'Know Your Patterns' - Argyle

Here we are with yet another episode of our 'Know Your Patterns' series. Moving on to another slightly eccentric but no less classic menswear pattern, this week we are taking a look at 'Argyle.'

The argyle pattern is characterized by a diamond shape, occasionally solitaire, but usually in a repeating pattern. Often, argyle patterns will involve two such diamond motifs overlayed, such as one in a windowpane diamond, laid over an offset pattern of solid diamond shapes. For example, the pattern below incorporates a blue/white diamond ‘stencil’ over solid diamonds in blue, grey and white:

Another way that argyle can vary in complexity is in the colors used. The most basic argyle patterns can be made out of just two colors, or even gradients of black and white, while bolder and brighter fabrics can be made using a wide variety of colors in one piece.

As seems to have been the trend for both patterns and fabrics, Argyle is named after a region of Scotland, Argyll, where the tartan patterns of Clan Campbell were transformed into the argyle patterns we know today. After the emergence of the pattern, argyle knitwear became very popular through Europe and America during and after World War I, when the style was embraced by the fashionable Duke of Windsor and mass produced by Pringle of Scotland (who are credited with branding the signature pattern as their own).

Throughout it’s history, argyle has been mainly used for gentlemanly sports attire - namely the high socks and ‘jerseys’ worn by golfers in the early 1900’s. Those jerseys developed over time into the frumpy sweater vests that many of us associate with the pattern, but argyle is still widely used as a sock pattern, and can be a stylish choice for a gentleman looking to inject a bit of pattern without going so bold as stripes or dots.  

Here are some picks to inject some argyle into your life:

For the best bang-for-your-buck, it’s hard to beat Target’s Merona socks, offered here in a nice light blue argyle pattern. These puppies don’t even break $5 a pop, and I’ve had great luck with Target socks holding up and being very comfortable.

Merona Argyle Socks | Target

If you’d rather aim for something a bit more high-end, try finding a pair in luxe cashmere, like these cozy-looking puppies by Pantherella:

Cashmere Argyle Socks | Pantherella

We mentioned that argyle was also a common pattern for golf jerseys. These days, that has translated into polo shirts, and of course sweaters, like this one by Lands End (on sale, bonus). Would I wear it personally? Maybe not (just not my style), but the quality should be solid, the pattern is unobtrusive, and the lambswool will keep you toasty this winter. In all honesty, this could look pretty sharp, in a kinda professorial way, layered under a grey flannel or tweed blazer. Old man style, all the way.

Men's Lambswool Argyle Crewneck Sweater | Land's End

Now, we really don’t recommend wearing argyle pants, especially off the golf course (although even on the course they’ll tend to be more garish than classic). However, if the mood really strikes you, or you need to dress up a la Bagger Vance for a costume party, check out the selection at your closest costume store, because chances are no self-respecting menswear store will carry any - although you never know, these trends are hard to predict!

Alright, before we sign off, we gotta be forthright and let you know we’re starting to run out of patterns to cover! We have plenty of fabrics left to run through (and a few more patterns in mind), but would love to start taking requests for anything you might be interested in that we have neglected to explore thus far.

Here is a list of the patterns we’ve covered by now (see all the fabrics here):

• Madras
• Gingham
• Glen Plaid
• Houndstooth
• Tattersall
• Paisley

...and a short list of the patterns we still have on deck:

• Tartan Plaid
• Foulard

...and that's about it, at this point! 

If you’d like to see something added to the list, share it in the comments, or shoot me an email at WideEyesTightWallets@gmail.com if you’re shy.

'Know Your Patterns' - Paisley

For this week's edition of 'Know Your Patterns,' we are taking a quick divergence from your more basic and fundamental menswear patterns to look at something a bit more unique, if not any less classic: Paisley.

Paisley is an especially interesting pattern due to it's extensive history and widely varied application and use. Depending on where you're reading, the pattern dates as far back as Babylon circa 2200 BC or as recently as Persian and Indian cultures in the 200's AD. The pattern is defined by a characteristic twisted teardrop shape, the origin of which is widely speculated. Some think it to be a vague mixture of a floral pattern and the shape of a cypress leaf, while others link it more specifically to other natural shapes like a budding palm frond or a pine cone.

Through the ages, the pattern spread, gaining popularity in Europe as it was traded en masse by the East India Company in the 1600's, shortly after which it began to be produced locally in Marseilles, England, Holland, and other European countries.

In time, the town of Paisley, Scotland became a central producer and eventually the namesake of the design in Western cultures (more historically, the pattern was called Boteh Jegheh by the Persian cultures in which it originated).

