Contrasting Colors and Patterns: Fun on the Edges of Men’s Fashion Shirts

Fashion shirts with contrasting colors

One of my favorite new style trends in men’s fashion shirts is the addition of eye-catching splashes of contrasting colors to otherwise simple classic shirt styles.  These contrasting colors and patterns can take a lot of forms and can be seen in many places around the design of the shirt; often they are found on the inside of the cuff or the collar, or between the front buttons and only exposed when the wearer chooses to spice up his look by undoing a few buttons.  By giving the choice to the wearer about how much flavor to add to his look, by undoing buttons or rolling up the cuffs, these shirts provide versatility which broadens their appeal to a larger segment of fashionable men.  Additionally, this versatility really increases the wear-ability of the shirt once it is in your closet.  For instance, you might opt to button the shirt up almost all the way when you are at work for a more conservative look, but the shirt will seamlessly transfer to a great option for after dinner drinks, just by unbuttoning a couple of buttons it keeps you from looking like you came from the office.

Fashion-shirts.com carries shirts from the well-established but cutting edge Parisian fashion house Franck Michel.  One of my favorite examples of this style right now are the Pablo Blue, which features a small light blue gingham print, with a beautiful pattern of blue and white flowers as the contrasting detail.  The Pablo Blue is available in sizes from XS to 2XL and retails for $129.  For an option that I would classify more as nightwear, go with the Italian Black Palermo.  This black satin dress shirt features a lavender plaid pattern on the interior that really stands out against the smooth black satin.

Because so many of these shirts come in a solid color, or with a classic pattern, I think they look great at work buttoned up and tucked into dress pants.  However, as I previously alluded, I also think they look equally at home with the top few buttons undone, untucked and paired with either the same dress pants that you might have worn to work, or with a pair of dark jeans.  Either way, these shirts are sure to catch the eye of any fashion conscious friends that you may have.  They give off a vibe of casual elegance and sophisticated fashion that doesn’t scream, “Look at me!” but still makes it clear that you are a man who cares about fashion and his own appearance.

How to Wear it: Men’s Plaid Fashion Dress Shirts

One recent trend I’ve noticed in men’s fashion shirts is that some of the more adventurous designers are rolling out collections that include a lot of plaid patterns.  Plaid is a pattern that we are all familiar with of course, but we might not expect to see it on a high end fashion shirt, but rather a flannel work shirt or something similarly casual.  However, men’s luxury designers are increasingly working plaid into their collections and we should consider how to best work it into our wardrobes.

Plaid fashion dress shirt for men

First of all, let’s delineate how the plaid shirts on offer from men’s fashion designers differ from those that your dad wore to go camping.  The chief way they are different is the material on offer.  Casual plaid shirts are often done on heavyweight flannel or other thicker fabrics.  Thicker fabrics are never going to look as sharp as the crisp look of a thin elegant cotton dress shirt.  Additionally, these casual plaid shirts are designed to fit a range of body types, and thus have a lot of room in the lower torso.  The offerings from today’s men’s designers are usually slim fit, and personally I think the slimmer the fit the better.  These shirts will fit and wear completely different than dear old Dad’s camping shirts.

So how and where should we wear these new patterns?  For me, one great thing about these patterns is their versatility.  I personally like to wear them with dark jeans on a night out.  The plaid gives off a more casual vibe than a solid color satin fashion shirt, but at the same time with the slim fit and crisp collar you know that you will be look like you’ve put time and thought into your sartorial choice, which of course you have.  These shirts look great with the sleeves rolled up when you’ve been putting in a hard-working shift on the dance floor.  Be sure to keep your sleeves, and your look in general, looking sharp though, by actually folding the sleeves back in folds that match the width of the cuff.  This will keep them from unrolling, and at the same time will keep the upper arm of the shirt from becoming a bunched up mess.  You are going to want to keep that upper-arm portion smooth to show off those hours you’ve put in at the gym.

For a little more conservative or dressed up look, I like to layer a blazer or a solid color sweater over the top of my plaid dress shirt.  This is one of those cases where showing less of the pattern actually makes it pop even more and really will have people asking you wear you got your shirt.

I really like this new trend in men’s fashion shirts.  Plaid is a versatile pattern that can be conservative or eye-catching depending on how you choose to use it.  For me, anything like this where I can buy one shirt, but express my fashion many different ways is definitely a good thing.

Your Choices for Spring: Men’s Fashion Shirt Designers

Mens double collar dress shirt.

Spring is here and it’s time to shed your layers and step out with new fashion wear.  How should you pick from the myriad options that the sartorial world presents?  Let’s consider some options and weigh the choices that we have for new men’s fashion dress shirts these days.  For me, the designers of the men’sfashion shirts on the market right now break into three classes: the Big Designers, the Imitators, and the Upstarts. 

