VERITAS | Men's Style Blog

3 Manly Ways to Wear Floral Prints

Floral prints are a top menswear trend this spring, popping up in full bloom in a wide range of graphics, sizes and colors. The challenge for the average man is to incorporate this romantic trend in masculine ways that sets him apart for the right reasons, while avoiding any risk of looking like an unfortunate—and clueless—fashion amateur. I’ll share 3 simple, reliable ways for any man to look sensational in this season's freshest trend, and emerge victorious with his manliness fully intact.

 

Easy Does It

Let the other dudes plaster themselves silly in fanciful bouquets while you remain ever smart and relaxed in a simple, small-scale printed shirt within a limited color range. The floral print itself speaks volumes, so no need to exaggerate the scale or overdo it with too many colors. Ground the rest of your outfit in a solid, neutral base color such as grey, beige, navy or dark denim, and top it off with a handsome cardigan or lightweight jacket for those chilly springtime mornings and evenings. Add a pair of cool kicks from this season's mix of unexpected colors and materials and you're the man. 

 

Seriously Speaking

For a dressier, hushed evening look, consider a shirt or sport jacket in a dark 2-tone pattern that’s more shadow-like over one that pops. The idea is to utilize the print more as a texture while the dark color adds depth and drama—it’s about tasteful discretion, not flash. For a printed shirt, top it with a solid dark jacket. For a printed jacket, pair it with either a solid shirt that picks up a tone on the jacket, or a white one. If you want to add a tie, make it solid and dark—a knit tie will quietly add another layer of texture, which is always a good thing. Again, the rule is to keep the rest of your outfit lean and clean, preferably with a pair of trim trousers worn beltless, and as a bonus, with an extended tab closure. Garnish with a well-polished pair of your best shoes.

 

A Little Goes a Long Way

This is a prime example of accessories as king. No need to invest in a big ticket item like a full shirt with a front, back and sleeves in order to enjoy spring’s hottest trend, which, like all trends, is eventually destined to be a flash in the pan. All that most guys really want is a little taste of what’s current, right?

Well, that’s where a small piece of cloth in the form of a pocket square, tie or socks will get you that kick of floral rush while fully insuring you from any fashion calamity. Add just one well-appointed floral accent to your otherwise monotonous uniform, and presto! You’ve just locked in a mad dose of personality without having to wallpaper yourself full of petals. This is also a winsome, non-invasive way to wear prints on the sly to earn points at the office... and impress that gorgeous date later tonight.

Now that you see how easy it is to wear floral prints without putting your manliness in suspect, why not give this top spring trend a go? As long as you have a solid foundational wardrobe, all you need is to invest in one item—a shirt, jacket or accessory—and work it into the everyday pieces that you already have in your daily rotation. It will work wonders to add fresh charm to your spring wardrobe without having to overhaul your closet, and make your style sense spring forth and blossom to a whole new level.

[Hover over images for product info and/or image credit(s) where available]

It's in the Details

Here's a decent, good-looking fella. He's clean-cut and put-together. His clothes fit well. He seems like a nice guy, and there's generally nothing much to pick at. At the same time, he's just an Average Joe in a basic, ubiquitous uniform favored by millions of unimaginative American men: the always-flattering-but-totally-safe-and-utterly-boring light blue dress shirt, paired with it's southern counterpart — which, although not always flattering, is equally totally safe and utterly boring. Then cut the body in dead half with a black belt on an otherwise soft palette, and trouble brews. Clip on a cell phone holster to the waist? Pandemonium.

This leads me to a public service announcement regarding clipping your cell phone on your belt or carrying it inside your pant pocket: There is mounting scientific evidence that the electromagnetic radiation emitting from your cell phone, a low-power microwave (like the oven, but without walls) — in addition to all kinds of bioeffects, brain tumors and DNA damage — damage sperm. Over the years, I've been telling men that wearing cell phones clipped to the belt causes testicular cancer. Now I don't need to make it up. Science is finally backing up what fashion has known all along.

Now back to Mr. Average...

I want to show you that he doesn't need a radical wardrobe overhaul to go from looking alright to smashing. All a man needs to know is the proper balance of fit, proportion, color and texture. Let's go through this step by step:

He already seems to be good on understanding fit — tailored and lean without excess fabric bellowing in the breeze.

Next is proportion. His pant waist is too high up, resting on the natural, or traditional, waist. This does a few unflattering things: 1) This waistline, although appropriate in fashion movements of past, looks outdated and rather dad-like today. 2) The high waistline, especially cinched with the belt, emphasizes his hips, giving him a bit of a rounded, slightly feminine shape. 3) The high waist creates the appearance of a shorter torso compared to his overall body proportions – he would do well to elongate the area for a leaner body line.

