Above Suit Supply Jackets: Purple – $349 | White Double Breasted – $299 | Red – $349
The Bright Colors Thing is fine: You can’t walk through life looking like one of the guys in Reservoir Dogs
The Bright Colors Thing has gone too far: Actually, it does show that you’re taking this whole dressing well thing too seriously. They’ve put so much into their closet and how they dress, that they’re bored. Outrageously bright colors are the fetish of the men’s style world. The norm has gotten so dull, that the wearer is now reduced to the sartorial version of sneaking a smell of women’s shoes in a department store. Deep down, these types hope to get caught by someone observing that they’re different. Go-to-hell pants? They’re like skinning a hipster and making chinos from the pelt. It’s also really, really hard to take a guy in bright green pants seriously. A big part of being respected is not to necessarily look intimidating, but at least look and act like you’re more than capable of standing your ground. That’s pretty hard to do when you’re a couple of floppy ears & some whiskers short of being a shopping mall Easter bunny…
Your turn guys. You on board with the brighter is better? Or is it getting a little silly? Leave you take below.
Lower Photo Credit: Page 4 of the Brooks Brothers Spring 2012 Vol 2 Catalog.
Haha this is by far the funniest thread I’ve ever read on Dappered.
Gotta agree with the things have gone too far side. Bright colors are fine for a lot of things, accessories, undershirts, polos, dress shirts, but your suit jacket or pants should just about never be seafoam green.
pro-colors got pwned
I see bright colors as an accent, so I think it may be a bit much to wear a bright color as a main piece of an outfit (such as a jacket).
However, for a more casual feel, I don’t have a problem with a pair of red, light blue, or any other lightly colored chino.
I’ll still stick with the bright colors used regularly as accenting colors though.
Btw, bright colored shirts are fine as well, especially paired with a dark pair of pants or jeans. One of my favorites is a mint green!
There’s a line, and you should know when you’ve crossed it..
Yes. Overdone. I’m all for colorful shirts, ties, and socks, but since when do we need electric yellow soles on leather wingtips? I’d rather the average man concentrate on wearing sport coats that fit and aren’t made of recycled tractor tires than have him spend money on periwinkle chinos with embroidered skulls and crossbones.
I do love my emerald green windbreaker from LEC, though!
^what is with the skulls and crossbones in the past couple of years?
“really hard to take a guy in bright green pants seriously”
Sure, if you look over 35 and/or is overweight wears it. Nothing wrong with plain bright color chinos (And NOT skull patterns or any sort of pattern actually) for younger, trim guys. But if you (you know who you are) still judge, perhaps you should relax and give it a rest a little. No need to be so backwa… I mean, conservative and so judgmental on clothes that doesn’t even show men’s leg hair (or even worse pubic hair or ass crack).
eh, an exception would be wearing more than one solid bright color outfit, like wearing bright color suit (that is not blue or grey tone i.e. green, red, or purple suit). That deserves some scorn, even if my book. But wearing one solid bright colored garment (usually chino pants) with overall more neutral colored (white, grey, or navy) outfit is totally fine in this day and age -again assuming that you don’t look mid-aged nor overweight.
If the person wearing the clothes is confident in what they are wearing, they deserve at least a bit of respect, even if you don’t like the colors.
If the fit’s good and they *own it*, more power to ’em.
Joe wrote:”Go-to-hell pants? They’re like skinning a hipster and making chinos from the pelt.:
LOL. That is the best read of the day. Now where are my red pants?
Lol, I like color, I try to incorporate it into my fits often. I am not for the bright sc as a personal preference. On the other have I love gotohell pants. Those have nothing to do with any fashion rave, its classic prep which is part of my style. So I cannot be against it. Especially if it’s done right.
I am all for color and try to incorporate it into my fits as best I can. I don’t think that fact that the trendy guys in menswear are experimenting with color because they all come back to the regular world after they realize it’s tacky and not so timeless. But color is great it accentuates you clothes and makes certain Pieces more memorable than others. I like certain bright sc mayb not the fuschia, but a bright blue is awesome. As far as GTH Pants go, I own a few and will always do. I am confident in myself therefore I can push the envelope on my choices. It’s exactly what joes comment about the against brights. It’s to make you seem less serious in a world that takes thing far too serious.
Skull and bone has been a fixture in prep style ever since Ralph Lauren started making clothes and Preps it up and incorporated into thier fashion. I don’t think it’s necessarily a trend, just old fashion resurfacing.
My sentiments exactly
So I suppose you wouldn’t like Geoffrey’s jacket?
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8142759/brynne-and-geoffrey-edelstens-surgery-spat
PS. He normally wear much brighter clothes – I’ve seen photos of gold glitter suits and orange jackets
PSS. The bright colours must act as a lure for Brynne – you need to know she’s from the US, swo obviously has a style advantage!
