brokeandbespoke: Thinking through an Outfit:...

brokeandbespoke:

Thinking through an Outfit: Maintaining Balance and a Splash of Color

So I’ve been meaning to pair these Dockers Alpha Khakis in Copen Blue with this tie since the pants first arrived several weeks ago.

I thought the subtle blue striping in the mostly grey and red tie would complement the pants nicely. Though I’m not one for uniforms, and almost always enjoy a little color in my outfit, I try to stay this side of excessive for the most part.

In order to make the blues in the pants and tie stand out more, I knew I wanted a jacket and shirt that wouldn’t speak more loudly than the pants or tie. I went with a simple tan jacket from Dormeuil, and a white with tan striped shirt from Zanella. But I also didn’t want to leave the bold red stripes in the tie to be left alone as the only spark of red in the outfit, so I went with a red gingham pocket square which I recently purchased via Ivy Inspired’s newly opened shop.

If you are, like me, one who enjoys color and veering a little off the beaten path of the neutral blue/grey combos (which does, by the way, always look good), be sure to think about maintaining a sense of color and pattern balance. By all means, break sartorial ‘rules,’ but try not to overwhelm with too much of one thing, and too little of another.

*As an extra note, I just saw on the Dockers website that they’ve begun to release some great Alpha Khaki corduroys in Fall colorways. Definitely worth getting a pair or two into your cold weather pant rotation.

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Pants: Dockers Alpha Khakis in Copen Blue, courtesy of Dockers

Jacket: Dormeuil, thrifted $3

Shirt: Zanella, thrifted ~$4 (one of my earliest fine shirt findings back in Michigan)

Tie: Gianni Butti, thrifted $2

Pocket Square: The Ivy Inspired Shop, $8

Shoes: Nordstrom House Label, Nordstrom Rack $35