On to color. Understanding the art of wearing proper colors that enhance your individual coloring is crucial to developing personal style. The right colors brighten and accentuate your face and bring out your character. This guy has rather strong features with good contrast between his eyes, hair and skin colors. However, the pale, washed out colors of his getup is fading him out instead of emphasizing his bold features. Although this color scheme will work wonderfully on men with softer, subtle colorings, this man would benefit from contrasting colors that complement his own contrasting coloring. This includes deep colors such as navy, purple or black, and bright colors such as bright white, lilac or ice blue. The shirt he's wearing is actually good, but he should pair it with other garments that help add more contrast instead of this pale chino.

I know that many men are afraid to wear color, but remember that "wearing color" isn't about wearing bright or loud colors, but rather, about wearing the correct colors — in any shade you're comfortable with — that make a real difference.

Texture keeps things interesting. It provides visual variety that breaks up the monotony of too many solid colors worn together. Texture can come in the form of surface interest, like an interesting weave on a cloth or from knits or sweaters, even if the garment is of a single color. Another type of texture comes from visual interest, in the form of colored prints and patterns as in checks, stripes and plaids.

Now let's bring this all together. In the image below, I morphed this guy's upper body with another image that I found, then painted over his solid shirt with the shirt pattern of the new image. Yeah, the forearms look a bit out of proportion — after all, it's not his — but all in all, I think this works well to drive the point. I then recolored the second image just to show you another color example, given the exact outfit.

Do you see the difference here? With just a few subtle changes, he looks like a new man. He didn't have to change his wardrobe preference in any way except to shift the proportions and add the right colors and textures. It's still the same exact button-front-shirt-and-chinos combo, but yet all the new components work together to make him look trimmer and well-proportioned. His facial features are more defined and there's strength to his coloring. He looks more youthful. Even his hair somehow looks better — this is a prime example of subtle shifts that make people ask curiously, "Hey, there's something different about you. Did you get a haircut or something?"

Add some stylish touches like nonchalantly rolled-up sleeves and a pair of cool shoes. If he wants to wear a belt, he should opt for a brown one that complements the shoes – this time the belt will sit at a lower waistline, so the horizontal line created by the belt will still keep his body in proportion instead of cutting him in half. Throw on a navy blazer or a corduroy or cotton sport jacket in navy or light brown, and with maybe even a slim tie, he's confidently ready to set forth. Upward and onward!

[Hover over each image for info.]

Grey's Anatomy

I've been getting some emails from readers lately regarding grey: "Can you wear grey in the summer?" "Can you wear grey pants in the summer?" "How do you wear grey?"

I didn't realize this color could be cause for such perplexity for some of you. So let's take it on.

Yes, you can certainly wear grey in the summer. In fact, your wardrobe shouldn't be without it. Grey is a perfect foundational staple. It's a diverse neutral that goes well with just about anything you wear, and especially great for pairing with the punchy colors of spring and summer.

The best way to wear grey in warm seasons is by wearing it as a pant, jean, jacket, or suit - in other words, as a neutral backdrop for adding a pop of fresh color through shirts, accessories, and shoes. Keep the grey tones on the light to medium range. Darker greys and charcoals are ideal for fall/winter, but if a more dressy/formal occasion beckons you, it's a great summer alternative to a black suit.

Here's a basic color chart that I so lovingly put together for you, focusing on grey and the coordinating colors that will maximize your summer style.

For reasons explained above, the grey swatches in the middle represent either a grey pant, jean, jacket or suit. Notice the tonal range, from pale to light to medium. The top two rows of color are your tops. The first row is good for casual knitwear such as polos, t-shirts and pullovers, with the last two colors (navy and black) also filling in for jacket colors if you're wearing grey pants and need a jacket. The second row continues as colors for knit tops, but is especially great for button-front dress shirts or sport shirts.

Although the colors shown are solids, they're only meant to indicate general colors, meaning you should have fun exploring stripes, checks and plaids that come in those shades. In fact, even though some of the colors on the top row may be jarring as solid button-fronts (and therefore not explicitly recommended for them), worn as a crisp stripe or check on a white background and paired with a grey pant, jacket or suit will catapult your style profile to heights you've never before realized.

The bottom row is shoe colors, from white to caramel, cognac, brown, olive and blue (especially in suede or canvas), to black. The last three colors also represent pant colors if you're only wearing a grey jacket - just pick out a shirt color from the top two rows. Also, the navy color under both the jacket and pants sections can stand in for denim, preferably on the cleaner, darker side.

Additional information not covered on the chart: Grey shirts. Grey t-shirts, especially the heathered variety, go with practically anything and any color you wear. For grey button-front shirts, stick with the jacket and pants sections on the chart. Again, the navy color can mean denim in a medium to dark rinse. A pale grey button-front is the best option for a navy pant or suit. You can go a little deeper when pairing with a black pant or suit.

Hope this handy chart helps demystify some of your grey conundrums.

