You want more than just solid colours for this festive season? You can go for bold patterns especially with stripes. They now come in a variety of colours, styles and cuts. Stripes are versatile pieces and can be worn to both formal and informal events.
Why you need stripes shirts
• It flatters your figure because it lengthens the torso and makes a lovely, slender figure.
• They are easier to combine with patterns (on tie or suit) than checked shirts.
• They tend to add a little more interest to your work wardrobe, which can be refreshing when you tend to wear solid coloured shirts daily.
• Classic white/blue striped shirt looks good on everyone.
Rules for stripes
1. Vertical is preferable to horizontal stripes: Horizontal stripes are the most stylish choice but can be quite difficult to pull off- you look overweight! Vertical stripes, on the other hand, make you look taller, which can be great if you are vertically challenged.
2. Avoid overly large stripes: In the interest of keeping up with style trends, it is preferable to keep the stripes relatively thin. Whatever the stripes are, vertical or horizontal, wide stripes are not stylish. Instead, stick to stripes less than an inch in width.
3. Stay away from colours that are complimentary: There are no particular colours that men should totally avoid. You will dictate which colours work for you. Certain colour combinations, however, should be avoided. Beware of colours that are opposite one another on the colour wheel- such as red/green, yellow/purple and blue/orange. Contrasting colours will generally seem loud and often aesthetically painful when on top of one another.
Striped shirt and your skin tone
Fair skin: Usually your complexion complements nicely with cool colours. So choose shirt colours such as pink, blue, purple and light green.
Dark skin: Opt for warm colours in your striped shirts such as red, gold, orange, yellow, deep greens or dark brown.
Fair/ dark complexion: Chances are that you have a neutral skin tone which looks superb with just about any striped shirt colour.
Choosing a tie
1. Determine the most pronounced colour of the shirt and ensure the tie has the same or coordinating colour. For instance, a blue striped shirt will go very nicely with a gold tie. Solid colour ties are also easier to combine with striped shirts than striped ties.
2. Wearing a striped tie with your striped shirt? Then, note the scale of the stripes in both. The golden rule is that the stripes in your shirt should be of a different scale to that of your tie. Choose a thick-striped shirt with a thin-striped tie or vice versa and ensure the stripes of your shirt and tie run in different directions.
3. When matching other tie patterns, such as paisley, with your striped shirt, ensure they are colour coordinated. A blue striped shirt is a perfect match with a gold paisley.
