men's colder weather casual style question. beanie/scarf edition
November 7, 2018 12:41 PM Subscribe
go with a matchy-matchy color and texture? one or both different?
putting together my entire wardrobe from scratch because of reasons. i am looking for a versatile beanie and scarf combination to go with an (aspirational) mashup of casual americana and scandinavian fashion. my color scheme consists almost entirely of blue and grey and black. my first instinct is to have a smooth solid scarf with a knit type texture beanie that has a pattern, possibly with an accent color. but while i am trying to up my game, i am not a fashionista.
what thinks the hive mind?
putting together my entire wardrobe from scratch because of reasons. i am looking for a versatile beanie and scarf combination to go with an (aspirational) mashup of casual americana and scandinavian fashion. my color scheme consists almost entirely of blue and grey and black. my first instinct is to have a smooth solid scarf with a knit type texture beanie that has a pattern, possibly with an accent color. but while i am trying to up my game, i am not a fashionista.
what thinks the hive mind?
General rule of thumb is that smoother fabrics tend to be more dressy and textured/chunky things tend to be more casual. So too with patterns - solid colors are dressier.
I tend to wear winter hats with a wide variety of coats, so for the hat I'd pick something simple in a neutral color like a dark blue. The scarf you can really go nuts with - it will act as an accent piece so I would get something that pops a little. If it's too matchy with your jackets then it's just going to blend in and get lost.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:30 PM on November 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
I tend to wear winter hats with a wide variety of coats, so for the hat I'd pick something simple in a neutral color like a dark blue. The scarf you can really go nuts with - it will act as an accent piece so I would get something that pops a little. If it's too matchy with your jackets then it's just going to blend in and get lost.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:30 PM on November 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Some ideas for scarves.
In general, you can safely pick scarves in a color that contrasts with the rest of your outfit, to make it a statement piece. This season's color is orange, but other safe options include ochre, aubergine, burgundy, and colorblocks featuring neutrals with pops of color.
Beanies are not typically statement pieces, so I would stick to your base palette there.
I'm not a man, but my boyfriend and my gay Manhattanite uncle are very much into fashion, and this is just what I've observed from them.
posted by Everydayville at 2:30 PM on November 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
In general, you can safely pick scarves in a color that contrasts with the rest of your outfit, to make it a statement piece. This season's color is orange, but other safe options include ochre, aubergine, burgundy, and colorblocks featuring neutrals with pops of color.
Beanies are not typically statement pieces, so I would stick to your base palette there.
I'm not a man, but my boyfriend and my gay Manhattanite uncle are very much into fashion, and this is just what I've observed from them.
posted by Everydayville at 2:30 PM on November 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
You'll want a couple of beanies so that you have one to wear when the other is in the wash or you'll forget one at work or at someone's house. My main beanie is brown with orange, yellow and brown stripes on it. It is a bit casual but quite warm. My other beanies are solid dark brown and charcoal. I only have one scarf and it is grey and thick, I should get another one because they need to get washed too. My scarf goes well enough with my beanies and coats. I'm more of a slob than fashionista so you may want to do the opposite of what I say.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:13 PM on November 7, 2018
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:13 PM on November 7, 2018
Best answer: Most formal: smooth solid color matching scarf and hat
Least formal: differently textured and colored and patterned scarf and hat
All permutations thereof become more or less formal. So for example if you want to look formal but also look a little festive, a smooth solid color scarf in one color and a matching hat in color but with a texture. Or matching in texture but not color, or the both of them have a matching pattern. If you want to look casual but thoughtful, a scarf with bright patterns and textures and a hat that is a solid color of one of the base colors from the pattern of the scarf.
With your color scheme of blue grey and black everything will read very cool toned. That's okay, but accent colors that will really stand out and look welcoming on you will be warm tones, so like, a nice dark eggplant would be formal but warm, a soft gold will look fancy and a little thoughtful, a bright orange will look funky and friendly.
posted by Mizu at 5:00 PM on November 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Least formal: differently textured and colored and patterned scarf and hat
All permutations thereof become more or less formal. So for example if you want to look formal but also look a little festive, a smooth solid color scarf in one color and a matching hat in color but with a texture. Or matching in texture but not color, or the both of them have a matching pattern. If you want to look casual but thoughtful, a scarf with bright patterns and textures and a hat that is a solid color of one of the base colors from the pattern of the scarf.
With your color scheme of blue grey and black everything will read very cool toned. That's okay, but accent colors that will really stand out and look welcoming on you will be warm tones, so like, a nice dark eggplant would be formal but warm, a soft gold will look fancy and a little thoughtful, a bright orange will look funky and friendly.
posted by Mizu at 5:00 PM on November 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
I think that you could easily get away with having both items be at least moderately interesting in terms of color and texture. If you wanted to go with just one, I'd make it the scarf. If you keep one item toned down, you could have the other one be a bit more bold than otherwise without it starting to look too much like an affectation.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:06 PM on November 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:06 PM on November 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by filthy light thief at 1:15 PM on November 7, 2018