Stripes and dots?

[Marcus Bergman]

Confession: I quite like the look of polka dot ties with bengal stripe shirts. However, a warning voice in the back of my head tells me this is bad form. Anyone care to venture an opinion?

Cheers,

Marcus Bergman

[Concordia]

Next time, tell that voice to be quiet.

There is some balancing to be done (size of dots, width of stripes, colors of each article), but no reason not to try it out.

Now a striped tie with a polka dot shirt...

[TVD]

Concordia is right, it all depends on balancing the size. Also, if you chose a tie a close colour to the bengal stripes (obviously the dots of a different colour), that calms it down a lot.

The one combination that I find most mind boggling is striped shirt with multi-coloured check tie. One hung over morning I did not pay attention when dresing and the chap I had a meeting with left with a bigger headache than the one I was nursing.

[Marcus Bergman]

Thank you, Concordia, for your encouraging reply, reaching me at a the right time, as today's ensamble consists of a medium bengal stripe Budd shirt (muted blue stripes) with one of those small polka-dotted T&A ties (navy) worn with a navy chalkstripe suit. I do think it quite works, but seem to recall the nagging voice in my head saying something about etiquette, and not just making a remark on aesthetics... Perhaps I shall give up drinking for a while and these voices might go away...


Cheers,

Marcus Bergman

[DD MacDonald]

Marcus, I'm with Concordia and the gang on this one - dot ties with striped shirts, absolutely.

Get the balance right and it's one of my favorite combinations.

Don't be afraid to think past striped shirts to checked shirts, get the balance between the patterns right and the look is great.

DDM

[Cufflink79]

Lets not forget dot ties with shirts of stripes and contrasted white collar and double cuffs.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[JamesT1]

Now, I'm under the impression that the fear of mixing patterns is something that stemmed from the Women's clothing market. Is this correct?

[manton]

It's all about scale. Little dots paired with narrow stripes is likely to look bad. Personally, I don't like big dots at all. But with a bold striped shirt, I love a dotted tie or else some other all over neat pattern. Stripes with stripes, not so much. Geometrics with stripes, case by case. Again, the scale must be different. Solids ties with striped shirts, if the coat has a pattern.

[TVD]

One still sees the odd plutocrat art dealer in St James's who will happilly mix a dark chalkstripe suit, bold blue butcher stripe shirt, white collar and large polka dot tie and silk handkerchief in the breast pocket, boldly coloured socks to complete the ensemble. As a rule, colours do not match, maybe a pink ground tie and yellow handkerchief.

And strangely enough, it does work. Scale is one unifying feature, the other is matching intensity of clolour: pastel tones, or primary colours.

[DD MacDonald]

TVD, I think that you are right. I don;t really think that its about colors matching - its about coordinating scale using a consistent tonal scheme (e.g. bright shirt, tie, socks; pastel shirt, tie, socks, pocket square - but not mixing the two). This is akin to staying within a limited color palete and using variations in texture to build a look as when dressing country with its textured tweed, cordoury, flannel, coarser weave shirtings, etc.

The city look has less textural variety with which to work, and relies on coordinating patterns. I do not know if I have ever considered any rules of pattern coordination, but I always take differentiation as a key.

In the case of dots or smalll neat ties, I like the look best when the caliper and spacing of the dot is different from the shirt. For a stripe, a 1/4" wide dot an inch apart works well on a hairline stripe shirt while a pindot spaced the same suits my taste better on a 1/4" bengal stripe eveny spaced. Although check shirts might seem difficult to coordinate, they are actualy easy patternwize. I seek to differentiate the grid size of the shirt from the grid size (size of dot/neat by spacing) of the tie. Tight grid on the shirt, open grid on the tie and so on. The great thing about dot ties is that the pattern is so "regular".

Another great factor in dot ties is texture, as they come all the way from fine printed silks to woven dots to whole woven jobs witha contrast in the direction of the weave between the dot and the field.

Whether stripes or checks, this is somewhat equivalent to the louder the shirt, the quieter the tie (and visa versa). There are always exceptions, I have an old Brooks Brothers tie that I call a bankers medallion, like a large foulard maybe 5/8" in diameter, that I consider loud. Put that tie on a 1/4" bengal in a mid-brite blue under a 3/4" spaced blue flannel chalkstripe and the look is dynamic, loud but balanced. Some days I want that.

For a softer look, I'll recommend some visual research. Take any three episodes of Jeeves and Wooster and you'll see stripes and dots (and elegant single breasted, peak lapel jackets). Take a look at "Chariots of Fire" and you'll find the same quiet look. This is not the Julien Isherwood of St. James that TVD describes (and i look I enjoy sans the socks) but the old fashioned, well-suited quiet look. The yin to the St. James yang

DDM