[Styling Tip] "DO" Try this at home: H & M Floral Clip x Men's Lapel Accessory

So I've found myself again obsessed with yet another accessory "Lapel Flowers". Many men may question adding a flower to their attire in fear that they may transcend too far into the feminine territory, but I guarantee a "Man of Style" knows that the floral ornament can be perfectly masculine when worn with the right amount of confidence. I've often seen floral lapel pins on many Etsy shops and other online stores but one day I got that "I want it right now" kind of urge for an outfit concept, so I got to thinking of creative avenues to accomplish the look I was going for. I initially had a lot of options running through my mind from craft and fabric to 99 cent stores when thinking of where I should go to get a plastic flower and then a light went off in my head to look at women's accessories. I then ventured to one of my favorite go-to stores H & M and low and behold they had an entire section of flowers equipped with clips in their women's hair accessory department. 

And for a set of two for only $3.95, I purchased as many colors as I could find that would match existing pieces in my closet while making mental notes of what I could come back and get for future purchases. 


If you have been seeing this look and are wanting to try it, this is an inexpensive way to accomplish it. The red carpets don't lie, and with major powerhouse celebrities planting the seed early on, I promise you this trend is sure to grow!


Take a look at some of my outfits this week if you need additional styling tips.  

If you are more of a conservative dresser, keep the look classic with a a blazer and a pair of trousers. 

Adding a contemporary flare, I rolled up my pants and wore a mid wingtip boot. 

 You don't necessarily need a physical lapel to adapt this look. 

 Camouflage x Leopard is a winner for me this summer. The Contrasting prints just compliment each other so well.

I paired a lapel flower on the pocket of my fisherman's vest. I got this multi-pocket vest that's actual a jacket with zip-off sleeves at a Murfreesboro, TN thrift store for $19.99 [Sweet Deal]. As I recently blogged about this week in my [Trend Report] Pattern on Pattern post, this summer try wearing prints (contrasting or similar) when wanting to achieve a stylish outfit.

Men go MAD about PLAID

As we are in the transitional months between fall to winter and back from winter to spring, one pattern that is sure to go with any type of weather is; PLAID.  Getting its popularity from the modern kilt, this pleated material has transitioned in the US as a premiere/ flashy statement piece among men who want to switch it up from a traditional solid color. You may also hear plaid referred to as madras (a lightweight cotton fabric with typically patterned texture and plaid design, used primarily for summer clothing) in the hotter months and flannel (typically a napped cotton texture which generally is coarser than the warp) in the colder ones. To give a brief history, plaid has been made since the 17th century. This textile product is most popular from being made from cottons and friezes.

           

After reading this post I know your dying to pull all your plaid from your closet and start compling outfits, just remember this VERY IMPORTANT tip: Don’t be afraid of color! If you want to switch it up, mix traditional patterns with your plaid garments to give it a fresh look for the season. I personally enjoy fall color stories in the fall and winter months. Refer to my Blogger Spotlight Post if you are wanting to go all out when mixing your patterns and prints with plaid. Below, I styled a shoot to give you a better visual of the things you can do with your plaid garments. 

For Men-On-The-Go your traveling bag is just as important as your ensemble so make sure they coordinate. Utilizing your pop color in your attire to accent your bag is a genius thing to do to pull your look all together (thank me later when your compliments start to roll in).

Also when mixing your patterns I suggest to add an additional element to your outfit. Throw in an argyle or patterned sock that is not plaid to compliment your outfit. This way when you sit down you draw your audiences’ eye right down to your socks and right back up to your outfit to see how they coincide with your signature plaid piece.  

Here are some additional options when mixing your sock patterns with "Cross Plaid" tie choices

As you can see there are several things you can do with plaid when utlizing your own wardrobe. Get creative, have fun and remember...... Kids Go Mad about Plaid too.

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Blogger Spotlight: Mixing Patterns and Prints

When mixing various patterns and textures it is very important to make sure the items selected are cohesive.  For this look I was going for a preppy theme. Normally for visual purposes I suggest 3 patterns. Photo’d above I selected plaid, pin strip and paisley. I added argyle in my sock selection just to give an additional element to the ensemble. The focus of this color story was to mimic traditional private school colors (red, green, navy and yellow). When selecting shirt and tie combinations make sure one piece is less dominant. In this case because the red and white strips (less dominant) are smaller and closer together almost giving the allusion of a solid shirt, I was able to add a larger print (dominant) paisley tie that fit within the same colors. To break up the bold plaid pants I added a solid navy vest. For additional styling, I added various accessories that compliant each other. When first starting in mixing patterns you may not want to go this bold, but try the occaional stripped shirt with a poka dot or pasley tie around the same colors and just see if you like the response you get! I mean you only live once, right?

Clothing: Navy double breast blazer- Goodwill; stripped shirt- H & M; paisley tie- thrift store; navy vest- thrift store; plaid pocket square- K & G Superstore; plaid pants- Tommy Hilfiger; argyle socks- Ralph Lauren; brown brogue wingtips- Goodwill ($7.00!!!)

Accessories: Fedora- 21 Men; Briefcase- thrift store; Bracelets/ Brown rosary beads- ALDO SHOES, tan lasso- extra small women’s belt from Forever 21 (get creative);  red rubber band- Wal-Mart; green woven braid- Urban Outfitters; large face brown watch- ALDO SHOES

As you can see you don’t have to spend a lot of money to be stylish.