Later, paisley was widely embraced by the hippie, 'flower child' culture that latched on to Indian and Middle Eastern aesthetics, especially following the Beatles famous pilgrimage to India in the late 1960's.

Throughout it's history, the paisley pattern has been applied to any number of goods, from fine woven textiles of silk embroidered with gold and silver threads, to printed twill, to ceramics and pottery, Persian rugs, even garden landscaping. Among the menswear circles, it's most commonly found on neckties and pocket squares, although folks with bolder tastes will mix it into shirting, trousers, and sport coats as well.

To some, any mention of the pattern brings to mind these bright, psychedelic applications and are associated with other cheesy 70's icons like shag carpet and bell-bottoms, although recently there has been some return to a more classic and subtle use of the pattern.

Still, even today, the pattern is designed in a wide variety of styles. My favorite tend to be the more minimalist applications, with just the characteristic 'leaf' on a plain background. Some of the busier designs can veer towards the garish side of style, and should probably be avoided, but you can find some ornate patterns that really recall the Persian  heritage behind the design and come off really sharply when used in moderation (as in, on a tie - not a full shirt or sport coat).

Below are a range of options to inject some paisley into your life:

First, we have the uber-budget option, turning (as usual) to the Tie Bar, which clocks in at just $15. First is an all-blue option that is subtle and an easy entry point that won’t be hard to style:

Relic Paisley in Navy Cotton | The Tie Bar - $15

I’m also kind of into this brighter green fabric, which is a bit more untraditional, but very summery and season-appropriate.

Tears of Paisley in Emerald Linen | The Tie Bar - $15

Slightly up the ladder, J. Press offers literally dozens of paisley ties in a wide variety of colors and scales. This one, in a simpler blue and yellow color scheme, is one of my favorites (and currently on sale, which is a bonus):

Foulard Paisley in Navy | J. Press - $41.70 (on sale)

If you want to try out a more ornate pattern, ‘Ancient Madder’ ties are intricate but in darker, dustier colors and usually in a twill weave, as opposed to something in bright colors on a shiny satin fabric, which I think tends to look more tacky. This option from Brooks Brothers isn’t cheap, but isn’t wildly expensive and is a fine, classy example:

Ancient Madder Large Paisley Print Tie in Navy | Brooks Brothers - $57.50 (on sale)

Of course, you can always go big and get a shirt or jacket with an all-over paisley print. In my opinion, this is much easier to do with casual gear, where bold prints won’t veer out of appropriate business-casual attire (or other more structured situations). This short-sleeve, lightweight shirt from Denim & Supply might be a good place to start (and at under $50, not a big financial risk).

Paisley Woven Shirt | Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren - $50 (on sale)

Do you have any paisley in your wardrobe? Getting funky with any big bold prints? Share in the comments!

'Know Your Patterns' - Tattersall

Our ‘Know Your Patterns’ and ‘Know Your Fabrics’ series are proving to be pretty darn popular, so we’re going to keep them rolling as long as we can keep thinking of more textiles to explore. This week, we’re back at it again with another edition of ‘Know Your Patterns’ and turn our eye to a classic; Tattersall. This is one that you surely see everywhere (it’s well loved for it’s versatility), but probably just never knew the technical name attached to it. No more!

A Tattersall pattern is made up of two thin, regularly spaced grids, traditionally placed against a lighter background (although some versions with light grids against a dark background can be found).

Beyond that, it’s easier to explain what Tattersall isn’t. First, it isn’t printed on fabric, but rather woven into it. Second, it is not a large-scale, windowpane pattern, but instead much smaller in scale (although some variation is definitely available). Third, Tattersall is not merely a graph-check (usually), and instead tends to be distinguished by the two, evenly alternating colors (although single-color patterns do exist, as you’ll see below). Also, unlike many other plaids, the spacing between the grids does not change, although the pattern will often be taller that it is wide.

The name itself comes from a famous race horse auction house, Tattersall’s London Horse Auction mart, established by Richard Tattersall in 1776. At that time, the pattern was commonly used by the auction house on their horse blankets, with the pattern being transitioned to men’s shirting towards the end of the 19th century.

Since then, the pattern has remained popular in men’s apparel through the ages, and as we mentioned, is favored for its versatility. Depending on the cut of the shirt, the pattern lends itself just as easily to casual wear as it does tailored suiting, and looks great with jeans or a solid-colored suit. Additionally, it is not a season-specific fabric, and a guy can wear it summer, fall, winter and spring. Lastly, the flexibility in the color and scale of the grids allows the pattern to be adapted to a variety of complexions and body types.

