Wear What's Wearable

Abstract Art: A product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered.

- Albert Camus

Welcome to Metro Method, the metro man's blog dedicated to you- the fashion forward man, with the goal of looking your best for all social occasions. Today’s post is focused on the basics; the necessity of wearing what's wearable. Though it may seem common sense, fashion by its nature attempts to stray away from the norm in an ever escalating cycle of standing out, for better or for worse. Being fashionable is not necessarily about being designer savvy or trendy; it's about looking and feeling comfortable in what you're wearing and with yourself.

So let's begin with how to find what's comfortable. As men, we're blessed with our complete LACK of choice in what we wear; the gambit we run between pants, shirts, shoes, belts, and accessories is but a fraction of what women have to contend with additively. However, within our choices it's often best to go with a design that's survived as a classic through the years, a likely result of its utility and comfort. If it's not comfortable enough that you could crash on your couch in it, it's not worth your time.

Next, consider your color palette. Without getting sidetracked with an in depth discussion of color theory, here's a basic crash course. Generally speaking, the color schemes that generally work best in the fashion world are analogous color schemes or complementary color schemes. Complementary colors are any two colors which sit opposite each other on the color wheel, such as orange and blue, purple and yellow etc. Where as analogous colors 3 colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel, dark green, light green and yellow for example. This is by no means a make or break rule, as your skin tone, hair and eye color all play an indivisible part in determining what colors will add to you, rather than washes you out. The following is a limited list of common do’s and don’ts.

1. If you're a blonde with lighter eyes and skin:

DO wear bold colors that match your eyes, greens, blues, etc. black are also a nice if you want to add a pop of color with the eyes as opposed to complementing them with color.

DO NOT wear light yellow; it's inclined to wash you out.

2. If you're a brunette with darker eyes and skin

DO wear orange, it's a great bold color that works for most seasons (arguably except for winter) I also strongly recommend violet if you've a slightly lighter complexion.

DO NOT wear browns that are significantly lighter than your skin. Again, the combination will often leave you washed out.

OK so you've got your design, you've got your colors, the last thing left is to add your own personal style, that little fashion edge that makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd while not wearing an ostentatious ed hardy shirt. For me, it's something as simple as rolling up long sleeves, wearing a certain belt or loafers. For others, it might all be about putting on that hemp wristlet that you've grown so fond of. Whatever it is, it should be that little adjustment that makes you smile in the mirror and think, 'damn I look good'. Your fashion is a representation of you, who you are and what's going to make you feel you look your best. That's not to say you should not try new styles, far from it, it means you should try EVERYTHING to see what you like and how you can further customize it to you.

As a final thought for this post I leave you with an image owned and provided by 'The Sartorialist' (http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/) as an example of being comfortable, looking great, and most importantly: having fun with fashion!