7 Rules For Wearing Stripes
Many guys want to express their style with more than just solid colors, but they worry about bold patterns seeming a little over the top. With such a dilemma, stripes are the perfect solution. As popular as ever, stripes serve as a good compromise by staying conservative while allowing their wearer to separate himself from the masses clad in solid white or blue shirts.
Though still relatively easy for most guys to pull off, you should keep several rules in mind when wearing stripes.
Rule 1- Go vertical
You have two fundamental options to consider when choosing between the kinds of stripes to wear: horizontal or vertical. With few exceptions, horizontal stripes are the more stylish choice. Unless you want to look like a Sesame Street character, Waldo or a jailbird, horizontal stripes can be difficult. Vertical stripes, on the other hand, do not carry many negative connotations, unless you are a Red Sox fan -- in which case you'd likely avoid pinstripes.
Vertical stripes make you look taller, which can be great if you're vertically challenged, but might make you look like Lurch if you're already tall. Wearing horizontal stripes also comes with the unfortunate side effect of making overweight people look even more overweight. It's an optical illusion of sorts, but perception is what sticks. So anyone with a few extra pounds should be extra wary of horizontal stripes.
If you are intent on wearing horizontal stripes, I would suggest a sweater with one or two horizontal stripes over a solid background. You could also try a sweater in which the stripes have varying weight, such as Dolce & Gabbana's brown striped cotton cardigan. Such tasteful sweaters can be worn to casual venues.
Rule 2- Keep it thin
From this point forward, vertical stripes will be the focus, since there are exceedingly few situations when horizontal stripes will be your best bet.
You must determine the weight of the stripes you want. As a general guideline, keep them relatively thin. Whether horizontal or vertical, wide stripes are not stylish. Instead, I suggest sticking to stripes less than an inch in width. Again, varying weight is preferable, as in Versa's charcoal striped dress shirt.
Rule 3- Beware of complementary colors
With direction and weight under control, you should next consider color. There are no particular colors that all guys should avoid. Your own personal style will dictate which colors should work for you. Certain color combinations, however, should be avoided. In particular, beware of complementary colors. These are colors opposite one another on the color wheel, such as red/green, yellow/purple and blue/orange. Contrasting colors will generally seem loud and often aesthetically painful when on top of one another.
Rule 4- Consider pants with pinstripes
Pinstripe pants have become increasingly popular. They are rather versatile and can be worn anywhere from business meetings to bar hopping. When wearing pinstripe pants out on the town, you might consider pairing them with a solid shirt and a sports coat. This ensemble provides a trendy, sophisticated look.
Rule 5- Don't wear clown socks
This rule is very simple: Do not wear socks with wide horizontal stripes unless you happen to make a living as a circus clown. Doing so could result in that candy cane look when your socks are showing. If you must wear socks with stripes, stick to a thin gauge with very subtle color contrasts, such as brown and khaki.
Rule 6- Find a nice pinstripe suit
Nothing looks better than a nice pinstripe suit by a good designer like Calvin Klein, Valentino or Hugo Boss. The stripes in all well-made suits will connect at the seams. Try wearing a solid shirt with such a suit, matching the color of the stripe, and a mild-patterned tie that brings it all together. Valentin's pinstripe wool, three-button suit is a great example of the perfect pinstripe suit.
Rule 7- Mix stripes very carefully
Those with old school views on fashion vehemently oppose wearing two articles of clothing with stripes. For example, they would condemn the practice of wearing a pinstripe suit with a striped shirt. In today's fashion climate, however, such outdated rules do not apply. Still, this doesn't mean that anything goes -- make sure that the two articles of clothing have stripes of different weight.
