Smart Casual Pt.2

As I mentioned in a previous post, I rarely am required to wear a jacket and tie, and am always looking for ways to incorporate them without seeming overly fussy or pushy. Jeans will often do the trick on the bottom. But another useful item is the dress shirt that is not a dress shirt. You know the ones: cut the same as your favorite oxfords but in darker or more prominent patterned cloth. Personally, I like a good heavy plaid, especially in the Fall:

Polo plaid shirt, $3.99

Polo bow tie, $15.99 ( a fairly whopping sum for my own blood, as regular readers will note)

Cashmere and wool tweed jacket from 'Judd' of Lawrence, MA, a vintage friend I've had forever.

I suppose that this is technically a sport shirt, but I like the way the dark small plaid, repp stripes and herringbone work together. As with my previous example of pattern mixing, I find it best to keep it simple on the bottom, so as not to spoil a good thing:

Navy chinos, grey socks and the ubiquitous brown longwing gunboats. Those pants are by the Italian company 'Etro', a real high ticket design outfit, very G.Q. Legitimately they sell for more than class and good taste would bear mentioning, but for $4.99 they're a pretty good pair of chinos. I'll enjoy wearing them to work in the garden when they get old, that is if they even last that long.