Guy Style // Pattern Play

Today, I'm so happy to be bringing you the second installment of Guy Style from Mr. Pepper himself!

Keep reading to hear about the childhood heartbreak that shaped his own personal sense of style, and if you love it, don't forget to share this post with your style-seeking male counterparts and friends! :)

I've always loved going against conventional sartorial wisdom, and mixing patterns is definitely one of my favorite ways to switch things up every now and again.  Gingham with plaid; dots on stripes; you name it and I’ve done it.  I distinctly remember noticing it was outside of the norm when I was in the 4th grade and Courtney Patino told me the fashion police were going to come and ticket me for wearing stripes and plaid together.

Despite the teasing from my playground crush, I stuck to my guns, and luckily have ended up with a lady who not only has her finger on the pulse of fashion, but is willing to indulge me in my own experimental style.  Although my 4th grade fashion sense was nothing that I would suggest as an example (Courtney was probably right), I do think there are great ways for men to mix prints and patterns even though we've been taught to avoid it.

The two problems I see guys struggling with when trying to tackle this trend are they either try to do too much at one time or the mixing is unintentional all together.  The trick is to do it on purpose, and limit the rest of your look so the contrasting pattern does all the talking.  In this case, I purposefully went with a monochromatic look using flat-front navy chinos and a matching navy gingham shirt.  Bringing the madras cotton tie into the mix adds a needed splash of color in a playful yet professional way, and the contrast against the more muted shirt allows for the patterns to remain distinct instead of bleeding into one another.

For a little extra spice: I threw on my orange watch strap and ditched the socks in order to make this outfit appropriate for both a day at the office and a dinner out on the town. 

Top to Bottom:
Shirt - J. Crew, Ludlow point collar
Tie - J. Crew (similar)
Watch - Ollech & Wajs (similar) w/ Retro orange strap
Pants - J. Crew, Bowery slim fit
Belt - J. Crew, Classic leather plaque
Shoes - Vintage (similar)