Collar Me Badd

Yeah, I have no idea how I'm going to tie in the early 1990's band I horribly punned for my title. Whew, now that we have that out of the way we can jump headfirst into the actual content. Much like the prior post on saddle shoes, we will be talking about an item of clothing that has fully embraced styling from the past. What, pray tell you, are you referring to oh wise teacher? Flattery isn't necessary my young padawan, the key item I'm speaking about is the contrast-collar dress shirt.

With all due respect, if you can't figure out what exactly that I'm talking about, you shouldn't be reading this blog. But, in lieu of alienating a new reader, a contrast collar dress shirt is exactly what it says it is: a dress shirt where the collar is a different color from the rest of the garment. It seems you can get this look at just about every major fashion retailer. So, no matter whether you are shopping on an H&M or a D&G budget, you should be able to add this into the spring rotation.

In general, the white collar on a different-colored shirt tends to look a little bit more formal. However, don't be afraid to partner it up with a little denim. The trick with this shirt is to convey the correct mood, which is usually accomplished by fit and the number of buttons you have done up on it. If you have it buttoned all the way up, you'd better have a nice tie to go with it and probably something other than denim. Think of this look as the "Duke of Awesomeshire" and you'd better be planning to hit up some classy events attended by Blake Lively and the Upper East-siders.

Then you have the entirely opposite look where you go sans tie and undo at least 2 buttons. When doing this, please don't wear a white crew neck t-shirt underneath. The objective here is to find that fine balance of being perfectly put-together and effortless nonchalance... in other words, being rakishly disheveled. Heck, go ahead and pair it with some great saddle shoes as well.

As you can probably guess, the final look is a combination of the top two, in that you still wear a tie except you don't button the top button. Just a little bit of looseness in the tie gives the cavalier attitude with the sophistication of sporting neckwear. This tends to be the look I most often wear and gives you the option to easily convert to the other two. Final Verdict: the goal this season is to take this 1980's Wall Street style and give it that casual edge. Even Brooks Brothers has added these to their "University" Collection.

Saddle Up

The first piece that I have become obsessed with for the warmer weather is none other than the saddle shoe. Simply put, this style of shoe is sure to bring comments from passersby. In fact, the other day as I was picking out my pair at Cole Haan, mere steps away from Rockefeller Center, I received several comments from an Italian family perusing the store's selection. There are two types of people whose compliments are most highly regarded in my mind: those of fashion editors, and those of the well-dressed Europeans. Saddle shoes... mission accomplished.

Unlike the basic spectator shoes of the 1950's (during which era these are commonly associated), the modern shopper has a myriad of color and fabric options to choose from. You could opt for the lighter canvas and leather styles to enhance your wardrobe. Although much like the suede ones, you may find them harder to keep for more than a year or two as the material is hard to clean. No matter what construction you choose, you should look for the colors that fit your personality.

As this shoe is having a bit of a revival, you can find a pair in a price range that makes an acceptable dent in your bank account. If you are looking for something that is going to last you for a while I suggest purchasing ones that fall in the middle of the price spectrum. Unless you have more money than you know what to do with, I wouldn't recommend going any higher than Florshiem by Duckie Brown (which retail around $295). There are many options in the $150 - $300 range that can stand up to the wear-and-tear of a few seasons.

Final Verdict: Get out there and pick up a pair of these shoes for a fun way to add a bit of pizazz to your basic jeans and blazer look. Also, these often look best without socks... another reason not to spend a lot.

Evolution: The 'It' Word

As many of my readers have brought to my attention, I have been a bit absent as of late. No excuses from me, so let's just dive into the topic of the day: evolution.

I believe it was John Varvatos who once said that "men's style is evolutionary, not revolutionary". How many women's things can you think of that are "staples" aside from the LBD (little black dress)? On the other hand, a men's closet can survive on a constant diet of basics, with little tweaks from season to season, without the worry of becoming "dated" in the span of 6 months to a year. GQ magazine lately has even started the process of asking top designers for the top 10 things that they can't live without. Almost all the answers are items that can be categorized as "timeless". Instead of reminding you of the iconic basics that you should already own, I'm going to take a different approach.