That guy’s look is ridiculous. I’m with Eric. Bright colors work well with a lot of things (I prefer t’s, shorts, and accessories) but the bright yellow pants with little sailboats? … Not a fan
That being said, I do think bright chinos can be pulled off quite easily in a casual setting. I just really hate the mini sailboats/anchors that are being pushed lately.
I am overweight, so brights have to know their place, I love some of the colors, but alas…
As a seersucker white buck and bow tie wearing southerner I am in complete support of bright colors at appropriate events and times of year!
I think its gone too far. Especially when people have the mindset that certain colors can only be worn in certain seasons and they act like its law. The usual, traditional colors are fine, and brights are fine in small doses to spice it up.
The lapel width on those jackets bothers me more than the bright colors
Color can be great; however, a plum jacket? Settle down Don Cherry. White? Fire Engine Red? brutal. The seersucker is great, can’t get behind the yellow pants though.
I like the colors. I am sure I have a line with big bang color pants and blazers. But I don’t expect I will end up even close to it. I just don’t want to drop the cash on what will look so dated so soon. I picked up a pair of barn red chinos on sale, and I like em. And the purple blazer up top, I like it too. But I would never own it. Not for 350 bucks.
Socks and pocket squares are a little more like it for me. Bang for the buck.
I like the colors very much, although I wouldnt wear it myself as it looks very childish.
http://goo.gl/Q7slM
WWJBD? (What would James Bond do?)
I think I weight on the side of bright color as subtle accent–belts, ties, watch bands, socks, pins, scarves–hell, even shirts on occasion. Dressing even DECENT these days gets you all the attention one could want, so adding large amounts of eye-popping florescents is a no-no in my book.
The bright colors I can live with…it’s the bowtie that makes me cringe the most in the photo above. Sorry, but if you’re a clean-cut white dude with close cropped hair, you’re going to look like either Bill Nye the Science Guy or, even worse, a Young Republican in a bowtie. You might as well put your genitals in a jar on the shelf, because you won’t be needing them anytime soon.
the outfit looked good to me… until I scrolled down and notice the bright yellow. Bright coloured pants MAY be alright in a casual outfit but not when you are dressing up.
I also have to point out that I have notice in korean drama( I am myself of asian descent) that the actors would often wear those bright colours suits( pink or worse pink and white stripes or yellow coat, you get it) and I think that this goes over the top. It is as if you are crying for attention ” look at me look at me! I’m different”
Very good timing in releasing this debate when one of the most popular threads on dappered threads is about the LEC plum chinos. Seems that lots of guys are purchasing those pants in the past few days.
Bright colors work, IF you keep it casual and for the weekend. Personally, this is where shopping at a place like Target will do fine, so you can stay on trend without worrying about how money you’ve dropped once the trend passes.
I agree, bright colors should be your accent not your main color. However, I do like he look of that red linen sport coat. I just don’t know if it would look the same on me.
You can look at a person and tell whether or not they’re pulling it off. I guy I work with who is in his 30s wears seersucker suits and pink bow ties and he looks like a million bucks, whereas I would look like an idiot. Personally, ties and pocket squares are where I like to use the brightest colors.
But if you’re ever in doubt, just take a page from Ted Mosby’s book when he wasn’t sure about his red cowboy boots and find a GCWOK. They’ll set you straight…
I echo what most of the men here are saying: all things in moderation. Color is great. Use sparingly. Fit is more important.
I try not to get wrapped up in judging other people based on what they wear, but it does seem to be a lot easier to do when someone combines seersucker, yellow chinos with a repeating pattern and a bright bowtie. Seems like a plea for attention. But just because I would never wear that doesn’t make it inherently wrong.
Here in Nashville, I see that look at weddings often. Since when do guys dress to steal attention away from the bride? Come on, gents…
From a practicality standpoint, wearing bright colors could become expensive if you intend to do it well because bright pieces are more memorable, and pretty soon you’ll be “that guy that wears the pink sportcoat” if you don’t have enough pieces to rotate through. Relegating color to ties and shirts would allow you to cycle around more affordably while maintaining your existing jackets/pants/shoes.
Beyond that, though, I think it’s actually a good look. In the case of the example picture, I don’t think the yellow pants are over the top, but I do think that the critters (are those sailboats?) probably are. I (along with half the Dappered forums) just ordered a pair of plum chinos from LEC. I also ordered a sea foam gingham shirt. And any day now, my blue suede loafers should be arriving in the mail.
I wouldn’t advocate it for a year-round look, but it’s spring! The winter look is slick and all, but it’s time for some color!
