Style Counsel: Q & A with Juliana
Juliana, our in-house stylist, has a keen eye and intuitive knack for creating unexpected color and pattern pairings. In addition to styling all of our studio and lookbook photoshoots, Juliana's been busy responding to all of your sartorial questions as Ledbury’s official Style Counselor. On topics ranging from outfitting summer weddings to finding the right pocket square, here are a few of the questions that Juliana has recently tackled:
____________
Gingham and Necktie Pairings
I was planning on wearing a medium grey suit with either the Purple or the Blue McGuire Gingham shirts. Because of the width of the gingham pattern I'm a little bit stumped on what sort of tie would complement each shirt. I've narrowed it down to a solid navy blue tie for both, but was wondering if you had any other suggestions. The Blue McGuire is definitely one of my favorites. The solid blue tie sounds like it would work very well, but another option would be the Light Blue Newton Dot Tie. The Newton Dot works because it is almost a solid, but the dots help break up the color so it doesn't look too heavy and the light blue is a strong compliment to the dark blue of the McGuire and the grey in the suit.____________
For Summer Weddings
I recently purchased a navy blue suit and I want to pair it with a great shirt and tie for an upcoming wedding. A recent Ledbury shirt that caught my eye was The Green Cotter Stripe. The description says it's best casual but how would it look with a tie? The Green Cotter Stripe is an excellent choice for a summer wedding. Some men are hesitant to wear a tie with a button collar, but I think it looks great! I would pair the Light Blue Morgan Knit Tie or the Light Blue Newton Dot Tie with this shirt.____________
Bringing Out the Color
What pocket square would you recommend I pair with the Purple Keeneland? I have a couple but they just don't get the right color, and white is a bit too different. Any suggestions?
I am a huge fan of our Waverly Pocket Square. This is my personal favorite because I find that it almost goes with anything and it is a little more interesting than a plain white linen pocket square. The floral print tends to bring out the color of almost any shirt without matching too much.
____________
Shirts for the Seasons
I have two gingham shirts from Ledbury (a purple cross gingham shirt and a navy cross gingham shirt). I typically think of gingham shirts as being summer shirts. But since I got these as Christmas presents, I've been wearing them every chance I get. So my question is, can these be worn year-around or was I completely out of style? The Navy Cross Gingham is one of my favorite shirts. I believe it is very versatile because of its color, and that the gingham check pattern is so small that it tends to view more like a solid from a distance. This shirt is definitely year round. The Purple Cross Cutaway is also a great choice for the same reasons. The purple color can look more appropriate for the Spring/Summer, but it also works for the cooler months depending on what you pair it with. It looks great with a navy blazer, and I would even pair it with a herringbone or tweed jacket in the fall. You would be surprised at how many other colors and textures purple works well with!____________
Juliana welcomes all of your questions on style. Please do not hesitate to contact her at juliana@ledbury.com for her sartorial advice.