Mirror, Mirror: Power Plaids
It's a primo pattern for men this fall, reflecting their inner lumberjack or British gent.
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Look for plaids - the most classic of menswear patterns - to weave their way through many a daring dandy's wardrobe this late fall into holiday season.
For many guys, staid plaids never left their closets. But high fashion's masculine move to funky tartans is twofold:
The style world continues to borrow from American heritage. (Nothing says chop-the-firewood-rugged like a plaid flannel button-down. There's even a new term for that look: lumbersexual.) And we've got almost a year under our belts of seeing Savile Row-inspired suiting, perfect for many versions ofthe sturdy, checked patterns.
Guys started playing at the sartorial intersection of horizontal and vertical stripes in January. And at the same time Boardwalk Empire, a major menswear influence, said goodbye last month, plaids took their place in the final frontier of helping men look more sophisticated.
"Plaids are going in a much dressier direction," said Eric Jennings, vice president and fashion director for menswear at Saks Fifth Avenue, pointing to Hugo Boss and Burberry as leaders in tattersall-esque prints. "They are modern on slim sport coats and fresh on tailored slacks. It's very much about the British influence."
It's almost as if risk-taking plaids were the next step in about eight years of men's relearning the particulars of proper dressing, said Ryan Shadrin, vice president of retail and e-commerce at New Hampshire-based Timberland.
Similar to how women started experimenting with prints on prints three years ago, men are now working on incorporating plaid on plaid. And the hues are cooler. Think teal and sage instead of navy and green. (Actor Matthew McConaughey wore a light blue-gray, broad plaid suit by Brit label Kent & Curwen two weeks ago. Sweet.)
"Guys are becoming more and more fearless in how they express themselves," Shadrin said.
Fellas, here's how to do today's plaids.
CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES:
611, www.611lifestyle.com; Les Richards, 1625 Chestnut St. in the Shops at Liberty Place, 215-851-9661; Saks Fifth Avenue, 2 Bala Plaza, Bala Cynwyd, 610-667-1550; Suitsupply, 1601 Locust St., 215-383-1500; Theory Philadelphia, 1616 Walnut St., 215-735-1034; Timberland, 1709 Walnut St., 215-523-5750.
Model:
Ben Gruninger of Philadelphia
215-854-2704
@ewellingtonphl