It’s all the little things that accumulate to greatness. During winter break, it was the precious memories I had each and every day with the people I love from my hometown that made it one of the best breaks of my life. Now when people ask, I confidently say my break was absolutely spectacular and tend to drift back to the all the smaller moments as opposed to the bigger things like my trip to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. I reminisce about the night I spent talking with my best friends until one in the morning at In-N-Out or even simply just sleeping in until a questionably late time because I wanted to.
Although those touches seem small and insignificant, they bring great value to the whole. This can also be applied to this Fashionisto’s semi-formal ensemble. He’s sporting a windowpane grid dress shirt from H&M and burgundy chinos from Banana Republic topped off with a herringbone topcoat from Banana Republic. His attention to detail is clear through his conscientious fashion choices. His dress shirt, although printed, is very subtle and in white and black. This allows the top to contribute to and not distract the entire look as a whole. Additionally, his burgundy chinos provide some color for the ensemble but are dark enough to not take away from the look as a whole.
With his bases covered, he accessorizes with cognac belt and shoes, printed socks and a cool watch. An often overlooked aspect when dressing for semi-formal events is matching belt and shoe colors. By wearing cognac for both his belt and oxford shoes, he streamlines his look and maintains a sense of maturity. On the other hand, the printed socks are unexpected and create some whimsy to his otherwise serious outfit.
Each piece ties together to create his collected but light-hearted look. Next time you prepare for a semi-formal event, remember to focus on the smaller details and you’ll have no problem looking put together.
How To: Don’t be afraid to mix prints! This is a small but great way to take any outfit up a notch. To avoid looking sloppy, simply mix and match prints that share similar colors. A fool-proof way to achieve this look is to mix basic black and white prints. For example, this Fashionisto is wearing polka dot socks, unlike the grid top, but they do not clash. Rather, the opposing prints complement each other due to their subtlety in color.