First let’s consider the Big Designers.  You know who these guys are and you’ve known about them since you were 14.  They offer not just shirts and not just men’s wear.  They have a global presence, and you can buy their wares online or you can go to a high end department store in your local mall or maybe in a high rise downtown and check them out in person.  Their shirts fit great, and you know that you are getting a quality dress shirt.  However, though their runway shows certainly feature outlandish and forward thinking styles, the fashion shirts available to you may be a little on the conservative side.  Let’s be clear, anyone into fashion probably has lots of these shirts in their closet.  Sometimes you need just a white dress shirt or a blue dress shirt that you can trust, and that you know fits you right.  If you get it from the Big Designers you’ll be paying extra for the name, but you know what you’re getting.

The next category is the Imitators.  These guys don’t really do enough for me to waste much space here writing about them.  They take the classic styles and ideas of the Big Designers and they offer shirts for dramatically less financial outlay.  Sure, this seems like a good idea at first, but when you get the shirt home and it doesn’t fit quite right, and the buttons start falling off, it doesn’t look like such a good deal.  These guys are notorious for skipping over the details that make your favorite shirt special.  Clearly, I think they do not deserve your patronage.

Finally we get to my favorite category, the Upstarts.  These designers are the smallest firms, and thus the creative types have more freedom to express themselves through the design of the product.  This is where you’ll find men’s designer shirts that have real fashion innovation, that are cutting edge, shaping the sartorial landscape of men’s fashion, able to take ideas from the runway and put them into products that you can actually get your hands on.  These brands will charge you a pretty penny just like the Big Designers will, and you might not immediately recognize their name, but you get what you pay for in this world and that means these shirts are of the highest quality.  The fit is every bit as slim as the top designers (sometimes even more!) and the material is impressively smooth and soft.

For me, the choice is simple.  I go with the Upstarts.  Sure, I have stuff from the Big Designers in my closet.  I’ve tried the Imitators and I won’t go back.  Life is about going for it and taking chances, and that’s just what the Upstarts are doing with their shirts, and that’s an idea I can get behind.

Reverse Collar: What’s With the Newest Trend in Men’s Designer Shirts

Reverso shirt with leather band cufflinks

There’s a new trend in European dress shirts and it’s starting to make its way across the Atlantic and is now showing up online available here in the U.S.  It’s something that you might not notice the second you look at the shirt, but when you see it, you’ll be surprised and intrigued.  I’m referring, of course, to the reverse collar.  It’s a collar with an extra fold so it ends pointed up instead of down. If you’ve never seen one you’re probably thinking, “Wait, what? How is that possible?  What does that look like? How does it stay folded up?”  Well, no matter the designer or the style, there is always a very strategically placed button on the collar, not too high, not too low, but just in the right spot to keep the collar folded perfectly back up.  This allows designers like Franck Michel to show a classy contrasting color look on the collar, playing with a different color on the underside of the collar.

For an example of a designer playing with this contrast color collar look, check out Franck Michel’s Miami Blue, available in the States for $149 at fashion-shirts.com. It sure isn’t the only Franck Michel offering on fashion-shirts.com that features a reverse collar.  While that price point puts it solidly in the luxury tier of men’s designer shirts these shirts have all the other components of a luxury shirt that you would expect.  The material is the finest Italian cotton, and fit is extra slim.  I love the extra slim fit personally, but it isn’t for everyone and you have to be careful selecting your size.  Franck Michel is a design house in the heart of Paris that is famous around Europe for this trend and is just starting to bring this look to the U.S.

So what are these shirts good for?  Well they aren’t ideal for wearing with a tie, so they might not be perfect for wearing to work for some folks.  On the other hand, they are perfect for a night out.  The thing I love about these shirts, is the attention you get when you are wearing them.  Stylish people notice the details like the reverse collar and are certain to ask you about it.  I’ve never had so many people interested in my shirt as when I wear a reverse collar like this.  For me, that’s always a good thing.  When I go out I’m always aiming to meet new people and if we can start out on the right foot because of my unique and stylish designer shirt that’s great for me. Trust me you’ll meet the right people wearing a shirt like this, if you know what I’m saying.

Men’s Designer Shirts: Why being different is a good thing

Luxury shirts by Franck Michel Paris

When you are considering buying a new men’s dress shirt, there are a lot of things to think about.  Of course you want to get something that is high quality, you know you deserve the best.  You want the highest quality fabrics that will feel comfortable on your skin, and if you are going to spend a pretty penny on it you want it to last.  Obviously it’s got to fit right, that goes without saying.  You’ll never wear the most beautiful shirt in the world if it won’t button in the front or if it’s so big that you are swimming in it.  For me, there are two things I think about beyond that.  First of all, is this designer shirt going to make me stand out from the crowd?  Then once I know I have people’s eyes on me, is this shirt going to make me look good?  It’s no good to attract attention if those people aren’t impressed with how you look.
Fashionable men’s designer shirts don’t all stand out of course.  Many big designers are fairly conservative and depend on the name recognition of their brand to sell shirts.  Their products don’t look much different than dress shirts that you can buy in a cheap department store.  Sure they are made with better materials and might be a slimmer fit and the shirt will definitely look better on your body than the cheap department store shirt, but no one is going to look closely enough at you to notice.  Especially on a night out where you’ll probably be in a dark environment most of the time, if you are wearing a plain shirt, you’re just going to blend into the background.   For some people that might be what you are going for, but not me.  I’m happy with a little bit of extra attention.
For me then, it’s more useful to shop the smaller design firms.  It’s harder to get your hands on these shirts, especially if you don’t live in Paris, but trust me it’s worth it.  The fact that these designers can’t rely on their labels to sell shirts is good for you.  They have to impress you in order to sell their fashion shirts, and this means they make shirts that will impress others when you wear them.  These designers don’t skimp on quality or fit either.  Take Franck Michel for instance.  You won’t find a shirt with higher quality fabrics or a more European fit.  It’s a serious slim fit, you might have to order one size larger unless you look like a skinny European soccer player, but trust me, these are the shirts that will get you the same kind of attention that those soccer players get if you know what I mean.

