09 February 2009

Pattern Mixing

As I was dressing for school this evening I decided to wear my new double-breasted gray flannel chalk stripe suit. It looked great, but as I sat in the car, I felt a rip, followed by a cold breeze, in my posterior. The pants had torn clean open. Further inspection revealed that the previous owner had paid for some pretty shoddy tailoring. It had nothing to do with eating cookies at 1:00 a.m. in front of the computer.


Anyway, I ran back in the house to change. Now I was in a hurry. In a pinch this is what I came up with.


I love these Black Watch slacks, but I'll be damned if they';re not a tough match. Tonight, I tried them with a burgundy foulard bow tie, navy blazer, white oxford, brown suede shoes and grey tweed cap.Sometimes I'm a fan of the look of things that maybe don't match, except maybe they do. In such a hurry as I was, any sensible person might have reached for grey flannels, navy blazer and striped tie, a no fail combination. But for some reason, this outfit threw itself at me. I felt comfortable in it, and I'm about 85% sure I pulled it off.


Every time I wear these pants I get a lesson in what the phrase "Go To Hell Pants" means. I catch everybody staring at them, but no one dares say a word...because they all know they can go to hell.


11 comments:

Old School said...

A perfect combination. In fact, I can't imagine any jacket other than a navy blazer that would complement those trousers.

heavy tweed jacket said...

Great look. Can't go wrong with Black Watch. Does anyone else in your class even wear a jacket (including the professor)?

initials CG said...

Great mix Giuseppe! I rather like it.

Funny that when we're in a hurry and throw a combination together just because it jumps out at us, it usually ends up working quite well to our surprise.

Cyclo2000 said...

You looked great.
I've got a pair of those embroidered chinos in navy blue. Mine have wee flags all over 'em. Everywhere I go I catch people staring at them. I don't think I'd get the same reaction if I went out sans coulotte!

Charles said...

Glad it was a cold day. And those are some bitchin shoes.

I bought a pair of plaid pants last summer. I wore them once. Being self-conscious in them, I drank even more than usual.

Giuseppe said...

Heavy Tweed,

The "professors" are frequently a good five years my junior. You'd be hard pressed to find a pair of slacks in the place, let alone a jacket or (gasp!) a tie.

I already stick out like a sore thumb without the aid of aoutrageous pants.

Cyclo,

Its the same in summer when I bust out the loud patch madras pants.

Longwing,

Next time I'll try that drinking strategy. Strikes me as a sound plan.

Plaid Dad said...

That's why most people don't mess with mixing patterns that don't match.it takes a keen eye and an acute sense of style to make it work.

The Torch Society said...

Very smart whilst giving the aurora of one not trying to hard!

http://thetorchsociety.blogspot.com/

dandy nihilism said...

Nice slacks. Do you always pronate? Or is that just your fashion stance?

As alluded to in a comment above, professors do seem to dress less and less like professors these days.

Giuseppe Mangiare said...

I'm most impressed that this is a thrown together outfit.

I was on the verge of buying a similar pair of pants, only to find the store was out of my size. Devastating now I've seen them in action.

Re: professors and jackets - I'm also a "mature-age" student, and find that I often look more formal than my teachers. More than once I've been approached in the first lecture of a semester and asked questions by fellow students.

poloist12 said...

Love it all. Great job.