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Billy Reid

 

Still Mad About Plaid?

After the plaid resurgence of the early to mid 2000's, I thought we had put the trend to rest. Those years of Williamsburg hipsters bringing back grunge and plaid-ing it up, have made the print seem somewhat apropos. Apparently I am mistaken. Plaid has been named one of the number one fall trends this year -- but isn't it every year?

The difference now is that we are seeing more than just the lumberjack look of years past. We are now seeing sleeker styles and more elegant looks in the print. Also coming to light is the mixing of plaids. Now this can be a dangerous endeavor to say the least. There is SO much potential to go wrong here. In my opinion even the runway looks pictured above take it too far. I mean plaid shirt, skirt, AND boots? That's just plain plaid overload if you ask me!

What inspired this post is a picture I saw of plaid mixing done well. One of my favorite street fashion blogs, The Sartorialist featured a gorgeous image of a gorgeous woman taking plaid to a new high.


From the asymmetry of her blazer layered over her longer shirt, the look is a perfect example of sloppy chic. If you are going to mix and match you plaid, limit it to just two elements of your outfit. Any more is just too much. Also take a tip from this lovely lady and have some other corresponding elements to your outfit. For example, tan elbow patches that tie into your tan shoes and camel colored purse. That way the mixing of plaids is offset by a nice balance of color.

I still feel quite strongly that the 2000's saw a plaid OVERLOAD and I would be quite happy to only wear plaid for the sake of warmth in the winter months from now on. But if you are still into it, may I suggest just a bit of peek-a-boo plaid? Say a shoe like these Paul Smith booties...

Or just remain with the classics - keep your plaid plain with a classic scarf. May I even suggest sticking to a more muted plaid color pallet. This allows the print to bring dimension to a garment without overpowering the effect. Like it or leave it, seems like plaid is here to stay - so mix and match or keep it simple my friends.

Shades of Grey

4 Button Blazer -- niiiice.

It's 80 degrees outside BUT that's not going to stop me from wearing light wool blends, even if it's just a vest. Lets face it mother earth, it's fall whether you like it or not.

Nothing says fall like light-weight grey wool -- love that shit. A lightish grey is the perfect color for fall because white says summer and black often says winter so an inbetween is a great companion to autumn colors. What I love is that you can have so many different shades of grey and wear them at the same time without looking ridiculously match-y. Grey is simple, but not as direct as black; it's plain, but not as simple as white. That is not to say that black or white are not amazing -- oh contraire -- all three go wonderfully together!

Notice the splash of blue, white and red. If the suit was all white or black and white, the added blue and red might not blend as well and you might get something that resembles the American Flag (ew).
Grey is the perfect background color to supplement otherwise bold colors if they were to stand alone. Dressed down or dressed up, this beautiful, versatile color (or shade, depending on who you talk to) works well with any color -- even shades of itself!

Awesome suit from Park & Bond

To complete the look, here are some great ties from Hickoree's. They have great selection of Made in the USA ties (for real, not the Made in the USA that actually made in China) as well as some great other stuff for your pickin's.

    

An Addendum to the Maxi

Guys don't be shy to rock the look too...

Maximize Your Maxi

Long skirts are in.... and Jewish women everywhere rejoice! Long hemlines once reserved for the modesty of Orthodox Jewish women and frumpy hippie chicks, have taken over the runways this fall. Apparently the leggy look of the micro mini is out and the modest maxi look is in.

For Orthodox Jewish women who are required to wear skirts below the knee, this trend means that their mandatory dress code just got a whole lot hipper. For the rest of us, this is a nice way to avoid wearing tights as the fall weather creeps in.

Personally, I am on the fence about this look. For shorter women, like myself, wearing a billowing shirt down to my ankles is not the most body flattering look. I would opt for a below the knee pencil skirt, or a flowy a-line skirt that hits mid-calf like this oh-so-gorgeous gal.

I have heard complaints from the opposite sex regarding the maxi skirt trend. My answer to that -- add a slit to the look! Nothing sexes up an outfit like a little peek-a-boo of leg. So as fall approaches let your hemline down, but be sure to wear something fitted on top to counter balance the billowy silhouette.

Corduroy! Cord-awry.

I've never really been a fan of corduroy. It always reminded me of high waist fupa chunky winter school uniform pants and that sort of sickly feeling you get when you realize summer is over and school is about to begin. The dark navy blue color often found in the drab color collection of many private school outfits, definitely doesn't compliment any skin color instead, promoting the undertones of green and purple as though there is a constant florescent light above you. Navy blue uniforms should stay where they ought to be...in the Navy.

AHHHHHHHHH! GET OUTTA TOWN!

ANYWAY, to get back to corduroy -- there's something really depressing about it. I'm not sure if it's due to the navy uniforms I was forced to wear as a kid or because the hippie generation popularized it as a staple of smelly, "homeless," grunge, that sort of torn brown dreadlock cords, frayed at the bottom from walking around in Birkenstocks at Woodstock all day.

Perhaps I will rediscover corduroy, as many are doing this fall, by finding the perfect soft italian cotton corduroy blazer like this one from Adam Kimmel. Although this particular cord jacket will set you back over $1000, one can easily find a cheaper, yet stylish option at Modasuit for only $190!! What I like about these jackets is that you can wear them with pretty much anything either to dress yourself down or to make your casual outfit a bit more refined. These jackets are proof that corduroy blue and brown doesn't have to be depressing or monotonus. You can even add your own unique touch by purchasing these awesome suede elbow patches which compliment the "Wales" rib texture of classic cord fabric fantastically! What sets these beautiful blazers apart from the dreadful fabric the hippies and school administrations choose is the thickness of the cord. Uniforms tend to be made out of shitty textile due to the fact that they have to be mass produced. Thick corduroy usually results in a heavy, stiff, overly old fashioned look, whereas the too thin cord looks like a horrible cheap velvet drape. The trick is to find a medium blend that will show the best aspects of corduroy, while still maintaining style and texture -- in other words, stick to 100% cotton blends or a medium weight pinwale.

Hippies -- step aside in your cord-awry.