24 April 2010

Periwinkle

I sure do like my pastel-hued Spring attire, pink pants and all. But what color could possibly be more difficult to maneuver than pink? Try periwinkle blue.
I have this Brooks Brothers sport coat in said color, probably from the late eighties/early nineties. It may seem somewhat innocuous in comparison to some of my sunny weather foppery, but I assure you, this periwinkle jacket is a tough nut to crack.

While it may seem a bit more subdued than some colors, it's harder to work with. Grey, navy and khaki are instant conservative base colors. Kelly green, bright red, Nantucket red, et al. are sheer boldness, setting a definite (loud) tone in their own way, but this periwinkle falls dangerously between these two divergent attitudes. I chose to play it safe and casual, with a navy button down and a paisley square in burgundy, navy and gold.

A ribbon belt helps pick out the pocket square. Done properly, a ribbon belt can be like a tie, only when there is no tie.

Finished with khakis in "stone", and boat shoes.

So, "where's the difficulty?" you might ask.

Periwinkle can go from nonchalant boathouse casual to geriatric white Velcro shoe territory in a hairs breadth, if you're not careful. Last time I wore some chuckle head said I looked like Bob Hope...and he was right.Damn jacket makes things difficult every time.

Which is , of course, the best thing about it, no?

14 comments:

Keith said...

That is one sharp look, as far as I'm concerned it's best yet! I have to say though, the post could have been improved a little with an overview shot.

waxeater said...

you really rock the button down collars, huh? particularly with a roll. huh. more full body shots would help me understand this approach.

Anonymous said...

I like the look, but it doesn't look very periwinkle in the shot at all. You need to thrift yourself a new camera or something

Anonymous said...

You need a longer belt.

foolio_iglesias said...

That dark shirt balances it out well....

Thornproof said...

Periwinkle, like lilac, takes a delicate touch to keep from really looking old man-ish ... nice outfit.

Have you tried matching it with a really bold color? Say Nantucket red pants? Might be worth a shot ...

Young Fogey said...

Let's see here. According to the anonymice, all you need is more money, more talent, a better body, and, preferably, better taste, and you'd be set!

On a completely different topic--are you growing a beard?

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

Oh man, G, you're really rockin' it today. I can feel the vibe even here in California. Love it. Perfection.

Jho78 said...

It looks more gray on my monitor, but if I close my eyes I can imagine what it looks like. I especially like the mother of pearl buttons. Nice one!

Anonymous said...

I genuinely think that you should invest in a decent camera. Your photos are very low quality and make the already old clothing look even older than it actually is.

Jake said...

Very nice. I'm not normally a great fan of shirts darker than jackets, but I think this works nicely, and you probably needed a fairly dark shirt to work with the periwinkle.

Giuseppe said...

Fogey,

It's good to know the anonmymice are lookiong out for me.

Stubbornly Trad said...

Nothing wrong with the quality of the photos at all.

Must be faulty monitors.

tv said...

I have a darker shade of periwinkle sportcoat which I love, and it's relatively easy to work with. the sportcoat in this picture does not look periwinkle to me, but rather a baby blue, but I am a tad colorblind. I don't think the belt and shoes work with this outfit, just my opinion. I think this type of sportcoat lends itself more to the miami vice look than a ribbon belt and topsiders.