It’s a commonly accepted fact that mens trends happen far slower in menswear than womenswear. And for that, we’re grateful. Can you imagine men dashing from sheer to capes to flares in the space of a season? It’d be terrible.

While some of the larger trends have happened in recent seasons, this season is more of a smaller shift, a contrast collar sized shift, to be exact. It’s not a huge statement, but it makes enough of a change to an outfit to make a difference.

Like most things in menswear, the contrast collar is nothing new. Usually used on classic bankers shirts – think striped shirts with a white contrast collar – designer’s have taken it to the next level with contrasting patterns, as showcased by this Paul Smith shirt.

One menswear rule is never to mix stripes with checks. Well, forget that rule – to an extent. As long as the stripes and checks are different sizes, as shown on this shirt, you should be ok.

And what do you wear it with? A contrast collar doesn’t need a drastically changed outfit, but we’d prefer it if it was left to the weekend. A regular pair of chinos, dark denim and some trainers should be enough to do the job. That’s what we love about menswear, it’s all about the details.

Tags: Men, Paul Smith

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Matches Loves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.