… and I agree with everyone that says it works best for casual attire, but if someone else bought me a colorful sportcoat (or I found one while thrifting), I’d still try my darndest to pull it off.
pomp an circus-pants. that is all.
that should read pomp AND circus-pants. hobbled snark is never pretty.
“Go-to-hell pants? They’re like skinning a hipster and making chinos from the pelt.”
This cracked me up. Hilarious stuff Joe! I agree it’s gotten a bit out of hand, but I don’t mind too much–it makes us Dappered guys who stand out for wearing sharp, well fitted clothes that don’t look like someone went to town with a box of crayons.
Cheers,
Ben
Bright-colored-everything is a trend invented by the clothiers. Why would a company stick to just selling you the normal shades of pants, when they can make you buy a few in headache inducing hues as well? I am especially looking at Bonobos in this regard.
I live in Manhattan, I don’t sail or belong to a country club. If I see you wearing stuff like that I will either assume you are visiting for the day from Rhode Island, or that you are a try-hard.
It’s only going over the top when combined. You don’t want to look like a portrait done by a talented kindergartener. Most guys shouldn’t really wear go-to-hell pants anyway (leave it to the WASPs and the Boston Blue-bloods), but I think the term has been bandied about too casually. The plum chinos aren’t go-to-hell pants; the yellow with sailboat are. I personally would have bought the plum chinos if I had anything to wear it with, but I’m not there yet.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with color. Color in the right places is rather pleasant, and I wouldn’t limit colors to ties and pocket squares. Sure, maybe a pair of electric-blue wingtips with a lime-green vamp is going way too far, but that’s because the combination of colors, combined with the item in question, is ridiculous. I wouldn’t even limit it to a single item of color with a toned-down wardrobe. One should take color theory into account when mixing and matching, but I think a blue shirt with red chinos and white canvas sneakers could look good, even if it’s not the Fourth of July. If it’s a color you like and looks good on you, I don’t see why the item in question would have to be eliminated once “the trend” passes. What’s so scary about color? Honestly, I think the worst of the three looks in the top pic is the dude in the middle with the white double-breasted jacket and khaki chinos. The other guys look pretty sharp, I think. Admittedly, they’ve only got a single bright color on an otherwise white ensemble, but I like it.
They’re cool?
Oh god, you’re right. Awful.
Completely disagree, bow ties are dope.
Well…it’s a Korean drama. Of course it’s going to be over the top. You might as well criticize a telenovela for not presenting authentic human relationships!
That’s classic Southern style. I don’t think seersucker in Nashville is “LOOK AT ME” fashion. It’s expected!
“Bright-colored-everything is a trend invented by the clothiers.”
If by “trend” you mean “classic prep style that’s been around for decades”…
I think just by using the phrase “try-hard”, you are trying too hard.
Oh, I have no qualms with seersucker in itself. I wear it even. But I’ve seen some garish combinations lately that look more like the Brooks Brothers ad above and they really stand out.
I could beat that BB model’s ass….. (my subconscious when I see embroidered, lemon chinos)
that said, i do have a cardigan this color.
But my lady makes me take it off when she is around, so……
Just bought a pair of slim emerald green denim from ZARA…… I regret nothing!
Ha. Bought the same chinos despite having the same color cords already
If it makes you feel better, we’re halfway through the day and it was just pointed out that the title of the post was reading: “gone to far?” (I blame being blinded by that red blazer for dropping the last “o”)
No, the colors thing hasn’t gone too far, absolutely not…
http://nicetrybro.com/post/20465253602/zinm-online-hackett-london-mens-fashion-who
I live in D.C., where the bow tie will not die (in part because of all the Young Republicans you mentioned), and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who sees it as a way of telling the world, “Don’t worry, I’m not sexually threatening to anyone.”
Some guys can pull it off, others are more conservative and don’t feel confident or comfortable doing so. It’s also much more common to see bright colors in the spring and summer, and that makes sense. Really, I think dismissing huge swaths of fashion options out of hand is silly, and it could even be argued that this fuddy-duddy mindset is one of the things that holds American men back from taking their place alongside Europeans and other men as the most fashionable gents in the world.
Know your style and be true to yourself, but don’t be afraid to be bold and take risks. Don’t look down on other men for making similar bold style choices, even if occasionally they miss the mark in their quest for great personal style.
That pic at the bottom sums it up, bright colors and little emblems all over the pants? That guy needs to be punched, often and hard.
An old man in a purple suit would look fantastic. As long as it fit well and didn’t look like he grabbed it out of a dumpster. No carnies here.
I agree. Today, I wore a light gray suit with a purple pocket square. I prefer subtlety.
Bright colors have definitely jumped the shark.
