THE CONTEMPORARY GENTLEMAN: Coffee Date

Part of one's individual style manifests from bending the rules, and what you think is "OK" to do. All menswear "rules" are based on your perception of them, and even if someone has told you that you can't wear stripes and plaid together, they only say that because that's what they, and most likely you, have been told by the commercialized influencers of today.

Well I don't really care what the influencer's say. If you like it, you'll feel good in it, and that will emanate from your personality. So wear a hoodie under your sports coat, because creating style is about feeling and knowing your own form of expression, and not about appeasing your critics.

Slim fitted 2 button jacket with hints of blue, brown, and red in the 60% wool, 38% polyester fabric, is part of a suit by Branoff (It's Turkish, but the style is common). Pants are light grey slim fitted chinos by H&M. Navy and white striped zip up hoodie by H&M. Shoes are Italian white leather Vans. Sunglasses are black/red checkered wayfarer style VonZippers.

At the end of this post, you can follow some links to explore each garment used in this style.

Socks capture the dark seen in the jacket, the shoes pick up the white handkerchief and the stripes.

When in doubt, start with blues, It's really easy to get a good look going with dark blues. They match whites, yellows, reds with similar bases, blacks, and almost every tint and tone of grey.

Striped is not the only kind of hoodie that looks good under a jacket. And a sports coat isn't the only kind of jacket that looks sharp atop a hoodie. Think leather.

Meet your female friend for coffee, and she'll feel underdressed. But at no point will you look overdressed. It's just a hoodie and chinos, right? The shoes are about as simple as one can go, yet they seem to stand out.

A leather band watch accentuates the tamed approach to the overall look.

As mentioned prior, blue is versatile. Look at the striped sleeve compared to the colors around it, does it look out of place?

Every man should own a pair of Vans Authentics. The can be worn with anything but a tux. They disappear when you want them to, and show off when instructed.