Match Leather to Leather and Metal to Metal

 

When I first started this blog I was big into menswear education, so much so that I started a category called “Dressquete” – Yeah I know, I’m a master of wordplay. The idea behind it? Well, the idea was to help guys get a grip on the basics of men’s fashion do’s and don’ts so they could strengthen their style game with confidence.

One of my most successful posts were, “Your Belt Should Match your Shoes“- Seriously! Yep, imagine how many men were Googling “what the hell do I match my shoes to” in order for that post to keep popping up! So Today I thought I would just take it a little further and help give you that extra edge in making your look come together! After all, the devil is in the details right?

That was a trick question.

So, the basics are basically the basic right? (I told you I was a master of wordplay!) It stands to reason that if you’re wearing something leather, try and match it to the other leather items that make up your outfit. This means it doesn’t stop at your shoes and belt but should rather extend all the way to your briefcase and even your watch strap.

I know this seems a bit extreme, and of course, this isn’t so much a “rule” but rather a hefty suggestion – you know, like the speed limit on freeways. This kind of pairing is what makes your outfit look well put together without being flashy.

Look, truth be told, finding an exact match is next to impossible – okay, I should be more honest, it’s impossible – but try and at least keep it on the same side of the colour wheel (Google it).

Okay, so leather matches leather, right? Right! So, do we stop there?

Well, what do you think?

If my sarcastic tone has come through correctly, you should know it isn’t. To really take your detail level to a place where you can Instagram #DetailGameStrong on your next #OOTD you need to take it one step further. Just like your leathers need to match, your metals need to match too.

It’s weird, cause it’s not something men usually think about is it? However, there’s a serious amount of metal details that go into a dapper outfit. Tie clips, lapel pins, watch straps (and faces) even the frame of your glasses are often all made of metal. Those details are so small that they can often go overlooked and give your outfit that “some things off” feeling. The rules (or suggestion) once again is simple. If you’re wearing gold, stick to gold, if you’re wearing silver stick to silver.

Now you may notice there are 2 watches in the look above. Truth is, it’s one watch with 2 straps. Yes, magical I know. One of my favourite brands MVMT have a great interchangeable strap system that makes sure that your favourite watch can always match your belt or your tie clip, possibly even both – you know if you have a metal belt or something 🙂 If you’re looking for a new watch, pop in my discount code and ‘WMBW15’ and snatch yourself $15 off your purchase on watches or sunglasses. Yep the sunglasses above are also from MVMT. If It’s a new briefcase you need this Garfield leather briefcase from Korchmar is one of my favourites.

One last tip: If you only have plastic framed sunglasses, try and match the frame colour to your belt, or shoes (or both if you’re doing it right).

Okay. Stay fancy.