Testing Trends - Putting It Into Practice

Incredible photography by the lovely Christine.

As much as possible, when we give advice here on Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets, we like to follow up with a post where we put that same advice into action. You may remember a few weeks back, we wrote a post on budget-conscious trend-testing. While we were speaking to a bigger technique to be applied to any new and semi-risky fashion trends, we applied it specifically to the black/white combo that has been popping up (quite stylishly), especially among streetwear-leaning celebs.

I spent a little time and followed through, picking up some key pieces in very affordable/lower quality 'test' items so that I could see if I could rock the style myself (and not be out big bucks if I failed). Fortunately, I already had a crisp white OCBD (as every man should), so I was off to a solid start with my existing wardrobe. Even if you don't (gasp!), you can pick one up on the cheap from Uniqlo (although you certainly wouldn't be remiss shelling out a bit more on a staple piece like this, which isn't a style risk on it's own at all).

White Slim OCDB | Uniqlo

Even better, I ended up picking up a pair of bright white Converse Jack Purcell's as part of a completely independent project to amp up my summer casual kicks beyond my go-to Sperry Topsiders. Again, though, even if I was purchasing these for trend-testing purposes alone, they only cost $60, and alternatives from brands like Vans are even more affordable.

Jack Purcell | Converse via MR PORTER

So right there, I have the 'white' component of this trend completely covered without spending a risky dime. All I needed to round out the look was a pair of black jeans, which would contrast very strongly between the shirt and the shoes. Now, I could have gone for this pair of Back x Black denim by 3Sixteen that I've been drooling over since I first saw them pop up in GQ or some similar magazine a few months back. However, being my first pair of black jeans, and not being positive if the look is me, I smartly took a much safer route, hitting up my favorite thrift store - eBay. After just a few days of patiently browsing the listings, I managed to pick up a pair of lightly used Levi's 511's for well under $20, shipped. Again (get the trend here?) even if I couldn't score these on eBay, I would have gone with a way affordable option, like these from Levi's that run under $50:

Black Stretch Denim in 511 Fit | Levi's

And there I had it, just a week or two of putting the pieces together, and I had an outfit all ready to test out the trend at hand. Here's the result...

...and I'm pretty damn happy with it! I really dig the contrast, and while say, dark jeans and any light shirt would get a similar effect, this has a bit more of an edge to it. Still, I'm glad I went cheap, as I don't see myself wearing this every day. Who knows, now that I have a taste for black denim, maybe I'll get hooked and end up ponying up for a premium pair down the road, but for now, for the occasional wear, I'm perfectly happy with my budget-ensemble and will funnel my money towards a few other larger purchase I know I'm looking for this season.

What's the latest 'trend' that you've tried out? How did it work?

Dapper Plaid - Putting It Into Practice

Earlier this week I wrote a post on how to wear plaid without looking sloppy, frumpy, or lumberjack-y. Over the weekend (after writing the post), I incorporated some flannel plaid into a sharp outfit myself, and took the opportunity to snap a few pictures so I could show my tips in action:

Nope, no decent pics of me looking at the camera. NO EYE CONTACT!

Let's take a look, one tip at a time:

First, I recommended dressing up your shirt. During the week, a blazer would be a perfect addition that would make your flannel office-appropriate, but we were headed out to the barcade (beer + old school arcade games = gold, pure gold), so I kept things a bit more casual, opting for a chunky cardigan instead of a jacket. The effect is similar though, allowing the hearty pattern of the shirt to come through but not dominate.

The cardigan is the cozy man's blazer...I made that up.

Next, I advocated dressing up your pants or trousers a bit as well. I actually encouraged choosing something other than jeans, but here I show how jeans can work. Like I said on Monday, just keep them dark and crisp, and by doing so you channel more city-casual than woodsy-careless.

Third, you can't really tell in the picture since I am wearing the cardigan buttoned-up, but I avoided the workwear look by sticking with a slimmer fitting shirt (this one happens to be from Frank and Oak). Even with the cardigan, picking a slim shirt is smart as it will reduce bunching as well as open up your options to unbutton or take off the sweater if things warm up.

Last, I told y'all to tuck it in, which I clearly did here! Along the same lines, just make sure the way you are wearing it is neat. Little touches like a clean 1/4 inch (or so) of cuff showing past the cardigan, and keeping the plaid collar points contained by the shawl collar help keep the whole look put-together and avoids any sense of sloppiness.

