Reader highlight: “how to wear this plaid flannel shirt?” » – #CDL74

Cover credit:Portuguese Flannel

The “strong player piece” format is back.

A quick reminder for those who haven't seen the first episode :

Readers sometimes send us questions about clothes they like but aren't sure how to wear.

I offer you my step-by-step thoughts to understand the garment and thus be able to wear it well, with examples of outfits.

We will respond to Sébastien in this article:

He has difficulty wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt:

Woolrich shirt

I found his question interesting because I see quite a few men wearing the plaid flannel shirt. It is a garment that can be found quite easily on the market.

This may suggest that it is a very basic and easy to wear garment, which is not always the case.

ROOM ANALYSIS

What immediately stands out here is the red. It is here in a fairly punchy shade, rather first grade, to which is added a checkered pattern, tartan.

And what's more, this tile is black.

In short, it's a fairly eye-catching garment, with strong colors.

In terms of form, it's simpler. It is a shirt without much particularity: buttoned, long sleeves, classic collar.

It's really the colors and pattern that make this shirt pretty strong.

TIPS FOR WEARING THIS SHIRT WELL

1. The right style register

This shirt slides between several styles, and it's around them that you have to turn:

• Workwear
• Streetwear
• Casual style in the broadest sense

Once you understand that, you understand that you can wear a lot of things with this shirt : from a hoodie to a thin merino sweater, including jeans, cargo, combat boots, joggers, sneakers, etc. etc.

Everything will lie in the way in which we combine the pieces and these styles together within an outfit.

T his shirt obviously has no place in very formal outfits : it is too casual to go with an office suit, a tie or dark brogues in smooth leather.

2. The right materials

The idea here is not to wear this shirt with materials that are too fine, too smooth, too conservative.

Let's try to honor this very visual cotton flannel with materials that have texture and relief . And there is something to do in autumn/winter:

• Corduroy
• Wool flannel
• Tweed
• Thick cotton (jersey, twill, etc.)
• Denim

In short, there is a way to have fun at this level.

Corduroy seems like a good idea with this shirt for example. Scavini pants

3. The right colors

Quite obviously, I would avoid wearing here:

• Other red clothes : shades of red/burgundy/purple/pink within the same outfit, from my experience, it doesn't work very well
• Other strong or at least flashy colors , especially on the pants

For the rest I think we should move towards the main colors of the men's wardrobe: white, ecru, gray, green, brown, blue and black.

"Wait a second, there's black on that shirt, and I thought black didn't go with blue and brown?"

I think black and brown are two colors that can work here for two reasons:

1. Black is not the main color of this garment: it is red
2. We can compensate for the relative incompatibility of colors with compatibility of materials: beautiful indigo denim fits perfectly into the slightly workwear/lumberjack spirit of the shirt, for example.

EXAMPLES OF OUTFITS

1. Basic with a twist

Maison Cornichon t-shirt, Edwin jeans, vintage deck jacket, Red Wing boots

We start with an outfit that is simple in its composition but which has the right amount of character:

First of all, a rather thick t-shirt in an ecru color placed under the shirt and raw selvedge jeans .

Then, an olive green deck jacket with a stronger style statement. This is a military jacket with a strong character that matches well with the shirt.

Finally, and to stay in the workwear register, good old Red Wing Moc Toe models with the contrasting sole to change from the classic Iron Ranger.

2. Mix of styles

Kidur hoodie, Stan Ray fatigue pant, mac APC , Reproduction of Found sneakers

The idea here is to mix streetwear and workwear styles.

So we have this hoodie to wear over the shirt , open or zipped, in a neutral color. It stands out with its pocket and its contrasting hood: it's a little more than a simple gray hoodie.

Below, black pants. With gray and red, it has its place. I chose it in a fatigue pant shape: the patch pockets at the front stand out , these are not flat black pants.

On the feet, reproductions of German Army Trainers , used for training the German army in the 1980s . Reproduction of Found offers these sneakers with a light beige leather upper, a slightly softer color than the bright white of the original GATs.

For outerwear, I opted for a mac: fairly neutral in style, you can wear it open or closed. The olive green color fits well into the composition. I also find that the hood of the hoodie goes well with a Mac.

3. The costume, otherwise

Nigel Cabourn suit, Editions MR coat, ETQ Amsterdam sneakers

I said at the beginning of the article that this shirt didn't really go with a formal suit.

On the other hand, a casual suit is okay. The proof here with this set in faded gray denim : a suit, certainly, but which does not meet the standards of a suit.

I then wanted to continue this momentum by adding a wool overcoat . But not a very formal, structured model, with a classic tailored lapel. I chose a casual wool coat, with a fluid drape and a belt to emphasize the waist.

Also, the check is larger and less conspicuous than on the shirt: there is no clash between these two patterns.

The shirt is casual. Well the suit and the coat are too.

I finished this outfit with sand-colored sneakers, neutral in terms of style and warm in color.

4. We're having fun!

Carhartt vest, COS pants, Thomas Farthing duffle coat, Velasca derbies

The approach here was to use pieces that we don't see often, which are not absolute basics of any wardrobe but which remain relatively simple to integrate:

• A green fisherman-style vest. The design of the pockets has been worked on to support a more fashionable statement. I find the aesthetics successful here.
• Light gray corduroy pants. Velvet and flannel go well together, as I said above.
• A duffle coat! It's a coat that we don't see too much on the market currently but which is timeless and easy to wear. This one is in a beautiful heather forest green and has two large patch pockets.
• Finally, black derbies with this characteristic platform, which you find in particular on the Paraboot Michael.

So I combine this red and black shirt in monochrome at the top and in contrast at the bottom .