Just don’t wear your bright red shirt/sport coat with your british alpha khakis while you’re shopping there. Actually, maybe if you’re wearing a red sport coat you can suggest you’re some sort of uber manager and just walk out with it all for free.
You think these jackets might look dated before too long?
http://www.btvision.bt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/duranduran_cms_big.jpg
theres always a way to be different and still look sharp without looking like a pimp
Trying too hard to be/do what, may I ask?
Good eye, I didn’t catch that at first. Horrible.
If I wasn’t already on board the brightly-colored-pants wagon (can’t wait to wear my orange cords next fall…) that sentence would do it for me.
I like to dress in colors like I’m going to an 80’s neon color rave
I blame Pirates of the Caribbean.
no. stop with the style rules.
I mean, I agree that certain colors are too bright and bold to wear well but overall this article bothers me. Not because of its writing or its opinion but because I worry what can happen if people take it the wrong way and give up on color again.
Think back about a decade. Modern professional man at the time was pretty much confined to Earthtones and Navy from what I remember. Color was for counter culture kids and hipsters. I like where we’re at today. I’m good with having to occasionally having to look at nuclear colors on pants and jackets if it means men still play with colors.
A little color, a bright pocket square or a pink shirt, is ok, but yes, it HAS gone too far. I couldn’t take myself seriously in 3/4 of the stuff at Brooks Brothers, much less ask others to.
Hey Christopher, just checked out your site. I was reading your most recent entry, and I gotta say…that jacket…no idea what to do with it, but God help me, I would FIND A WAY!
I don’t worry about staying on trend at all. Style is timeless. Go To Hell pants are not.
Since I can’t kill and skin a hipster, I guess I’ll have to get some GTH pants.
Hi Guys,
In terms of the bright color debate, I am all for it just for the simple fact it is up to you to wear it or not. Some people are up in arms about the the trend of bright colored menswear, however; if you just don’t buy it, you don’t really have to complain. Menswear should have a bit of whimsy at times instead of the stuffy, cookie cutter looks you will see on SF for example.
look at them yellow pants; stupid shit.
I don’t mind a little color but it can be overdone. IMO the brighter the color, the smaller the article of clothing should be. Also – brighter pants work better than brighter shirts or sport coats.
A word on preppy terminology. Nothing about the preppy look says go to hell, and that includes go to hell pants. those pants don’t say go to hell so much as they say “thanks for the Beamer mom and dad.” Worn with the right ensemble, they can look good, but they do not, under any circumstances, look rebellious. The fact that preppys think they look rebellious shows you what a low bar for rebellion preppydom has.
I think it’s pretty hypocritical that trendsters will wear the kind of garment described here and that’s okay, but there is NO love for the Aloha shirt in fashion, even if the guy chooses one the right size (usually a size DOWN from his normal letter size) and wears it in either the manner prescribed by the Polynesians or as pure casual wear. Shame.
I think it’s fine for everyone to wear really bright colors, but only because that means I can still go “Reservoir Dogs” 24/7 and look like a rebel doing it. That’s a double score.
It’s easy if you hang them by the legs on a rack in the woods.
Actually the Valet website just had a post endorsing the aloha shirt – properly sized of course.
The fact that some didn’t catch it at first just goes to show that they aren’t THAT egregious. They are peak lapels, which are generally wider anyways. I think they look fine. Not in line with what is “fashionable” right now, but that doesn’t mean they’re ugly. Why can’t people make up their own mind about what looks good, instead of just letting others decide for you?
On the other hand, the colors are ridiculous.
Bright colors are fun to fool around with, but I wouldn’t marry them.
I used to wear bright colored chinos on occasion to be unique, but now I just look like a mindless trend-follower.
oh wait… these AREN’T circus performers ??
I think the lapels are easy to miss considering that the focus of the post is the colors of the jackets. To me the lapels on the two-buttons look awkwardly wide, especially with the build of the models.
Personally, I like to keep colorful clothes simple; peak lapels are flashy on their own. I’d take a bright jacket (maybe not that bright ^) or peak lapels, but together I think it’s a bit much.Then again, I’m 19 and I probably haven’t been wearing suits for as long as you have.
I think that the white double breasted blazer is absolutely gorgeous and wish I had one, however the other two look comical. As with every fashion craze you have to decide where to draw the line. I do love garment dyed khakis tho. I am very fond of the Gap 1969 khakis.
Silly. Plain and simple.
I’m sorry but madras blazers should not exist. Also, anyone wearing red, yellow, green, pink or any bright flashy colored pants with a dark/bright blazer should be slapped in the face.
It’s not cool. It’s not a fashion statement. There is nothing masculine about it. It makes a man look silly if not outright feminine.