Recommending products here is a bit of a challenge. First off, the outright differences between Tattersall patterns are not that emphasized - each has a light background with some assortments of colors incorporated through the grids. The colors you pick will/should rely heavily on not just personal preference, but more-so what will work well with your current wardrobe. Also, the pattern is used pretty exclusively in shirting (you won’t really find Tattersall suits or trousers). That said, we listed a few personal favorites:

First, this shirt shows Tattersall at it’s simplest - one color, lightly printed on a white background:

Washed Shirt in Thin Open Tattersall | J.Crew Factory

As we mentioned, Tattersall usually comes with two colors, but at it’s most minimal will be monochrome.

If you are looking for something more interesting, the shirt below exhibits a more standard Tattersall with two colors over a light background:

Grayson Tattersall Shirt | Spectre & Co.

We reviewed Spectre a while back and loved their shirts, and this one looks like a sharp winner at just $45 (plus, blue and brown is one of my favorite color combinations).

On the more high-fashion end of the spectrum, Gant offers this classic:

Tattersall Sport Shirt | Gant via East Dane

Note the two colors (blue and red) alternating evenly on a white background. About as classic as it gets.

We wanted to show an example of Tattersall on a dark background, but those tend to be much more widespread in the cooler seasons, and we couldn’t find an option we liked right now. While we were hunting, though, we decided it was important to note that you will find a lot of ‘Tattersall’ shirts out there - note the quotations! These usually include more than two colors, irregular check patterns, or some other variation. Of course, these can be just as stylish, and this may not even make a difference to you, just know that they aren’t traditional Tattersall (and therefore we omitted for the sake of this article).

Do you have any Tattersall pieces in your wardrobe? Any favorites?

'Know Your Patterns' - Houndstooth

I’ve said this before, but one of my favorite (now kind of long-term/ongoing) trends has been this resurgence of classic menswear patterns, especially when I see them being used in new ways. We talked recently about glen-plaid, which definitely falls into this category - originally mainly found in heavier wool suiting and outerwear, and now everywhere from shirts to ties to suits to bright chinos. It's just a great way to ground a ‘trend’ or new idea in something classic that has already stood the test of time.

That’s why, for our second installment of ‘Know Your Patterns,’ we are turning to the classic houndstooth check. The pattern originates in the Scottish lowlands as far back as the 1800’s, and traditionally alternates dark and light 'checks' for a look that is both refined and bold at the same time. Originally, the pattern was used pretty exclusively with heavy wool suiting and outerwear, just like Glen Plaid (and, I would guess, most patterns coming out of Scottish antiquity). Again, the application has spread widely as clothiers have experimented with the pattern in multitudes of uses.

The houndstooth pattern itself is characterized by an almost checked appearance, and is made up of repeating 'abstract' blocks with four kind-of jagged points (which is where the pattern derives its name, as the points can be reminiscent of a hounds jagged back teeth): 

There is a weaving pattern that causes this to happen, but it’s technical beyond my own interest (a quick google should pull it up for you if you are so inclined). The checks tend to run at a diagonal, giving a bit more visual interest compared to a standard square check (like a gingham). Even more variation is given by playing with the scale - more popular with women’s coats and dresses is a jumbo-scale print in stark black and white. On the other end of the spectrum is tiny puppytooth, often in a monochromatic scheme (or with subtle color differences), that function much like any other micro-pattern, appearing solid from a distance, with the visual depth clarifying as one gets closer. For the record, I love puppytooth the most - besides the cute name, it’s such a fantastic way to spice up a look without standing out like a sore thumb - in fact, to most passersby you are just wearing a solid garment, but those who know you enough to get up close can see how splendid of a dresser you really are.

The look has come in and out of popularity in waves, and is definitely feeling some time in the sun today as a pattern you can find used on almost any garment of clothing. I’ve really fallen in love with it as a tie pattern - I think it lends some old school charm to a look that I can then pump up with some more modern touches. It's also usually small enough in scale that it plays well with many patterned shirts. Brooks Brothers has a really nice option in navy that's currently pretty well discounted at $55.65 (seen below, originally $80), or you can grab this one in traditional black and white from The Tie Bar for just $15.

