How To Wear Patterns Male Pattern Boldness: This Is How To Wear Stripes, Checks, Dots & More

Stripes Are Easy Wins

  If you’re intimidated by patterns then it’s best to start with something reliable and simple. They don’t come simpler than the stripe. A go-to for clothing and easy to style for a variety of looks, horizontal stripes are actually slimming and work great on polos, short-sleeve and long-sleeve tops. Don’t discount the verticals either: a pin-stripe shirt is stylishly formal whatever the weather while a seersucker jacket is perfect for a (slightly) more casual summer wedding.

 

Patterns Improve Tailoring

 
  For anyone who works in (or simply enjoys) a suit, the days of the basic block colour are behind us. Instead, start looking into patterns to include in your tailoring as you’ll find that they add dapper detail to your look and help you stand out from the crowd. Check, pinstripe, houndstooth and plaid are the four most on-trend patterns to be using. If you’re looking to style an existing suit, try a paisley pocket square with a polka dot tie. Keep them in the same tonal range, though. When mixing patterns, there’s enough going on. 
  

Don't Fear Florals

  

   No doubt there will be a few of you paraphrasing Miranda Priestly: “Florals? Groundbreaking.” In truth, few men take advantage of florals enough. Start with subtle patterns rather than the brighter ones as this will ease you in. As your confidence grows you can start to be a bit bolder, but go with bold colours and a subtle print or muted colours and a bold print. This isn’t Woodstock.

Keep It Simple & Subtle

   Patterns are all about finding what suits your shape and style. Some will work for you, others will make you look like an upholstered piece of furniture. When in doubt, navy, red and white are all great base colours to build on. They’re versatile and won’t look garish when patterns are added. Unlike, say, purple or yellow.

Plaid Shirts Are Your Friends

 

  Plaid is currently a very popular pattern in both men and women’s fashion and especially common in hipster style circles. But while most lumbersexuals pair them only with jeans, the trend is also a fantastic way of adding a hint of colour and rugged masculinity to suits, blazers and chinos. Find a base colour you look good in and then go in search of a plaid shirt that uses it. Or for something more subtle, the smaller check in a gingham shirt pairs well with suiting and chinos. As a rule, keep within tonal ranges here: black gingham with a grey suit, blue gingham with a navy suit.

Mix With Caution

 

   It takes a bold man with an exceptionally good eye to mix patterns with wild abandon. But there are some simple rules you can follow. If you’re using two of the same patterns (like a striped tie over a striped shirt), go for different widths so that there’s a contrast. If you’re throwing different patterns together, try to keep the sizes roughly equal. For example, if there’s polka dot pocket square and a check tie, keeping the checks and dots roughly the same size lends a certain cohesion.