Tuesday 8 September 2009

Wearing the rainbow

Green cord shirt from Uniqlo, second hand brown leather rucksack, red embroidered scarf by Universal Works.

Back in February a sartorial ruthless whirlwind (also known as EJ) blew through my wardrobe for a spot of early Spring (wardrobe) cleaning. In addition to organising and sorting a colour inventory was taken and the results were alarming. I'm ashamed to admit to you all over again that 30% of my wardrobe was grey, 30% navy/blue, 30% brown and the final 10% was built up of only a few more additional colours. Since that shocking day I have taken it upon myself to experiment more with colour. I think we are all guilty of being drawn to a certain colour palette on the rails whilst shopping but why not take a risk or two and have a little fun with the way we dress? With this mind, over the weekend I decided to dress up in a few of my recent colourful purchases...

Green cord shirt from Uniqlo, second hand brown leather rucksack, red embroidered scarf by Universal Works, purple jeans from Uniqlo, patent shoes by Swear.

Part of me thinks I look a little special needs or at least colour blind and it has been suggested that I have channelled my inner matador or South American farmer. Whatever the outcome, you can't call the outfit dull and it certainly brought a smile to my face (although I have to concede to not smiling in the shots here) and hopefully did to a few other people I bumped into during the day. When I first sent the above shot to EJ she asked if I was wearing 'the rainbow' and I have to say this is the most colourful outfit that I've ever worn. I call this the 'Uniqlo Effect'. Walk in to any Uniqlo store and you are instantly hit with an almost overwhelming number of colour variations which confuse the mind initially but ultimately inspire. The brand's colour range has helped seduce me and many other men away from more muted tones. I recently read an article in The Independent which discussed the plain, simple and successful formula of Uniqlo. Carola Long mentioned that thanks to Uniqlo and other polychromatic emporiums such as American Apparel, male shoppers are embracing zingy and, perhaps significantly, optimistic hues such as tangerine and peppermint.

Away from the High Street there was plenty of inspiration for a colourful season ahead at the Aw09 shows. McQueen's show contained a bounty of desirable stand-alone pieces. The show had a wealth of depth, every time I look at this collection I see another highlight but I love the earthy tones featured throughout. Lanvin continued the blend of traditional lux fabrics and technological twist but it was the mix of deep red and green accessories against the well cut relaxed suits which got me excited and is something I am desperate to try in the coming months. Closer to home James Long surprised me most with his varied collection. Whilst making beige an exciting shade London's most exciting designer raised excitement levels with bursts of claret. One of the most simple yet effective colour palettes was Lou Dalton's collection. The mix of charcoal, stone, khaki and olive green referenced a quintessential country gentleman and came together wonderfully. Colour is an instant mood lifter and as the days get shorter and that bit colder I'm going to turn to a bright hue for a quick pick me up.

10 comments:

SOS! said...

Beautiful combo, and I especialluy love the brogues.
xx-LJ from SOS!

Matthew Spade said...

so thats what you wear purple trousers with! looks great though. also jealous of what looks like its going to be a great rucksack.

when i was in london last week i picked up several pairs of socks and some indigo slim jeans for uniqlo.

Isabelle said...

Hey! Special needs is always a good look.

Goodness I wonder how much grey is in my wardrobe...

Unknown said...

Looks great esp. the Swear shoes.

I try to convince myself some colour would could be good as a wardrobe-enhancement but usually I stick to a tried-and-trusted palette with variation in textures or cuts. To be perfectly honest, I think many brighter colours (bright reds, pinks, yellows and lighter greens) only really work with certain skintones. Pastey Irish skin is prohibitive!

/Male-Mode.com

Style Salvage Steve said...

SOS: Wow thanks! Me too, I've only just started wearing them again but I bought them early last year.
Mat: This is my most colourful way of wearing them. They look great with my Mr. Hare's and a white shirt as well though. They all sound like good Uniqlo buys...I can't get enough of the socks, I have a pair of every colour variation now.
Isabelle: I forgot to point out that the full outfit shot suggests that I was stoned or something. I really wasn't, just a little overcome by the colour.
Cillian: Thanks so much! I hear you on the prohibitive-ness of pastey skin but there are colourful options out there if you fancy giving it a go.

Emma Homestay Bandar Tasik Puteri said...

A year or two ago I always wore bright colours and gradually start replacing them with more muted tones because I thought lighter hues are more elegant and easier to wear.

Boy was I wrong when I saw your photo. You've proven that if worn in a right combination colours will not only enhance your look or mood but also make people smile too!

whats-he-wearing.com said...

looking great! love the colors!

Keith said...

I love the colors. Great look. Thanks for sharing these photos with us. Hope you will have a fantastic week.

John said...

Haha South American farmer! haha

Izzy said...

What a way to reinvent yourself, I'm very impressed. (I have yet to embark on a similar reinvention, I'm stuck in a nearly month-long style rut brought about by the big move, it's not even funny anymore.) The untrained eye may see this as wearing the entire rainbow, but I think your mix of hues is something very very fresh, I've never seen anything like it before. It's certainly not the usual mix of rich fall jewel-y tones we're used to (deep plums, navys, forest greens offset by grays and blacks) nor is it a daring mix of nearly neon brights. Your palette is almost food-like, actually, almost reminiscent of Mexican or Indian food. And the slight ethnic touches here and there remind me of the latest-season Dries and Givenchy. Great, great job, I salute you!

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