Houndstooth Tie | Brooks Brothers

Another subtle way to wear the pattern is in a dress shirt - which is where it really does act like micro-gingham or a micro-stripe - almost solid, but really not at all! Charles Tyrwhitt has some great shirts in puppytooth, all in warm colors like sky blue or lilac, like this one currently running just $39:

Lilac Two Color Puppytooth Dress Shirt | Charles Tyrwhitt

Progressively moving to larger pieces, I’ve been seeing summer blazers pop up with a usually light blue houndstooth pattern, which creates a really cool warm-weather vibe that doesn’t stick the standard (and some may say tired) staples like seersucker or gingham. I got a great cotton/linen jacket from Uniqlo for my birthday (pictured here on the Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets Instagram - @WideEyesTWBlog), but I believe it’s all sold out (maybe for the season). However, for not a ton more (a very reasonable and often discounted $188) J.Crew offers a very similar option - bonus, it might not suffer from the few Uniqlo faults of cropped tail and long sleeves.

Ludlow Sportcoat in Mini Houndstooth | J.Crew

If you want to go bolder, or at the same time more traditional, I suggest looking for heaving cloths and more fall/winter clothing. Where I would see a large-scale houndstooth check as kind of clownish on a shirt or tie, it looks bold and bossy on a luxe overcoat, or in muted colors on some toothy tweed. Sorry, though, we're currently too out of season for me to find an example on sale now, but I did find this shot of a fella looking damn good in a Thom Brown wool overcoat:

Photo Credit - The Bulletin

If you haven’t tried the pattern, I suggest picking up a small piece - it’s irregularity and funky shape can make it seem unapproachable, but it’s easier than you think to work into a regular ‘fit, and once you start, you won’t turn back.

How do you rock houndstooth? Do you have any favorite pieces? Share in the comments:

'Know Your Patterns' - Glen Plaid

So I took some time over the long weekend to lay out the publishing schedule for the next few months, and am happy to announce that we will be introducing two ongoing series this summer: 'Know Your Patterns' and 'Know Your Fabrics.' Obviously, these are pretty self-explanatory - here at Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets, we firmly believe that knowledge is power. By being well informed, you can make stylish purchases, avoid regrettable ones, and make sure your hard-earned money is well-spent.

This week, we're kicking off the 'Know Your Patterns' series. First, let me point out that we've previously covered seersucker, madras plaid and gingham checks, and while we may revisit these later, for the sake of freeing up some space on the blog calendar, we'll just refer you back to those original posts. 

Which brings us to today's featured pattern: Glen Plaid. Obviously, this is a plaid pattern, and therefore incorporates bi-directional stripes and lines to create alternating checks and blocks. Where other plaids (like tartan or blackwatch) use stripes of different colors, which overlap to create even more tones, glen plain is more of a series of tonal lines, usually of one or more muted colors on a neutral background. Even more distinctive, the lines come together to create houndstooth checks, rather than plain right angles and boxes. It's honestly a bit hard to describe by word, but once you see it in action you'll know exactly what we're talking about:

A typical glen plaid pattern.

The pattern gets its name from the Glenurquhart region of Scotland where the textile was first produced. Interesting tidbit - during the Duke of Windsor's time as the Prince of Wales, he became such a big fan of the pattern that Prince of Wales Check became synonymous with the pattern as well. Since then, it's been rocked by everyone from Pee Wee Herman to James Bond to Ronald Reagan:

Surprisingly, of the celebrities mentioned here,
Pee Wee's suit bears the most conservative glen plaid pattern.

Roger Moore, as James Bond, rocks his glen plaid with an injection of color.

Reagan, on the other hand, goes all out with a deep aquamarine
glen plaid suit that deemed him 'unpresidential' to many.

Honestly, I usually associate glen plaid patterned pieces with fall and winter - something about the pattern looks fantastic on a heavy tweed jacket or a toothy wool tie. However, I've been seeing it pop up on some summer pieces and have been loving the way it comes out. Where winter glen plaid tends to feature a grey background, with some small color occasionally being injected through the plaid lines, these warm-weather pieces do the opposite, with a bright background and more muted plaid lines.

Take this shirt by J.Crew for example - the berry red is a perfect punch of seasonal color. If used in a more standard, multi-color plaid, it might be too bold, but by using a monochromatic glen plaid pattern instead, the look is grounded and business-acceptable while maintaining it's brightness:

Ludlow Spread Collar Shirt in Glen Plaid | J.Crew

Similarly, these chinos from Club Monaco - featured in last week's Deals and Steals - display a bright blue hue that could easily become garish with an inadequate pattern, yet the glen plaid, instead of amping up the boldness, serves instead as a stylish accent that will be surprisingly versatile: 

Plaid Davis Chino | Club Monaco

Who else is rocking Glen Plaid this summer? How do you incorporate into your daily wardrobe?