The rest of the pics (including a shot of my awesome new Polo Ralph Lauren boots...if you'll remember, I recommended these a while back, and I do listen to my own advice):

Also, gotta love $5 Target Boot Socks.

The Details:

Shirt - Frank and Oak

Cardigan - H&M

Jeans - Levi's

Socks - Mossimo Supply Co. for Target

Boots - Polo Ralph Lauren

WIWT - 10/15/2013 (Putting It All Into Practice)

Remember that lovely post last week about incorporating fall colors into your outfits? Through my work with some other style blogs and my own constant browsing of the menswear universe, I know that folks like to see these tips, rules and other advice actually put to action. With that goal, I picked out my 'casual Monday' (thank you, day-job, for making that a thing) outfit yesterday with my self-prescribed directions in mind.

Remember, we were focusing on two main colors: burgundy (or oxblood, or maroon, or whatever you want to call it), and dark (or forest, or hunter, or whatever you want to call it) green. Remember also that I discussed mixing these colors into your accessories, so that the clothes that you wear all year look like they were picked out just for that season.

Here was my endgame:

Neighbors had some killer Halloween decorations up.

Look familiar at all? It should, it's very close to this outfit, which I featured a few months ago as a spring outfit. And that's what I love about this method of dressing seasonally. Change just a few, inexpensive items and all of the sudden that spring/summer look fits perfectly into the fall/winter palette.

First, I swapped out the fun, polka dot tie from the spring for a burgundy knit tie. Not only is burgundy one of our fall colors, I also think knit ties fit the season incredible well, with a slightly more rustic look.

If you peek below, you'll see that I'm wearing burgundy socks as well. Normally, I don't like wearing completely matching items. However, socks get a bit of a pass, since you don't see them much. Even better, though, are the textural differences between the knit tie and the ribbed dress socks. Nowhere near the identical-tie-and-pocket-square matchy-matchy problems.

The spring post featured some Clarks chukkas as well, which would have been equally appropriate in the fall, but I stuck with my boat shoes because I wanted to illustrate their versatility as well. A lot of people only turn to them as a sockless option in the summer, but I think they look great year-round and fit the rugged/rustic look of this outfit perfectly (and show a little sock at the same time).

OK, so all good on the burgundy front. How about some green? I was happy to snag this camo pocket square from the Peter Field studio, and I think it balances the rich reds of the burgundy pieces with some more down-to-earth coloring. The camo trend is a highly disputed one, and one that I'm not 100% on, but I do like small touches of the pattern, as I mentioned last week. I think the pocket square is the perfect amount of camo...enough to be noticed but not enough to be gauche. You can pick one up for yourself over at the Peter Field website, or, if you're in Chicago, swing by the studio and meet Nick (founder) and maybe catch me there as well.

The shirt is a chambray number from Frank and Oak, and I see chambray as another great year-round fabric. This particular shirt is a little thicker, so once again it works really well for these color, between-season days. On top of that, the light green hit that mint motif that was so popular last spring, but still plays great with more earthy greens that are 'in' this fall.

The weather today probably would have allowed for a wool blazer, but I'm wearing the hell out of this cotton one while I still can (weather-wise, mainly, but I'm also noticing that it's starting to wear thin, which is what you get from a $60 blazer). I also think the camo square may have been a little too camouflaged in with a brown wool blazer, and this way it has a bit more visual pop to it.

Notice that the 'staples' of this outfit remained exactly the same across the two seasons. Of course, a nice pair of dark blue jeans looks good any time of year, but I think they lend themselves best to the in-between-times, before it's too hot for heavy denim in the summer or cold enough for thick flannels and tweeds in the winter. Easy choice.

Has anyone taken my advice from last week and worked these colors into their own outfits? I'd love to hear about it, or see some pictures! Share in the comments below, or shoot me an e-mail at WideEyesTightWallets@gmail.com.

The Details:
Cotton/Linen Blazer by Uniqlo
Chambray Shirt by Frank and Oak
Silk Knit Tie by The Tie Bar
Tie Bar by The Tie Bar
Pocket Square by Peter Field
Jeans by Hurley (via Nordstrom)
Socks by Frank and Oak
Shoes by Sperry (via Mr. Porter)