Look Like Him

On the one hand, today's outfit is easy. Everything in the pic above is made by a company named Beckett & Robb. Not only will they custom make the flannel blazer and wrinkle-free shirt for you, they'll also make you the tie, pocket square, and tie bar.

But, depending on the cloth you choose, a Beckett & Robb suit can cost from $695 to over $7,000.

So what if you wanted to put this together on your own? Or...more importantly...you want to understand why it works? Aha! Now you're talking my language. So let's explore...

When wearing patterns, one of the basics to pull it off well is to make sure you vary the scale...the ratio of designs in proportion to each other. 

On today's model, the "squares per inch", if you will, are different on the shirt, the pocket square, and the blazer.

Simple concept, right? So let me construct this backwards to bring it back around to that point.

Putting aside scale for a moment, we start with the tie. The Tie Bar has this in Navy for $25. They also have a darker shade called Midnight Navy that doesn't have as much blue in it. I point them both out so you can make sure to get the right one. I've found mine surprisingly versatile in the number of outfits it works with.

For $15, you can also get the 2" tie bar from The Tie Bar (that only makes sense, right?). Gotta love this company for its variety of products and affordable prices.

And, as long as we're on a roll, go ahead and pick up your pocket square from The Tie Bar for only $8. You can go with Royal Blue if you want to draw a little more attention, or get Navy if you want to play it a little more conservative. Either one should be just a shade different enough from your tie to work well.

Before this becomes an out-and-out ad for The Tie Bar (I swear they're not paying me right now) the pocket square gives us our first chance to talk about scale. Since we know the size of the squares on the pocket square, the grid on the shirt and the jacket need to be of a different ratio. So...

You may come across the following shirt and think it would work. It will, but if you're anything like me the price will be a little hard to swallow.

Described as "impeccably detailed", it should be. This Armani Collezioni shirt is $245! I've seen suits I would wear that were on sale for less than that. 

So you keep looking and you come across this next shirt from Lands' End. Are you maybe tempted to get it as an alternative?

Watch out, this is where it all comes together and we can make a mistake. It's a very subtle difference, but look at the scale of the squares below.

The grid of the shirt on the left from Lands' End is just about the same size as the one on the pocket square. We need a different scale to really make this pop, so the one from Armani on the right is a much better choice, it gives us about a 2-to-1 scale difference.

Again, this is a small detail, but it can make a big difference in nailing that outfit and bringing your look to the next level.

Now, you don't have to pay almost $250 to get a shirt, so here is pretty solid option from one of my favorites, Charles Tyrwhitt. Only $35. Nailed it!.

Now, for our final act, the blazer. Like I mentioned in the beginning, you can just buy it from Beckett & Robb and be done with it. But, with our new found knowledge, you can also figure out for yourself what windowpane blazer works for you.

And in case you just don't want to think, here's a hint: almost any windowpane blazer!

Just try to make sure the fabric under the wide windowpane doesn't also include squares the same size as your shirt or pocket square, and as long as the colors mesh, you should be good to go.

For instance, if I run across the Bonobos Giovanni Knit above, maybe it's worth considering. We can certainly step it up from just the henley the model is wearing.

Or, if I see the Carr blazer above has been marked down to $239 at Saks off 5th, maybe I'd consider buying that.

And if I see something ridiculously cheap on eBay, I know I can buy it and accessorize the whole thing for around $83 (shirt, tie, pocket square, tie bar).

To take it to the next step, keep in mind to use different textures when compiling your outfit. But that's a post for another day. For now, we've come full circle with our square talk, and it's time to move on.

Got a favorite place you've seen a Windowpane Blazer? Is $245 too much to pay for a shirt? Let everyone know by saying so in the comments below.