How To Wear It: Bold Prints in the Fall

Prints were big this year. Floral. Camo. Etc. Especially during the summer. But one of the hottest trends of the last few of years doesn’t have to STAY in the summer. Now that the weather has cooled off, don’t be afraid to inject some prints of boldness into your outfits before reaching for that flannel plaid. Unless you are a lumberjack by trade, by all means, dress appropriately. For the rest of us; here’s a guide to wear bold prints going into the cooler months.

 

#1 – Working on working out

• The Shirt: Old Navy Ultra-Soft Breathe ON Tee for Men in Charcoal – $15
• The Jacket: Amazon Peak Velocity Medium-weight Fleece Hoodie in Black – $14-18
• The Pants: Adidas Tiro 19 Training Pants in Grey – $33
• The Shoes: Adidas Solar Ride Running Shoe – $59.95

For the uninitiated to bold prints, I find it easier to fit this into your style by starting with the casuals, so you can feel,. uh, casual in them? The more relaxed and confident you feel wearing something bold (or any color that’s not part of your wardrobe) the easier it’ll be to help you move up to the more “dressier tiers” of bold print.

 

#2 – Camo/Corduroy

• The Shirt: Old Navy Thermal Knit long Sleeve Tee in Olive Camouflage – $22.99
• The Pants: Amazon Goodthreads Men’s Slim-Fit 5-Pocket Corduroy Pant in Black – $30
• The Undershirt: Target Goodfellow & Co Short Sleeve Lyndale Crew Neck T-Shirt – $6
• The Shoes: Adidas Stan Smith in White / Green – $80

A step up on the casual scale while offering the functionality of warmth. Corduroy pants with a little stretch in a 5 pocket cut helps things look dressed down with clean white trainer sneakers for that bit of contrast. (If your size happens to be available, you might be able to get those Stan Smith’s for as low as $48 through Amazon.)

 

#3 – Monochrome-ish Blues

• The Shirt: Banana Republic Luxury-Touch Performance Golf Polo in Navy Camo – $33 ($54.50)
• The Jeans: Banana Republic Slim Legacy Jean in Medium Wash – $59 ($98.00)
• The Jacket: Banana Republic Motion Tech Bomber Jacket in Navy – $89 ($149) similar
• The Shoes: Adidas Stan Smith in White / Green – $80

An easier bold pattern shirt to work into an outfit featuring pieces that the majority of us already have. A blue shade of camo in a polo shirt for the warmer part of the day fits the monochrome of blues- med wash jeans and a navy bomber jacket. Add your favorite pair of white sneakers to complete the look.

 

#4 – Warmer Days

• The Shirt: Target Goodfellow & Co – Slim Short Sleeve Button-Down in Dark Red $19.99
• The Jacket: Goodthreads Lightweight Merino Bomber Sweater in Black- prices vary
• The Jeans: Levi’s Men’s 511 Slim Fit Jeans in Grey Black – $27+
• The Shoes: Adidas Stan Smith in White / Green – $80

The shirt’s darker red is enough to work into the spectrum of fall colors. Amazon’s Goodthreads bomber type sweater leans on the thinner side of material and works for earlier, warmer parts of fall and is easy to layer up with a thicker coat in the much colder days. Pair up medium to dark grey jeans or chinos with your favorite sneakers for a done deal.

 

#5 – Layered with a large print pattern

• The Shirt: Amazon Goodthreads Slim-Fit Printed Poplin Shirt in Blue Heather – $10 – $30
• The Jeans: Banana Republic Slim Rapid Movement Denim in Stay Blue – $50ish ($118)
• The Sweater: Amazon Goodthreads Lightweight Merino Cardigan in Heather Gray – $40 similar
• The Shoes: Frye Scott Chukka Boot – prices vary
• The Belt: J. Crew Factory Washed Leather Belt – $29.50

Using a bolder print pattern than a standard micro print dot shirt… but a dot would do great here too. Shifting up the smart casual spectrum by way of using a lighter gray cardigan makes for easy layering. Perfect for a date night in or out.

 

#6 – The Abstract… with a Sportcoat

• The Shirt: Target Slim Long Sleeve Poplin Button Down in Blue – $25
• The Blazer: Express Slim Comfort Lux Blazer in Heather Blue – $168
• The Pants: Old Navy Slim Built-In Flex White Jeans for Men – $24.97
• The Shoes: Thomas & Vine Gunner Derby in Grey – $74.99 similar
• The Belt: Gap Brown Leather Belt – $39.95

“Speckled” shirts and the like might seem like designers are taking cues from Jackson Pollock. Just know that the mashup of colors are easier to match by simply choosing the color that is more “pronounced” in the shirt. Choosing shirts that have a deeper tone such as black, blue, or even white will make it easier to find colors of complimenting layers. Chukkas are pictured above but a darker grey derby also works for making the outfit more casual. Going with white jeans here. Which is gonna look off in many parts of the hemisphere, but if you’re in a warmer climate (like I am, in LA), then white jeans are still good to go.

 

#7 – The Floral… with a Suit!

• The Shirt: H&M Premium Quality Cotton Shirt in Dark Blue – $9.99 (only XXL left online)
• The Suit: Bonobos Daily Grind Suit Jacket in Navy – $88 & Matching Pants – $40 similar
• The Shoes: Made in Italy Massimo Matteo Cap Toe Oxford – $111
• The Belt: Marino Ratchet Belt in Brown – $19.99
• The Pocket Square: Tie Bar Pocket Square with Grey Border – $12

Floral shirts. Very Bold. Not for the light hearted. But not completely over reaching for the Dappered reader that normally sticks to solids. This time, we’ll contrast the shirt’s lighter colors of white and grayish blue with a darker blue suit jacket. The white pocket square with its similar grayish blue border is a complimenting piece. Now… why recommend a suit when there’s probably no reason to at this current time? Wear it for yourself. Not just for a future pending event.

About the Author: Paul K., formally from Atlanta, lives and works as an IT administrator in Los Angeles. When he’s not busy freelancing as a photographer and videographer, you can find him getting his steps in on the many hiking trails of SoCal.