Pattern Mixing in Fashion

My husband and I were out with a few friends when I noticed one of our friends, always a sharp dresser, happened to be wearing a pair of plaid shorts with a striped shirt.  I secretly thought how badly this guy needed a wife to help him match his clothes!

But, then I went to a major department store and noticed that many of the mannequins were donning outfits with mixed patterns or pattern-on-pattern layering.  Apparently, this is a new men’s fashion trend that I had completely missed.

While my poor husband is still limited to only wearing his striped shirts with solid pants, or only donning his polka dot tie with his plainest of shirts, other men are wearing stripes on stripes or mixing plaids.  Acknowledging that it’s time I bring him up to speed on this latest style movement, I did a little research from some men’s fashion sources that I trust.

The biggest rule, I discovered is that all the rules seem to be gone!

Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t find a single mention of coordinating colors or making sure your patterns don’t compete with each other.  All barriers have been blown away and anything goes seems to be the new theme for fashion savvy men.

There is only one guideline that male fashion gurus do seem to emphasize:

Vary the size of your patterns

If you are going to wear all stripes, make sure some of the stripes are large and broad, and others are small or thin.  This keeps people from going cross-eyed when they look at you.  (For example, imagine a polka dot tie, on a polka dot shirt, with a polka dot jacket all of the same size– you’d be, shall I say, overwhelmed and not impressed by such a combination).

Designers say that mixing patterns gives an “energetic” look.  But, they also say a man needs to be confident to pull off such a look.  The key to the, “I don’t really match but I intended it that way” look is self-assurance.

The great thing for glasses lovers it that this means the sky is the limit when it comes to pairing some of the hottest designer frames with your mixed pattern ensembles.  Here are two of my favorite men’s frames with a bit of a funky pattern all their own. Check out all the other great–patterned and plain– frames Eyeglass World has to offer.

Identity XL 8601

Sean John 2023: