HOF: What Are You Wearing Right Now - Part IV (starting May 2014)

[mcobinad]



Cool enough to wear a jacket and tie. Still on a summer theme

Keep living the dream. Love that jacket

 

[Caustic Man]

I realize this jacket is short, but other than wearing longer jackets, what are my options?

Do you need another option?

 

[mcobinad]



Decent. Love the creases on the shoes

 

[rms340]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

By no means am I an expert, but since you are looking for some constructive feedback, I'll echo @EliodA in saying that your color coordination is lacking in recent fits. For starters, yellow ties don't get much love around here, I'm not sure why, but my personal preference is that lighter ties like yours are hard to pair in an overall fit. The light colored tie + light green pocket square doesn't really have any coherence and don't balance each other out. I'm going to assume you're wearing a light blue shirt - if you wore a dark blue tie (solid or even with a neat pattern) and a white TV fold PS, I think it would really up the fit x10. I think if you toned down the patterned shirts and reduced the number of colors in a fit, and get a strong foundation of understanding with balancing out textures, colors and patterns, your fits will look much better. I can't comment on your fit issues with suits/pants because I'm still a novice at this but there is something wonky going on that isn't flattering to your body.

 

[nabilmust]

So, how did you figure out which colors to pair together, and which not to?

I'm no expert, but here's how I do it. I think of 'families' of colours. In other words, which colours relate well with others.

So perhaps two bright colours - like the yellow and the green - isn't something I'd do. If I'm going for a bit if contrast, then I'd think about which colour contrasts well with another.

Also, I always remind myself that in any outfit, I want 1 (or at most, 2) things to stand out and 'speak for' the outfit. The rest of the outfit should be quieter. It should be the backdrop that blends in so well that you almost don't notice it.

I've sometimes personified the 'quieter' things as: sound engineers in a studio / stage managers at a concert / sommeliers in a restaurant / first officers on flights - depending on my audience. They all play key roles in the whole operation, but are working hard in the background to make the person or things in the spotlight have their 15 minutes.

You're welcome to take a look at what I've tried (and I'm not claiming they're all hits, there are certainly misses) on my instagram

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

 

[Caustic Man]

^^^ Tie and PS deserve to be burned.

 

[rms340]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

New collar? Looks good IMO.

 

[Koala-T]

Do you need another option?

Well, he mentioned two, and I said one wasn't an option. I'm happy to work on the other, but if there are options beyond those two, yes, I need them.

Your condescension is a pleasure, as always.

 

[Koala-T]

By no means am I an expert, but since you are looking for some constructive feedback, I'll echo @EliodA in saying that your color coordination is lacking in recent fits. For starters, yellow ties don't get much love around here, I'm not sure why, but my personal preference is that lighter ties like yours are hard to pair in an overall fit. The light colored tie + light green pocket square doesn't really have any coherence and don't balance each other out. I'm going to assume you're wearing a light blue shirt - if you wore a dark blue tie (solid or even with a neat pattern) and a white TV fold PS, I think it would really up the fit x10.

I think if you toned down the patterned shirts and reduced the number of colors in a fit, and get a strong foundation of understanding with balancing out textures, colors and patterns, your fits will look much better.

I can't comment on your fit issues with suits/pants because I'm still a novice at this but there is something wonky going on that isn't flattering to your body.

Thanks! I appreciate that. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is how do you incorporate color well? I'm not sure what coherence means in this context, but it gets used a lot in this thread in many different situations, color, collar, pattern. I feel like I know how to use more reserved colors together, solid shirts and ties, white pocket squares, but where I'm fumbling is how to get a little color and pattern working together in one of those places.

I'm no expert, but here's how I do it. I think of 'families' of colours. In other words, which colours relate well with others.

So perhaps two bright colours - like the yellow and the green - isn't something I'd do. If I'm going for a bit if contrast, then I'd think about which colour contrasts well with another.

Also, I always remind myself that in any outfit, I want 1 (or at most, 2) things to stand out and 'speak for' the outfit. The rest of the outfit should be quieter. It should be the backdrop that blends in so well that you almost don't notice it.

I've sometimes personified the 'quieter' things as: sound engineers in a studio / stage managers at a concert / sommeliers in a restaurant / first officers on flights - depending on my audience. They all play key roles in the whole operation, but are working hard in the background to make the person or things in the spotlight have their 15 minutes.

You're welcome to take a look at what I've tried (and I'm not claiming they're all hits, there are certainly misses) on my instagram

Again, thanks, but also, consider me a novice. Apparently the colors I think of in families are not the ones others think of in families. My color families are dysfunctional. My Yellow and Green are fighting and want a divorce. Now, I wouldn't wear a kelly green jacket and a yellow shirt together, but in my mind, they complimented each other well in their places. Obviously, according to the feedback I'm getting, that is not the case, so I need to approach this from another perspective. Anyone have a good color resource I might peruse? Maybe an art book or something like that?

Thanks, all! Just trying to improve myself and my style here.

 

[Caustic Man]

Well, he mentioned two, and I said one wasn't an option. I'm happy to work on the other, but if there are options beyond those two, yes, I need them.

Your condescension is a pleasure, as always.

You are being overly sensitive. This will not help you. My point is that you simply need to wear longer jackets. This is independent of any limitations you have in the trousers you are able to wear. Your short jacket solution is simple. Wear longer jackets. Especially if you can't wear high rise trousers. This, as @EliodA mentioned, will reduce the emphasis on your hips.

 

[Koala-T]

You are being overly sensitive. This will not help you. My point is that you simply need to wear longer jackets. This is independent of any limitations you have in the trousers you are able to wear. Your short jacket solution is simple. Wear longer jackets. Especially if you can't wear high rise trousers. This, as @EliodA mentioned, will reduce the emphasis on your hips.

Perhaps, but let's face it, you've crafted your persona on this site to be grating. You call yourself Caustic Man. You just told a guy to burn his clothes. I might be being sensitive, but you are also being condescending.

 

[Caustic Man]

I might be being sensitive, but you are also being condescending.

A combination that is much less troubling for me than it is for you.

 

[rms340]

@Koala-T - I tried to search for a thread I think that was started by Vox that was a guide to City vs Country. It is some informative information Hopefully someone has the link and can post it to help you out. Another suggestion, why not post a few of the fits where you think you are mastering the 'basics' and people can see if your foundation is solid. I say this because I think every fit I've seen of yours hasn't been a toned down/basic fit.

Is it just me or has Caustic Man upped his caustic nature as of recent? Getting kind of old

Edit: Nevermind, found the link! https://web.archive.org/web/2012021...oughts-on-coherent-combinations-for-beginners

 

[jcmeyer]



@Koala-T - I tried to search for a thread I think that was started by Vox that was a guide to City vs Country. It is some informative information Hopefully someone has the link and can post it to help you out. Another suggestion, why not post a few of the fits where you think you are mastering the 'basics' and people can see if your foundation is solid. I say this because I think every fit I've seen of yours hasn't been a toned down/basic fit.

Is it just me or has Caustic Man upped his caustic nature as of recent? Getting kind of old

@Koala-T

Here's Vox's coherent combinations (city to country continuum + color theory) archived thread - probably the single most important guiding principle I've come across for me personally: http://web.archive.org/web/20120711...oughts-on-coherent-combinations-for-beginners

Here's another thread on color theory only - i haven't read it, I don't know if it's any good: http://www.styleforum.net/t/447796/color-theory-revisited