Thanks for reading Veritas Men's Style Blog and keep the questions coming. I'm here to help!

Real Men Wear Pink

I was shopping with a friend a while back, helping him out with his summer wardrobe. Spending the afternoon extolling the virtues of the pink button-front shirt with all the fervent passion I can muster from the depths of my being, I still couldn't get him to go for it. He, like many guys, associated pink with femininity: "Guys don't wear pink!" he insisted. Failing at convincing him to color, I then tried to entice him at least to pattern - to gingham - to which he blurted finitely, "Picnic table." Eventually, I got him to walk away with something close to pink: Lilac - in a micro gingham. It was a tough sell, a small coup, but I hear he actually fancies the shirt now. Perhaps next summer he'll graduate to the realm of pink proper and delight in its rosy glow. Moral of the story: Men should listen to women for a lot things concerning life, and when it comes to style, they should listen to me.

C'mon, fellas. Just because you wear pink doesn't emasculate you. In fact, I believe that pink is a color that only real men with genuine depth and unshakable conviction in his manhood can truly maximize on. It says that you're thoroughly secure with who you are, that you view the expression of your gentleness, sensitivity, and fearless sensuality as an enhancement to your (hu)man-ness. Pink is what separates men from boys. Boys - immature and brute - are afraid of pink; men - worldly, complex, intelligent, strong and sensual - invite and embrace pink. Boys have one night stands; men have love affairs, even if it's for a single magical night. That's what pink shirts say to me, anyway. Oh, and a hint of chest hair emerging from the silky pink curtain of a 170s two-ply Egyptian cotton dress shirt, coyly spread open by an unbuttoned collar ... oooh ... let ... me ... stop.

(Gaining composure ... clears throat ... Ahem!) Pink shirts look great year-round, but its defining moment is in spring, and especially summer. It's offers freshness amidst the oppressive, or rather - sultry - heat and humidity. It's gentle and refined, and depending on the type of shirt, adds elegance or playfulness to anything it pairs with. And even if you don't care for, or even understand, my waxing poetic over a stinking pink shirt, the bottom line is, it's just a great article of clothing you shouldn't be without! In fact, remember how much I've been gushing over the navy blazer? Well, think of the pink shirt as the yang to the navy blazer's yin. Add a pink button-front shirt under the navy jacket, and you've got the freshest, handsomest, totally irresistible color combo for spring/summer. The two unites to form an indestructible fashion whole.

So like my aforementioned friend, if you're still one of those guys that can't come correct with pink at the moment, better luck next year. But why not buy a couple of pink shirts now while they're on summer clearance so you can save some dough AND practice wearing them in your basement for a few months with all the doors locked? Hopefully by next year you'll emerge from your bunker on the dawn of spring, transformed as the harbinger of high style and reason. Don't worry though, groundhogs got nothing on you. Pink shirts not only separate men from boys - apparently it does the same for groundhogs.

That said, how about learning how to work them pink shirts? Stay tuned for the next post coming up in a couple of days, where I'll put together a few capsule looks revolving around the alluring pink shirt. See you then.

[Shirts by, appropriately, Thomas Pink. Hover over image for style and price info.]

New Mac in Town

One more rainwear post before we resume back to spring sunshine gear....

Partnering with the renowned originator of the Mackintosh coat, J.Crew brings you the "Mackintosh® Coat for J.Crew." I have yet to see it in person, but I must admit it looks gorgeous in these photos.

Named after the Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh (without the "k") and made from his patented rubberized waterproof cloth, the first Mackintosh coats were manufactured in his family's textile factory in Glasgow and debuted in 1824.

While the name "Mackintosh" or "Mac," is now popularly used to refer to any coat that resembles the Mackintosh style, an authentic Mackintosh should be made from waterproof or water-resistant fabric. In a word: raincoat.

Considering that this J.Crew Mac comes from authentic pedigree, is handmade in Scotland from water-resistant cotton, and provides the added functionality of underarm grommets for ventilation, it bears, as to be expected, a respectable price tag of $800. Granted the coat has all the qualifications of a first-rate genuine Mackintosh, is beautiful to behold as I'm sure, to be in, I'm left a little unsure of the ultimate perceived value that a label like J.Crew can provide for its out-of-character asking price. For the same amount of cash, you can either buy a real Mackintosh (below) or go for the other rainwear giant, Burberry.

I'll let you decide what it's worth for you, but as I've mentioned, I think this coat is a beauty. If you fall for it, I guarantee it'll be a white-hot romance for years to come. It's simple yet elegant, luxurious yet relaxed - a perfect marriage of classicism and modernity.

Being such a damned good-looking piece of rain gear, I don't blame you for wanting to get one (offered in black and khaki). So get it now to wear for what's left of the cooler mornings and nights before summer, but get ready to unleash it full-throttle come post-Labor Day!