Attention all Males...This post is for you!

Yes, I admit that the majority of my posts are geared and will be geared toward women, but I promise to take the time every now and then to give a shout-out to my male readers...I know you're out there!


Many of the males that I know have difficulty choosing dress shirts and ties for whatever reason, they seem to be stuck when it comes down to pairing the two together.  There is an old mentality and stigma attached to menswear specifically when it comes down to one of the essentials - dress shirts and ties.  Men tend to be old-school and more reserved when pairing a dress shirt with a tie.  The standard: white or blue dress shirt and a striped tie that matches; while there is nothing wrong with this pairing, why not be more experimental and adventurous with your selection.


I believe that there are three key factors as to why men tend to play it "safe" with their dress shirt and tie selections: 1) Most men HATE shopping and tend to grab the first thing they see or stick with what they know; 2) It can be intimidating looking at tables dressed with ties and stacks upon stacks of coloured dress shirts all in one location; and 3) Most men are in fact colour-blind.  I know, you're saying to yourself right now "Not me!", but the fact is, yes you.  Sorry guys, it has been scientifically proven that males suffer from colour-blindness more often than women.  One way to help combat the colour-blindness scenario is to take along a femme friend-wife-girlfriend who has the flare for personal design, i.e. someone like me.  But if you don't have a femme who you can take along with you I have some tips that will help ease the daunting task of choosing the right dress shirt and tie for your occassion.


Get Outside The Box
So you've been stuck with the same combination for years, a white/blue dress shirt and blue striped ties.  Now there is nothing wrong with this example other than the fact that it is completely utilitarian and even a bit boring.  Now I understand that if you are in the business of wearing suits and dress shirts all day that you can't always be adventurous with your selection, but no one says that you have to stick with the same-old all the time.


Men's suits create the base for the body, the jacket and pants match (traditionally) and you have the ability to ramp up the suit with a chic dress shirt and tie.  Take for example a grey suit (pinstriped or not), you could put a white shirt underneath and a blue striped tie and get along just fine; but why not put on a yellow shirt with that blue striped tie? Or try a purple shirt with a coordinating purple paisley print tie.


You could easily lose the suit and throw on some grey slacks with your yellow shirt and ramp up the tie to a funky print like argyle in a fun colour like green.  The key in selecting a funky print and paring it with a dress shirt is to find a linking colour, this tip helps if you're not so great with coordinating.

The argyle tie in the image above could easily be paired with a green shirt or even the purple one above.  Similarly, the purple tie goes with the yellow shirt.  But this is too much detail so early on in my post...I'll touch more on coordination a bit later.


Mixing Patterns - It is doable!
Many will argue that mixing patterns is nauseating to the eye and yes, there is something to be said about two highly competing patterns being mixed together, but when combining a subtle pattern with a bold tie the pallet is soothing.  Let's take the examples I have below: 

The green shirt on the top right of the image has a very subtle grid pattern.  The grid lines are in a lighter green than the shirt itself, so the pattern is tone-on-tone which works very well in many instances.  The shirt on the bottom left of the image is a grey-blue colour with a smaller grid pattern (than the shirt on the top) in a dark blue, along with small blue dots patterned throughout.


I included images of solid ties and patterned ones so you get a better idea of mixing patterns together.  Almost all of the solid coloured ties work with the patterned shirts shown above and create a nice contrast to the colour of the shirts themselves, but if you were to select:

• The green shirt (top-right) and the following patterned ties: 2, 7 & 8
• The grey-blue shirt (bottom-left) and the following patterned ties: 1, 3, 4 & 6

You would have a great combination of shirt + tie.  You might have noticed that ties 2, 3, 6, 7, & 8 have a "gird" pattern in them which helps to coordinate the patterns in the shirts themselves.  I know, you're saying that I was supposed to be talking about mixing patterns and the striped ties do the trick for that.  Stick with linear patterns when you have a geometric shirt pattern this way you don't get that nauseating feeling when looking at yourself in the mirror (because of the contrasting patterns!).

Don't Forget The Arm Candy

French cuff shirts are a great way to display a bit of arm candy - what did you think I was talking about (wink, wink).  Cuff links can add a bit of whimsy and intrigue to an otherwise plain shirt.  The trick is to use cuff links that are classic and streamlined, this way you get more use out of them then say a pair of lobster cuffs.  Think of cuff links as a statement, they should say something about you but not that you enjoy gambling as you display a pair of dice.  Avoid wearing novelty cuff links to the office on a daily basis, once in a while is fine.  I believe that French cuff shirts can be worn everyday and are a nice way to take that everyday shirt up a notch.  Here are some examples of classic cuff links:

Coordinating with Colour
As promised, I want to discuss colour coordination so that you don't get left looking like something out of a Crayola box.  Colour coordination is quite simple once you get your head around one key indicator: not all colours work well together.  Now for those of you who have a hard time differentiating between taupe and grey this might be a little bit trickier for you, but rest-assured that if you stick to more saturated colours you will have a better time finding colours that coordinate.


The trick to colour coordination is to look at the colour wheel:

Complementary colours are direct opposites on the colour wheel.  Analogous colours are side-by-side.  If you stick to this scheme you should have no trouble at all picking colours that coordinate.  What if I have a tie that has a bunch of colours in it, what should I do? Simple, choose one colour out of the tie and find a shirt that is similar in colour (if not an exact match), this way you've coordinated the shirt to the tie.  Remember that colours come in a plethora of shades so be sure to stick with the same palette, in order words stick with colours of the same depth and you should have no trouble at all!


Here is a great website to help with reading a colour wheel: worqx

So guys don't be afraid to take a risk with your shirts and ties, be adventurous and embrace the world of colour and pattern that exists out there!