In Between, part 2

It's "Back to School" time, and weather you're in school or not, it's a good time of year to work a subtle dose of something I call "algebra teacher chic" into your sartorial rotation. You know the look: rumpled cotton pants and plaid sport shirts worn with ties. Just be sure to do it artfully, and avoid the chalk dust stain on your shirt sleeve and the government issue glasses.
If you haven't tried it before, wearing a tie with a shirt in rich plaid can be a tricky task. Start simple by pairing it with a solid knit tie, in cotton or wool, in a color that works well with every color in the shirt's plaid.

Keep it simple with plain khaki pants. Olive green and shades of grey work well here too. With Summer at an end, the Sperry Topsider has been replaced by the blucher moc as the shoe of choice on days still warm enough for going sockless. I always considered these shoes to be kind of cool weather boat shoe, anyway.

When you feel as though you might be getting the knack of it, go ahead and zest it up a bit. Try a bold plaid shirt with a patterned tie, and for good measure some bright socks, to remind you of the fact that though the evenings may be on the cool side, the sun is still shining bright and clear. As always, keep the whole thing from getting out of control with larger neutral items. The ubiquitous khakis, the olive of the Barbour jacket, and the tan cap play a crucial supporting role in making sense out of all this.

Pattern mixing ain't easy. Remember, keep the color palette similar, but vary the scale. That's the trick. Here, the plaid is very dense, where the tie has a lot of space between it's stripes. The navy blue ground holds things down, while the stripes echo the minor colors in the plaid. The red socks carry the punch down to the bottom, making for a more cohesive head to toe look.

Such combinations are more than a little bold, but don't be afraid. And expect to fail...a lot. For as often as I've pulled this kind of thing off I've left the house looking a bit foolish. But as with anything, practice makes perfect. The more you attempt it, the better of an eye you'll get for it.

Who knew that the kind of creepy childless guy with the comb-over haircut who tried to convince you that math could be done with letters instead of numbers had so much style?