A question I’m often asked following outfit posts is what inspires me and how I put them together. It’s worth saying that this article is designed to help men find their own styles and understand how to incorporate their ideas into their attire. Today I’ll be walking you through the elements of an outfit I’m putting together for a style shoot in a few weeks time. Advice and feedback are always appreciated.
Inspiration
The first stage of any of my new outfits is inspiration, finding a single item, colour or design that you would like to incorporate in your wardrobe. For me, this came from a photo posted by Adam Gallagher on Instagram, incorporating a light blue shirt and navy tie, and a fashion galleries post utilizing a grey blazer and similar elements.
It’s important to be brave with your inspiration and look for ways to try to style it. Many men will prefer to stick to what they know and remain in their comfort zone but by trying new styles you can develop your own personal looks.
Clothing Elements: The shirt I’m using is from T.M. Lewin’s super fitted range, a collection that I have loved wearing and recommend to any man with a slimmer physique. The blazer is a texture, grey marl jacket from Zara. Patterned or textured tailoring is certainly one of the most exciting elements of menswear this year.
Building The Outfit
With the basic elements sorted, I then turned to building out the rest of the look. I’ve wanted to use brogues in a lot more of my styles and this offered the perfect opportunity, I then matched my belt with my light tan brogues. Finally, I looked to incorporate navy chinos into the outfit to compliment the light blue shirt and work with the tan shoes.
Clothing Elements: The brogues are the James design from Last Shoe and the belt is a light tan leather from Lee 101 (from Brand Outlet’s sale), light tan is a great transition colour for Summer-Autumn styles. However, I am still looking to find a pair of navy chinos that will work with the outfit and have the right fit on me. Watch this space.
The Finishing Touches
I’ve always said that what separates a great outfit from a good outfit is the details. The first item was finding a navy wool tie, this adds texture and contrasts the light grey blazer. I then turned to a navy pocket square, but I was keen to find a subtle pattern that added a dapper element to the outfit.
One of the smaller details was the Alice Made This rhodium cufflinks, which provide a good contrast against the light blue shirt. Finally, I used a dark grey patterned sock to finish the details of the outfit.
Clothing Elements: The tie and pocket square are part of T.M. Lewin’s AW15 collection. Their new range has been something of a turning point for the brand, incorporating smaller contemporary elements into their designs (unlike their competitors). The socks were a true must-have from Wolsey (another Brand Outlet find) that I love because of their modern-classic designs.
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