Primer Magazine: 9 Patterns Every Man Should Know

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9 Patterns Every Man Should Know – Grant Harris for Primer Magazine

(With Suggestions for Each from Dappered.com)

Grant Harris knows a thing or two about style.  He owns and runs the Washington D.C. based image consulting company Image Granted LLC, and he’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Time, and on CNN.  The guy helps teach men in one of the most powerful cities in the world how to look the part.  The guy knows his stuff.

He’s a master of patterns, and his recent feature for Primer Magazine is a must read for all men.  Read his breakdown of the 9 patterns every man should know, then head back this way for some Dappered approved suggestions for each.  Our list gets going immediately beneath the launch:

Click here to launch Grant's feature for Primer Magazine.

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1. Windowpane: Banana Republic Slim Fit Windowpane Dress Shirt – $79.50

3x the price but an extremely rare find.

If you like solid suits and muted ties, a light blue windowpane dress shirt will become your go-to piece to inject color and depth into your business wear.  Is $80 expensive?  Absolutely.  But it’s extremely difficult to find a good width windowpane shirt that’s slim fit and non iron.  This one does all that.
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2. Houndstooth:  Express Stretch Wool Dark Houndstooth Jacket and Pants – $326.00

One of the best suits of the fall.

Houndstooth can be mind-numbingly loud.  Black and white in a small interlocking pattern can be dizzying.  Which is precisely why Express nails it with their latest suit.  It’s a dark charcoal and almost black houndstooth.  The teeth play well off each other and give the suit texture, but not in an obvious way.  The fit is great too.  Skip the vest.
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3. Chalk-Stripe Flannel:  Ralph Lauren Estate Flannel Driving Cap – $65.00

Some will look great. Others will look like a Newsie.

WARNING!  ¡PELIGRO!  AVERTISSEMENT!  GEFAHR!  90% of us will look like total dopes wearing a driving cap.  If you naturally don’t look good wearing one, the only way you can overcome that is by sitting in an Austin Heely.  So if you do look good in them (or you own an  Austin Heely) here’s your hat.  70% wool to keep you warm with the top down in fall.  And you thought it’d be a suit.
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4. Pinstripe Worsted: Hilfiger Trim Fit Slim Stripe Suit Jacket & Pants – $284.98

All business. And the right kind of business too.

Yep, another suit.  The Tommy Hilfiger Trim Fit is widely available at Macy’s, through Macys.com, and is one of the best things Hilfiger has done in years.  Much of the label is still unfitted and bulky.  These suits are not.  They do seem to be a little long in the jacket so be aware of that.  Also, the shoulder pads are a little more substantial than the pands on an Alfani RED.  So consider sizing down one jacket size to get it to fit just right.  I wear a 40s Kenneth Cole but a 38R was perfect for me in these.  Nobody screws with a confident guy in a well cut pinstripe.
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5. Birds Eye:  Brooks Brothers Cashmere Blend Socks – $22.50 (reg. $45)

Not a bad gift for you or someone else.

Like Houndstooth, Birdseye can get real harsh, real fast.  Yes there are some (expensive) exceptions, but… like bold stripes, keep the pattern flash to your socks. These Brooks Brothers Cashmere blend socks are pricey, but they’re also half off.  I personally think Cashmere is highly overrated, but some guys are all about it.  A great pattern for a sock, plus the luxury factor in the cashmere = a great gift for someone.  Maybe yourself.
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6. Herringbone:  ASOS Collection Double Buckle Retro Satchel – $50.55

Just don't carry it while wearing that driver's cap.

I love a herringbone blazer as much as the next guy, but you can’t find a true herringbone at a reasonable price right now.  (Talking to you, Banana Republic and J. Crew).  If you don’t need to carry a ton around, but still need to get around, the tweed looking herringbone pattern on this messenger is tough to pass up.
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7. Glen Plaid:  Lauren Glen Plaid Decanter – $89.99 (reg. $120)

Impressively imposing. For a decanter.

Glen Plaid sits on a shelf right next to houndstooth and birdseye.  The greater the contrast, the more obnoxious.  But it’s tough to be obnoxious when you’re full of whiskey.  Wait… the exact opposite is actually true.  Ah well.  This decanter looks cool.
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8. Madras: Hilfiger Kane Thongs – $23.99 | Rugby Madras Short – $29.99

Better than a Madras Blazer

Madras has an unmistakable summer feel, which is why at this point in the year you can pick up some of the loud plaid pattern on sale.  The elevated flip flops from Hilfiger won’t cost you much more than a plastic pair you’d get at a Walgreens, and the shorts are trim, cheap, and available in all sizes.
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9. Seersucker:  Topman Light Blue Seersucker Tie – $20.00

Better than a seersucker suit (if you live in the North)

Want to wear seersucker but don’t live south of the Mason Dixon Line?  Stick to accessories.  This necktie has plenty of warm weather style and would go well with a summer chino suit.  And unlike a full seersucker suit, you could even wear this tie in winter.  Come February when the snow has turned black with car exhaust and you need a little reminder of the sunny days to come, try this tie under a dark sweater vest.

Many thanks to Grant Harris and Primer Magazine.  Visit Grant’s website here.