Simple shirts in solid whites and light blues will always be a staple in men’s closets, but lately I’ve been noticing more men in Kobe wearing brightly colored linens. Not quite as bold as your typical Aloha shirt, but still more adventurous than your average office dress shirt, they can look pretty good when paired with simpler items.
I always see this man walking around my neighborhood, curiously using a pair of walking sticks that look like they’re more suited for the alps than hiking trails. He’s also always in a straw hat, which he often pairs with brightly colored (but well-cut) shorts.
The other day, he was wearing a deep, forest green linen shirt with a foliage pattern. For patterned shirts beyond your basic stripes and checks, leaf patterns can be the simplest and most wearable of designs, although – as Pete said – multi-colored prints can sometimes be harder to wear than two-tones. Still, I think this guy pulled it off well. HIs shirt adds a bit of personality where a plainer shirt would have made this entirely too boring.
This man was enjoying the sun while he waited for the bus. He had on a pair of slate blue shorts and a deep crimson, linen shirt. The shirt has a paisley-like pattern, which again, added a bit of visual interest. Not that he necessarily needed any. On his feet were some colorful, woven slip-ons with splashes of pink and orange!
Finally, for the conservative trad, this man had a checked linen shirt tucked into his tan-colored shorts. Not all patterned shirts have to be wild – this one relies more on a traditional windowpane, making it something like a summer version of fall’s tattersalls. We’d normally recommend going sans socks when wearing shorts, but this guy’s choice of white socks reminds me of that famous photo in Take Ivy.