From "The College Minds"...Pattern Of The Month

Just a little syndication from my column on The College Minds.

April is only a day a way, which means it will soon be officially acceptable to wear anything pastel and with Easter Sunday approaching, don't be alarmed, you're vision is not distorted, many people will in fact be rockin' the purple. The first few weeks of Spring are a gold mine for new styles and a great time to notice people being innovative (they've had all winter to think about what they're going to wear on that first 60+ day. We've had a few of them already here in State College, and I'm no meteorologist, but it seems that the sun is here to stay. Generally, different seasons are associated with different colors, but colors aren't the only thing that change along with the seasons. Different patterns emerge when the official start of a new season has passes on the calendar. So for a new segment I am going to call "Pattern of the Month", I'll tell you about a different print every month that your sure to see more of when you step outside. April's Pattern of the Month-Gingham.  


 


If you didn't know what gingham was, look above this sentance. Gingham is like the younger, more fun brother of plaid. It's a pattern that is eye-catching, and if you pick the right color, you can really make a gingham item very versatile. My personal favorite use is to wear a gingham dress shirt under a suit. You can all different kinds of ties with a gingham shirt, but my advice is to stick to the two extremes (Very busy or Solid). Let's face it though, we don't wear too many suits too often up here in Happy Valley. Rockin' a gingham dress shirt with a nice pair of khaki shorts, Sperry's and some sunglasses is the perfect look for those first few weeks of hot weather. Gingham stands out and draws attention, but doesn't draw too much like some patterns such as paisley. For a solid, cheap gingham shirt, check out American Eagle. They usually have a few on the clearance rack. Basically you can find gingham by most brands, and it varies too. It comes in all shapes and sizes, so find the right sized square that goes with the outfit (For the record, I'm personally not a fan of the giant-squared ones).

It's April, kids. Sport the gingham

(Photo credit: http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5837130/2/istockphoto_5837130-green-pink-yellow-purple-gingham-seamless-patterns-with-fabric-texture.jpg)

ROY G. BIV Your Closet for Spring

It's apparent that spring has sprung in Happy Valley, which means when walking the streets, you'll probably notice a little more variety in what people are wearing. I think females have a 6th sense when it comes to when the weather has definitely made a turn for the better, because the day where you see 90% of the girls around town in skirts or shorts is the day where you know its okay to hang up your North Face. Tuesday was the first significantly nice day in State College, and Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day, it has improved again. Spring brings out a lot of potential wardrobe choices, but make sure you're not just wearing shorts and a t-shirt, or no jacket. Show that you know it's spring by rocking a variety of colors. Since it's still early, and can get a little chilly at night, I think the best way to do this is by adding a little color to two classics that happen to be perfect go-to items as well. First, check out Dockers colored Soft Khaki's. I just picked up two pair for $30 each. You can get them at Kohl's and they have a lot of great colors for spring and summer. I bought a pair of Confederate Blue and Desert Red. These are pretty lightweight so you won't get too warm in them, and they give off the vibe similar to girl's wearing skirts that say, "It's Springtime." Another great go-to is the pocket tee. Now you can get pocket tees almost anywhere. Gap has great prices on pocket tees and plenty of colors. When it comes to buying these, think easter eggs. You can get pocket tees in a number of pastel colors that look great with pretty much anything. Because they're so basic, but the colors stand out, these are perfect for the break of spring and will even do you great into the summer months. Check out Riley's Clothing's Southern Marsh collection for some really nice ones. There's also nothing wrong with a little graphic pocket tee either. For bulk tee shirt orders check out M. Custom Tees. Michael from M. Custom tees has great pricing and can pretty much customize a shirt any way that you want. I've become a big fan of graphic tees, and to be able to customize your own in the colors that you want for the spring.

Referring To A Previous Post...

Check out the GQ Eye's Grady Laird's Man-station. Proof that it does in fact exist and I (mostly) don't make things up. Even though he was talking about the lip balm he still showcases his man-station which contains the classic keys-wallet-watch.

GQ Eye's Article

Check This Out

Check out this T-shirt, made for The STATEtorialist on behalf of my friend Michael Moses and his business M.Custom Tees! Check out M.'s site for his portfolio. His prices are great, he does good work, and will work with you personally to make sure you get the exact shirt you want.

Not Something You See Every Day...

Much love and thanks to Kenny and Marie for sending me this picture from Venice. If you can't tell by looking, it's made of wood. Ken tells me they had duffle bags, ties, and all kinds of other wooden clothes and accessories. I'm guessing this is not something you'd wear on a rainy day though.

You Can Never Have Too Many Of...

I'm not going to lie, I have a lot of clothes. So much in fact that the studio apartment I live in that is made for two people, has two closets and two dressers full of my clothes. But even with my plentiful wardrobe I never feel like I have enough of certain items. I'm all about re-wearing jeans because they seem to be more comfortable that second time around, but there are certain things you cant pull out of the laundry basket and throw back on without feeling at least a little bit grimey. So in the past few months I've been thinking and there are a few things I really wish I had an extensive collection of, and I like to think of these things as essentials. So here we go, the few items you shouldn't feel bad about overloading on.

Waffle or Thermal Tees: I've come to discover these are about the most versatile item in my wardrobe. You can wear them under jackets, under tees, or even just plain. They come in so many colors, and really give you a way to keep it simple and also look good. I wish I could pull off dog tags, (Like my buddies Marcus, Jay, and Kenny do so well) because I think the thermal tee with a jacket and dog tags is one of the best, simple looks out there. Stock up on waffle tees, you can get a solid, cheap collection of waffle tees at Gap. Buy Them Here!

Shoes: Alright, I know it's expensive, and takes a long time, but building up a shoe collection is something so key, and also something I've done poorly. I figure I might as well give some advice so people don't repeat my mistake. When you buy shoes, always think of how many different outfit combos you have that you could wear with them. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to wear something but then realized I did't have shoes to go with them. Yes, it is something that takes a long time, but at our age, our feet are growing that much so it's well worth it to keep building a collection. In the long run you'll be happy you did. Shoes are expensive so some of my favorite places to look are Zappos and Finish Line's Sale Page.

Colored Socks: Already had a post about this so I'll keep it short, but only having white socks has killed me so many times. Stock up on different colors, focusing on the simple ones though (Navy, Black, Grey, Brown). Certain shoes just don't call for white socks. Socks are cheap and you can get them anywhere, so no link here.

Coats/Jackets: This also can get expensive, but if you take your time, a spread out collection of jackets could do you well. I only have 3 and I can't tell you how many times I ended up resorting to my North Face with dressy clothes because the only dressy jacket I have is a black peacoat. I would have to say, there are 3 essential colors to have and they are black, Some kind of brown, and grey. Personally I like a more khaki brown, and a charcoal-ish grey, but with these three colors it'll be hard not to find something that matches. A jacket can really bring an outfit together, and I like to think of a well matched jacket as a perfect ending to a daily dress. After you get a solid base, go crazy, you never know when that bright blue zipper jacket might come in handy. (Mopedding in Bulgaria?)

These are just a few things I've recently found myself on the short end of, so I thought it might be nice to let you guys know a few items that having multiples of will help.