Over the next several posts, I will give you some of my recommendations for the spring pieces that you should rotate into your wardrobe full of established classics. Final Verdict: heed my advice and find yourself on the "do" list... whether that be in a magazine or a lady's mind.

Just Gorgeous

As I was flipping through websites to find the pictures I needed for my Overcast post below, I came across a dress by Carolina Herrera. I knew instantly it was by her, as it is one of her classic frames. The stunning dress reminded me of the one that Dianna Agron, from Glee, wore to the 2010 Emmy's (which was also by Carolina)... only shorter.

So without further ado, I give you the dress that caught my eye:

Final Verdict: Pure elegance... and for only $3500 it can be yours. Also, those sexy nude strap sandals don't hurt either.

Overcast

Picture this: the color "oatmeal" and "charcoal" came together and had a baby... and that baby got more of the "oatmeal" genes. That "love child" hue is one of the hottest shades this spring. I'd like to call this tint the "winter white" of the grey family. It's great because it gives you a way to lighten up your wardrobe without breaking directly into white.

Sure, this may be difficult to keep clean, but you could try to not spill things on yourself. The two looks above by Rugby show how well this "it" color blends with other spokes on the color wheel. I know that sometimes I have a tendency to focus on the more preppy styles, so let me show you a few couture designers who have used this as inspirations for their spring 2011 collections.

Donna Karan exhibits some casual sophistication with her cuffed cotton shorts.

The Italian fashion house, Etro, uses a striped gradient on their cardigan.

Giambattista Valli, hailing from Paris, takes it dressy with their Sangallo strapless dress.

And finally, Burberry Prorsum takes it to modern comfort-town with their raw-edge tee (paired with their new alpaca-silk blend trench... also in grey I might add).

Final Verdict: Search through your closet or get out there and pick up some light grey for when the weather finally starts to break.

Glimpse Into the Future

The Men's fall 2011 shows have been going on in Italy and it is looking like 2011 is going to be another amazing fashion season. One of the things that I love about men's fashion is how it tends to avoid any drastic jumps in styling. This usually means that a male with a well-tailored and styled wardrobe can maintain his fashion elitism by only adding a few items each season. It is the matching of the current pieces that may have slight variations, but in general the men's world doesn't see radical deviations year to year.

Pitti Uomo, the fashion trade show in Florence, is showing for the next season, but my favorite viewings are the amazing photos taken by all of the photo-bloggers waiting like vultures outside the venues. They silently circle the crowds of perfectly-dressed buyers and editors, waiting to pounce on the perfect shot. More often than not, I find that these stylish crowds can serve as indicators as to what trends we may see. This year I noticed a few distinct trends (captured by famed photographer, Tommy Ton).

The first thing that I noticed from this year's crop of shots was the bold mixing of patterns. In many instances they took 3 completely different patterns and put them together in a way that blends perfectly. This will be the sartorial test that weeds out the fashion masters from the novices. This advanced level of coordination takes a very keen eye and an excellent grasp of fabrics, patterns, and colors. See a few of my favorite examples below.

Another trend that I see has continued from this season is the statement sock. However, I noticed more of a leaning towards the blue/green side of the color wheel vs. the yellows and oranges we saw this past fall. I especially like the robin's egg blue that is shown in one of the shots below.

The last trend that I will share with you that I noted is the change in the denim. My wife was actually ahead of the curve and predicted perfectly with a new pair of jeans she got me for my birthday. We are seeing a little bit of a shift from the very dark solid washes to options with a little bit of character. This can be anything from the lighter "mid-western" washes, to indigo washes with a bit of additional fading like the ones directly below. These pants tend not to be overly destroyed, as many of the editors are pairing them with sport coats and tailored blazers. Think less Hollister, and more classic Adriano Goldschmied.

Final Verdict: Keep your eye out for some of these variations and options from retailers this season as they clear out their inventory this January and even into February.

Now With More Tweeting Ability

Thanks to my technical adviser, @rjowen, all of you loyal readers now have the ability to tweet my page with the new handy-dandy button located on the right. This will tweet via @Dageus_McKelter (which is the Rakish Dishevelment twitter page). Happy Tweeting!

Final Verdict: Why keep others in the dark? Tweet them some helpful fashion tips.