French Shirts: A Hot New ‘Trend’ in Men’s Designer Dresswear

French shirt with double collar and silver buttons

If you’re like me you and you care about fashion, you want something that is unique and maybe even trendy, but you don’t want it to go out of style next week either.  When I buy a new piece to add to my wardrobe I want something that I don’t already have, and I want something that my friends don’t have either.  I want something that people will ask me about.  I want something that people haven’t seen but after they see it, they’ll remember it, and they will remember me.  Given these desires, I’m sure you suspect that I have to buy a new shirt every time you go out, but you’d be wrong.  Here’s the thing I’ve found, if you find the right thing to wear, that no one has seen, but has a classic appeal, you’ll be able to get a lot more use out of it than you might expect.

My favorite example of clothing like this is foreign designer dress shirts, and for me, especially French shirts.  French designers are unlike American designers.  The French have much more competition among designers.  The fashion culture is a bit different over there as the big designers have less influence on the style and smaller to midsize design houses are able to make a name for themselves with interesting fashion details that American designers may feel like they don’t have the freedom to attempt given the conservative nature of men’s fashion stateside.  At the same time the French know where they’ve been in fashion and are sure to keep the styles classic.  Yes, they do want to innovate and so they’ll provide you with something you certainly won’t see from any American designers, but also they provide a refined sense of style that’s never cheap or gimmicky.

One brand that typifies this aggressive nature of French shirts is Franck Michel.  They’ve been around since 1969 so you know they aren’t a flash in the pan operation.  Franck Michel have been innovating men’s designer shirt styles for years from their headquarters in the heart of Paris even though you and your friends haven’t heard of them.  They make shirts with styles you haven’t seen either.  When you see them, you’ll love them and wonder why no one else thought of them first.  The devil is in the details with these styles, with things like leather watchband French cuffs and reverse collars to go with their bold patterns and button styles.  You can only find them one place in the states, so if your friends haven’t been to menfashion.com they’ve never seen these shirts and you can have your pick of all their diverse styles with the confidence that no one else is going to have, or have ever even seen a shirt like yours. 

Trends in Men’s Fashion Shirts: The Reverse Collar

Fashion shirts with contrasting reverse collar

In the world of fashion shirts it isn’t good enough anymore just to provide shirts that are slim fitting, or shirts that are made of high quality cotton.  There are simply too many brands out there that have recognized that men appreciate a dress shirt that fits their body the way it should, and that they deserve the highest quality material in the world.  So what separates the hot fashion brands from the imitators?  What makes the difference to men who are looking to drop serious money for a dress shirt that they expect to love?  It’s all in the details.  These days fashion shirt makers are pushing the envelope of the what men expect in a dress shirt with new looks that play on familiar aspects of the traditional dress shirt we all grew up wearing. 

These new fashion designers take an old staple of the dress shirt and flip it on its head.   Take the collar for instance; we are used to seeing a few variants of collars, like the button-down collar and a variety of widths of to suit a range of tie knot styles.  But these types of collars have been available forever (well since Brooks Brothers debuted the button-down collar in 1896) and aren’t going to make anyone take notice of your fashion sense.  If invisibility and anonymity are your thing that’s fine, but today’s fashion designers have turned these details into a chance to express your fashion sense and show your flair for the dramatic.

Take, for instance, the Parisian fashion house Franck Michel.  They’re a leading force in French men’s fashion and a great example of a company making fashion shirts that stand out from the crowd because of their unique approach to old concepts.  Their lineup contains shirts with all manners of double collars, mixing and matching fabrics to make the collar stand out apart from the rest of the shirt.  These double collars however are yesterday’s news in the high fashion world of French design.  What Franck Michel is doing next is pushing the collar in a new direction, quite literally.  The new line offers collars with an extra flip, called a reverse collar.  This previously unseen design is a collar that folds back up and then is held together by stylish buttons on either side.  This allows an interplay between two colors of fabric as we now are privileged to see the fabric choice on the underside of the collar, which in the case of trendy French fashion shirts, is of course a contrasting color, and often has a bold pattern.  These reverse collar shirts are just starting to make a splash stateside, and are as unique as you’ll see in the world of fashion dress shirts.