Mixing it up

I thought that I would get back into the swing of things with some full blown Ivy Style. Now I am one that generally likes to keep it simple which I am sure that this is apparent from my uniform of khaki chinos, blue OCBD, and penny loafers, but sometimes even I mix it up. This is a good example of that.
IMG_7134When I say full-blown Ivy I mean a few things. One, is that the tweed sport coat that I am wearing is from the Hey day and has all the bells & whistles including 3/2 roll, sack cut (aka no darts), swelled edges, and even a hooked vent. Two, is that my tie is on the narrower side measuring at about 2.75″ which is slim for my tastes, but boy do I love this tie. Third, is the tie pattern. Paisley ties are very Ivy.
IMG_7005On to why this is not simple for me. Here you have a brown tweed, a red striped OCBD, and a predominantly green tie that incorporates yellow and red. Why does this work? I don’t have a great answer for that outside of that I liked the way it looked and there is a nice amount of contrast. I am sure that someone skilled in color theory could break it down for you, but I just eyeballed it.

I don’t know what the take away here is except that sometimes it is good to mix it up (Look, no striped tie!) and that I find contrast much more important than matching. Oh, and I am glad to be back posting after my month off. Thanks for the support, it is very much appreciated!

oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

14 Comments on "Mixing it up"

  1. Andrew says:

    Welcome back.
    Excellent post. There are people who try to do this every day, or at least those days when wearing a sport coat. Not easy, but yours is a fine example.

  2. Alvin Dennis says:

    Glad you are back. I enjoy reading this website.

  3. Old Trad says:

    Very nice combo. How I remember wool challis ties with paisley designs in the early 60s!

  4. Jon DiBenedetto says:

    Welcome back! Great combination of shirt, tie, and jacket!

  5. Charlottesville says:

    Welcome back, Jerrod. We missed you. I think this is one of the best photos you have ever posted. Perfect colors, perfect proportions, perfect details. In short, a perfect look.

  6. Billax says:

    Nice to see you back and posting, and a very nice look to get back in the groove!

  7. Robert says:

    Great combo. Welcome back!

  8. Woofboxer says:

    Few colour combinations are better than a pink shirt under an olive green tweed, very nice.

  9. fred johnson says:

    Welcome back Ox
    For me the shirt is the weak spot in the look; I just think given the tie and jacket a nice blue OCBD would bring the elements together to better advantage. The shirt just dimenishes the tie, jacket combination.

  10. Richard says:

    Glad to have this site back in action. I checked more than once in February only to remember it was on hiatus. That’s a great look. Avoiding matching is also key to my method of dressing. My wife looked at me funny for saying that once, but it works!

  11. Charles Gresham says:

    Would love to see a discussion on your thoughts about men’s raincoats/trenchcoats sometime soon.

  12. newgale says:

    wb, always enjoy your blog. nice tie

  13. EVAN EVERHART says:

    I really like the outfit! Looking Awesome Sir! As a former Image Consultant; it works because your are essentially utilizing 2 complimentary colors in different gradients; red in the paisleys of the tie, and in the stripes of the University Striped OCBD, and Green in the main body of the tie and in the tweed jacket. You also appear to have a beige or yellowish tint in the alternating color of the HBT pattern of your tweed jacket, which is picked up in the yellows of the paisleys of your tie, as well as the cream/white of your striped OCBD. I imagine that you’re also wearing khakis, which would further this effect. Quick question; what color socks did you wear with this, and I am assuming penny loafers, or wingtips? Great Look Sir!

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