Appropriate Mismatching. When it's ok and encouraged.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Venice is Sinking, a Masquerade Soiree.  I'm not one that really gets into costumes, however I did try to make my outfit as period correct as possible.

I wore black slacks and shoes and a white button down shirt from Nordstrom with french cuffs.  I did however keep my collar popped up and utilized a silk scarf and made my own version of an ascot. My sport coat was a blue valuer jacket that I popped the color on as well.

A grey lace pocket square tied in the outfit along with my mask that had bit of purple and black in it.

My favorite look however were my mismatched cuff links.  A crown on the left side and a theater face on the other. I LOVED that I was able to do this.  Not only was it a bit of fun, it really worked well with the whole theme of the night.

One thing I will always love about style is that it's what you make of it.  Your style is truly your own and you make it as fantastic as you want it to be.  Now, some of you are probably wondering how "out there" it is to mismatch cuff links.  Well, then I dare you. The next time you don a pair, try it.  Will you rock em?  Own it?  And have as much fun as I did?  Or will you stay the course and let assumed comfort be your guide?  I can tell you, that I will personally be wearing more mismatched cuffs and finding ways to step outside the box more often now... I meant it, I truly enjoyed the experience.

I want every many to dress as they wish.  But I also know that confidence can exude from them dressing better.  Typically, you should match, but not TO much.  Understand hues and complimenting colors and mismatch from there.  I love having different patterns but always tie in with colors that compliment.   So when is it appropriate to mismatch?  Well, anytime you want really. Just don't go to far, it's just as bad as matching to much.  Think simple and you'll be fine --- OH, never out right mismatch colors, ever and I mean when the colors clash.  Other then that, keep things simple when you're trying to stand out.  Here's to your confidence and mixing it up a bit.

Making your tux stand out in a crowd

      A few weeks ago, my good friend Tracy threw a 50 shades of grey party.  With 800 plus socialites all dressing to knock the lights out, one can easily get lost in the hues of black, grey, red and nude...

I knew going into it that I was going to wear a tux.  I have three, but I knew that my modern tux would be the best fit, if I could make it pop uniquely. Some of my favorite tux looks are a black jacket, white vest, white shirt and a white tie (bow or otherwise).  I opted for white on white look utilizing a patterned tie. And since I was attending a bondage themed event, my bit of naughty fun was a pair of gold handcuffs -tie clip that I received as a gift.

The white on white could naturally stand on their own, but since it's me, I decide to really draw attention to my cuffs by throwing in a vibrant blue and white pocket square.  I was actually really happy with the turn out.  The sheer black from the tux, pristine white shirt and slightly off white-matching vest and tie really came together....and yes, everyone loved the cuff links.

As a final tie in, I had recently purchased vintage gold seahorse cuff links at an estate sale (loved this find, thank you Lindsey).  Though not a whole lot of people notice your cuff links, certain people do and you'd be surprised how many great conversations and new friends - dates - people you can add to your life just by having something as simple and unique like these pieces.

Today, I don't have much advice besides, when getting dressed, don't be afraid to be a little bold. Spice up your outfit with something that maybe only 2-3 of you in a crowded room will get and laugh (in a good way) over.  You'll make a deeper connection with those people...and who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and find your cuffs and tie clip on someone else's night stand (wink, wink).

Out with a hundred women - what to wear as a man?

On Jan 29th, I threw an informal fashion show for a themed ladies night out party at Rigoletto with my wonderful friends, Joan Kelly (Fashion First), Dani Ackerly (Canopy Blue), Lauren Grinnell (Runway to Freedom) and William Porter (Sunday Riley).

We highlighted tips, tricks and trends for the upcoming Spring season in fashion, hair and makeup and put on a mini fashion show using the center of a beautiful restaurant as our runway.

With 100 fashionable women in attendance, I knew there would be a lot of great style in the room; I was not disappointed!

My attire for the night?  A bombing custom suit from my partners at Suitsupply in downtown Seattle. The grey textured suit has slight undertones of blue.  So I approached the rest of my outfit by keeping the blues and grey's muted, while at the same time highlighting them from 2 simple pieces of color.

The outfit colors:
Grey Suit
Grey button down shirt with small pinstripes
Navy vest with pinstripes
Black tie with white diamond pattern
Black shoes
Pink pocket square with a blue outline
Vintage tie clip with orange as the main color

Why does this all work?
Texture
Color
Classic

Textures:
I used a lot of textures throughout this outfit.  The suit and shirt balance each other because they are differing. The tie to the shirt balance each other because they are complimenting colors.  And the vest to the suit pull each other in because blue is present in each.  There was a lot going on, but because the basic color wasn't bright, I was able to pull this off with ease.  

Colors:
The colors all work because the are various shades of blue / grey and they are brought together through a bold pop of black (that has patterns) and a pocket square that actually brightened every piece I wore.

Classic:
Three piece suit with a double windsor knot and simple black shoes.

In a room full of women, I stood out. I'd venture to say, even if I was in a room full of men, I could still do the same thing.  If that's your goal, then take note and attack your wardrobe the same way.

Dress to impress - Fundraiser Dinner attire

(Black Velour sport coat, the perfect cocktail jacket)

We've all heard the term "dress to impress" or "cocktail" attire.  Though they're commonly used, I often think many people may still guess at what they truly mean and how to accomplish such. If you want to dress to impress at any cocktail party.  Here are a few tips you should start repeating.

I wore the outfit above for a fundraiser dinner I threw on Jan 22nd.  I had 5 top chefs from Seattle and over 100 VIP guests in business, food and fashion.  With that many guests, that much fashion and style in the room, what was my approach to standing out?

Well, I take a simple approach to the way I dress every day and that night was no exception. The formula I use looks similar to this:

• Texture
• Color
• Classics

Like anything you do, mix and match til something just pops.  The percentage of texture vs. color vs. classics, is dependent upon you and honestly the mood, the event and the season, so they'll change frequently.

For this night. I let my Velour sport coat be the texture.  It was a main piece and everyone takes notice of it.  That was my anchor to my outfit and I emphasized everything else around it.

The color I brought in was in my tie and pocket square.  I liked the texture that the tie actually brought to the whole outfit because of the pattern on it.  It stands out, but not overly so; which is good.  I added depth to my outfit through my yellow/blue/white pocket square and before you say it doesn't match.  In reality it does.  The colors compliment each other and because I didn't do the same color as my tie, it actually seems like I'm not trying very hard --which guys again, is a good thing.

The Classic.  Well.  That's simple.  My slacks, my vest, my shoes, my belt... all black.  My shirt, bright white with french cuffs.  You do not get more classic then a black and white color combination.

So, when you tie in a simple classic look (cocktail) and add in a few pops of color and some texture as your main piece.  You now have a formula for "dress to impress."

I'll be upfront.  Dressing this way is easy to me.  For you, it'll seem confusing.  As it should. You just haven't ventured out enough to see what works and what doesn't.  My advice, you'll never stand out if you don't try, try, try.... and try.  Just own it when you walk out the door and trust me, your confidence will seal the deal on anything you wear.

Info on the event: http://www.eatinseattle.com/2015/01/cityguru-hosts-to-table-dinner.html
Info on me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewmorrisonseattle
Info on my company: www.cityguru.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/00.Drew
Twitter: @citygurusea