Pattern Mixing in Tailored Clothing

This week we’ll take a look at Alan Flusser’s The Art of Dressing and talk about some helpful tips and tricks for matching shirts and ties for a wide range of pattern combos. We’ll look at the Duke of Windsor and how he established today’s art of dressing well through a lifetime of dressing well. We’ll also take a look at cutaway collars and where you can go to shop for them.

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My outfit:
Jacket: Polo Ralph Lauren
Shirt: Uniqlo
Jeans: Polo Ralph Lauren
Tie: Drake’s

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Music by Epidemic Sound
Step up Swing by Wendy Marcini
Time for Spring by Nocturnal Spirits
Field Manual by Hara Noda

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[coatculture]

Great video. That book is an absolute must, and it is impossible to make mistakes in the pattern realm by following its advice.

[jswede]

Excellent video. Yes, the main two rules I use, one is same patterns use different scale, and the other is different patterns use same scale. A third is to always relieve tight or busy patterns with a solid or larger pattern. Interesting towards the end you also mention the last rule of thumb I use, which is a very tight pattern like a puppy tooth can be treated like a solid, and not needs not be paired per the first two rules, though always a good idea then to use the relief of a wide or solid pairing. Just like what you are wearing with shirt and tie. As an aside, I love this channel. Per another video, I have been wearing my white jeans with different combinations on the weekends for a few weeks now - and having a lot of fun with it!

[davidnorth]

Thank you for this well-produced and very helpful program! Please consider adding advice about adding colors/patterns and textures of pants into the picture.

[abdoudabi]

Excellent video and brilliant presentation ❤❤❤❤👏👏👏👏👏

[jasonrichardson]

“Clothes and the Man” is another book by Alan Flusser that has great pics for pattern matching.

[flappincat]

Thanks for increasing my pattern-awareness!

(And I too rank Harold Lloyd highly—though not as high as Laurel & Hardy.)

[TeslaRules]

Can you do something similar for picking odd vests for sports jackets and suits - texture, color, buttons (5/7), fall/winter vs spring/summer. Example, Can I wear a light blue or camel linen vest with a blue hopsack navy blazer ?

[psychbookman]

Really well done...thank you for sharing your knowledge on topics like this

[ElegantSavage]

Those cutaway “Keaton” collared shirts are fantastic! I have a white one and a blue oxford cloth version. ❤

[oldboy]

id be super interested in seeing examples with more color variation!

[fayimmohammed]

Please can you do the three patterns, love your videos

[gwiz]

Great topic. It seems many influencers are counseling to go the safer route with an outfit comprised of solids. There is a time and a place for that - especially with the power of the solid white shirt formality. But at some point it is simply a boring way to dress in all solids and communicates a lack of style or confidence with style.

It seems you favor variations on stripe plays. Something I do as well. The geometry is simply flattering for most. Even the herringbone pattern is a stripe at its core. I do, however, like window pane suits paired with shirts with either smaller window pane pattern or square geometry like gingham, tattersall, etc. Shirt patterns like end-on-end are fantastic way to add subtle visual interest.

Given how little time I spend in a suit these days, I think it is interesting to consider translating this to more casual and contemporary style. The play for me is the third piece. Either a casual jacket - be it trucker, chore coat, overshirt, or shacket. With this style direction, the stripe is less often usual but not completely absent. Plaids are everywhere it seems. Used for the middle or outer layer and balancing with solids is a safe play, but it is far more interesting to build on a geometric motif. Given how poorly most dress these days, even the most minimal attention to pattern and scale can make you stand out from the crowd. Would like to see you build on theme for elevated casual.

On the Keaton collars: Banana Republic used to sell quality dress cutaway collar shirts that can be had for a fraction of RL Purple Label on reseller sites. While BR is not a match to RL PL in quality, it does nevertheless mimic that collar style. There were ‘better and best’ versions sold. BR used or have their Monogram line that was more upscale as was the older Heritage shirting.

[jaysterling]

Just keep on making videos you enjoy, Sir. If the enthusiasm isn't reciprocated then there's even more 'bad form' in the world. Cheers.

[fredbell]

Another excellent and helpful video! Can you make a video highlighting only the color grey and its various tones and outfits? (Sweaters, suits, shirts, flannels, ties, etc)

[madissander]

Great video with very clear instructions. I do use most of them however try to keep no more then 3 patterns incl pocket squere. However I don't include weave (herringbone for example) as a pattern or whenever the weave/pattern is so small that it doesn't show from distance and consider it solid.
I hope your next video will be colour matching and then when you mix both patterns and colours. Kind of ab advanced level course :-)
I love all your videos.

[barrymurphy]

Always a highlight to see another video from you Joseph! Charles Tyrwhitt offer both a cutaway & extreme cutaway option on their shirts, but the style is not to my taste.

[jekkasokolsky]

Wow where did you buy this crazy DB glencheck jacket?

[Highland_Paddy]

Uh, well, I've ne'er owned the Ralph Lauren and likely will ne'er still. [I try t' pay under $100 for pretty much any shirt unless wool or linen]. I mostly can't stand the spread collars, as may has mentioned elsewhere that they don't work aesthetically w' most smaller tie knots for asymmetry, but maybe if more men wore bow ties w' them? I have a couple floating around that were on sale or something? I thought ye would put the white collar sooner w' the pin stripes suit a bit.

I have most these pattern jackets or shirts already? That windowpane blue overlay and such, but single breast? I appreciate seeing the medallion tie w' the proper blazer, but also the Rep Tie should go mostly w' blazers instead Sport Jackies, too. [I don't get t' wear all these much, either, as mentioned, but mostly weather considerations.]

I think three patterns starts t' get a bit much if people focusing more on color than the overall look, right? And don't forget the textures because it's a linen suit but then only has heavy business ties issues, etc. [Or them rayon thrift store ones, but the pattern or color is still the thing instead a proper wool one, etc.] Not e'eryone HAS so much extensy options, obviously, but herein where forethought for occasions is the defining characteristic for the Well-Dressed on Budget, etc. [People MISUSE color as pattern a bit]

[Aestheticaye]

A bit too much geometricity for my taste! Like being pulled into another dimension.