

In Summery

These guys look pretty sharp the way they are in their cotton jacket, pants, suit, and everything else. You'll certainly look first-rate dressed this way to work (although the guy in the left can button up the shirt and tighten up the knot for that) and to many social events happening this summer, including the gazillions of weddings that line your iCal from June to August.

But as smart as these guys look, do you find yourself getting a little bored from sporting - or at least seeing - these same ensembles all throughout spring? Now that we're well into summer, want something a bit more summery to heat up your style?

The best way to take these looks from good to smashing with minimal effort is through intelligent accessorizing. Leave the navy jacket, chinos, khaki suit, and light-colored solid shirt on - they'll last you well through Memorial Day and beyond. But by switching up the tie, stuffy shoes, and adding some smokin' shades, you'll easily transform a reliably decent spring/summer look to a more festive, exciting summertime attire that you can enjoy for work and play.

Try this brilliant upgrade to an upcoming summer wedding (preferably outdoors), and you may very well one-up the groom (Unless of course, you're the groom, in which case you'll one-up yourself - now is that such a horrible thing?). Just make sure you're not fairer than the bride, and you're good to go.

Tie One On in Patterned Cotton: Put away the silks and solid numbers for now and get happy with cotton! Either woven or knit, make it a pattern!

Lighten Up Your Step: White-soled lace-ups hit the perfect balance between lightweight and heavy, casual and formal, without compromising even a micro-millimeter on comfort and high style.

Work Your Mojo: Ray-Ban may have developed the first aviator sunglasses, but Tom Ford, being Tom Ford, makes it sizzling hot. It's over three times the price of Ray-Ban, but trust me - you'll get your sexy back ten-fold. Ray-Ban may be a tried-and-true classic, but the discriminating gentleman of wicked summertime sophistication wears Tom Ford Eyewear Cyrille aviators.

[Hover over images for brand, price, and photo credits where available.]

Spring Patterns

Building on the solid colors discussed on the last post, it's time to add the next element: pattern.

When it comes to pattern, a little goes a long way. The same rule applies to the use of pattern as what I previously mentioned about the use of white - sparingly and judiciously. Done right, adding a little pattern to your otherwise solid get-up will kick-start your spring style into high gear.

The warm season is especially conducive to pattern-wearing. Depending on the pattern type, size, and/or color, something about its ease or playful attitude goes well with the spirit of spring and summer. However, there are distinctions to be made for what patterns suit which season. When choosing patterns for spring, stick to the classics: plaids, checks, and stripes -  there's plenty of variety within these three categories to satisfy every personality and taste level.

As the air and temperature in spring are still on the crisp, fresh side, choose patterns that compliment those same qualities. This means simple, clean, clearly defined patterns in non-fussy weaves like gingham and solid stripes. The same applies to colors: clean, clear and bright. By bright I'm not just talking about bright colors such as bright orange and green (which, by the way, are great for spring), but I'm also referring more to the feeling of brightness.

For instance, the shirts below (all by J.Crew) have medium blue and dark blue yarns - if you saw just the blue yarns before they were woven into each cloth, you'd definitely say they're not bright. However, they feel bright and light because of the white background. That's what I mean by bright - in a more general context - a sense, a feeling of lightness.

In this way, you can more or less wear any color, as long as it's grounded with a light background. And as I've mentioned on the last post, white is the king of backgrounds for spring patterns - it single-handedly lifts anything you wear into a spring-appropriate ensemble. If the pattern's background isn't white, in which case I recommend off-white or light cream, be sure that there's still some white incorporated into the overall pattern - just a little white somewhere will still be able to brighten the entire pattern.

Colorwise, again, keep things simple. Two-color checks and stripes such as the ones pictured above are virtually goof-proof. They always look great and go with just about anything, and they certainly pair well with all the colors I've mentioned on the previous post. If you go for a multi-color pattern, stick to as few color combinations as possible, and make sure the pattern is defined and clean, not muddy. But do experiment with all the varieties of colors available in these types of patterns - this is the right season to play around - just make sure that the colors work with your skin tone. (I'll cover skin tone analysis and color later).

Keep the size of spring patterns literally in "check" - smaller and on the tight side,  but with clean and defined lines to offset the smaller scale of the pattern. Again, it's always about balance - in this case, between subtle and graphic.

The easiest, obvious way to wear pattern is to wear it as a shirt, keeping the rest of your gear solid. If you want to up the ante though, try using patterns as accent pieces, such as on pocket squares and ties. Just make sure the accent piece and the area it lays on has some kind of relationship, either by sharing a part of a common color, tonality, etc. I'll get to the subjects of adding accents and the art of layering pattern-on-pattern on future posts, but for now, if you're in doubt, don't go there.

Take these tips and make them your own. Try out some colors and have fun. Spring is an uplifting season, so cheer up, brighten up, and add a bit of flair to your style!