You might be a pro at matching your solid-colored ties with your solid-colored shirts, but with trends in recent years emphasizing a mix-and-match approach to fashion, how well do you fare at mixing stripes and patterns? And let’s not even get started on dealing with textures.

Fortunately, learning to combine interesting shirts and ties is not as taxing as it sounds. Just stick to a few simple rules and you’ll find that mixing it up has never been easier

1- Repeat colors in each pattern

In this case, choose your shirt first, carefully noting the dominant colors. When you are ready to pick your tie, choose one with accents that use the same dominant colors from your shirt. This combination of a brown John Varvatos dress shirt and pink silk Ermenegildo Zegna tie is a perfect example of how to implement this rule. The shirt is dark brown with lighter, more subtle, nutmeg-colored stripes and, although the background of the tie is pink, the small, brown, paisley art-nouveau print echoes the color of the shirt.

2- Graduate checks outward

Skillfully combining a checked shirt with a differently checked tie is a quick way to get a quirky look. The rule to follow in this case is to always wear smaller checked prints on your body and larger checks around your neck. Again, make sure you pay attention to color and choose a shirt and tie in a similar color palette. Take, for example, this hip combination of a pumpkin-plaid, Hickey Freeman shirt with a navy-striped silk tie from Luciano Barbera: The shirt has smaller, thinner checks, while the tie has a larger and brighter pattern. As the checks become larger from the shirt to the tie, the effect is more Johnny Depp than Screech.

3- Vary weights between patterns

Choosing two patterns of the same size will just look too busy and confusing, so for a cleaner look that’s easier on the eyes, make sure one piece has a chunkier pattern than the other. This classic J.Crew shirt has thin gray and white stripes, while the silk tie is set on a gray background with slim white stripes, as well as much larger, notice-me blue stripes. The combination works by giving a subdued dress shirt just the right boost with a brighter, bolder striped tie, thereby breaking up the monotony of the shirt.

4- Match smaller patterns with larger ones

You’ll be surprised at the fantastic and elegant combinations you can come up with, even when the tie and shirt have completely different patterns, simply by following this rule. If your shirt has a small pattern, you’ll need to wear a tie with a larger one and vice versa. You don’t even have to worry much about keeping to the same color family if the shirt is in a neutral color like black, gray or white, although matching these pieces when the shirt is colored does make it easier to get it right if you don’t have a particular eye for color. Joseph Abboud’s single-breasted lilac dress shirt has very slim, barely noticeable white stripes, meaning that Paul Smith’s tie with alternating stripes and multicolor floral embroidery complements rather than overwhelms the delicate pattern of the shirt.

By now you should feel less mixed up about mixing shirts and ties than before you learned these rules, and you’ll never have to question your matches or be the cause of optic dysfunction in others again. You’ll be a licensed mixologist in no time.

Last season people responded enthusiastically to what Mora calls the “punk floral,” an offbeat combination of orchids and pansies on a bright green ground. It was photographed on Jenna Lyons, J. Crew’s chief creative officer, and it is still a smash on Pinterest boards. It is flaunted as well by actress Leslie Mann, who wears a punk floral rash guard in “The Other Woman,” a revenge comedy set to arrive in theaters this month.

“For us that pattern was the beginning of this new idea of prints,” Mora recalled. Eventually, he said, he found himself experimenting with a host of “optimistic, very clean, crisp florals,” which, in his view, are the fitting complement to a crisper, cleaner silhouette. He put stylized floral designs on shorts and dresses, even on a spongy neoprene fabric, operating from a conviction that combining structured shapes and floral patterns was, he said, “somehow the right thing to do.”

Of course, the garden party look will not appeal to everyone. Linda Fargo, the Bergdorf Goodman fashion director, is betting that shoppers, some of whom have already invested in longer hemlines and knife-pleated skirts, will go for tribal patterns, art-inflected designs and, among the more adventurous, Etsy-like homespun effects. And, she added, “anything with fringe, bomber jackets and mandals” (that last fashionspeak for the season’s mannish lug-soled sandals).

Like the sneakers and clumpy sandals that are standing in for floppy thongs this year, fringed bags, hand-tooled accents and deliberately frayed hems can inject an engagingly disruptive note into a relatively formal season. Much the same can be said for the upscale athletic wear filtering into stores. Sweatshirts embellished with ribbons and appliques, overblown pansies and sprigs of lace are flippant yet look decorous enough to wear with a streamlined calf-length pencil skirt.

Prada’s introduction of ribbed, triple-banded tank tops and leg-warmers, a raffish nod to the street/sports insignia of West Coast girl gangs, were echoed in the marketplace. So were the bomber jackets at Marc by Marc Jacobs and Marni, which included a gem-encrusted version that would likely appeal to even the most sports-averse consumer, and may tempt her, for the moment at least, to retire her well-worn biker jacket.

“Do you really need another motorcycle jacket?” Cohen asked rhetorically. Not likely, when there are so many racy alternatives. “Athletic clothes are going from the gym to the office and even out to dinner,” he pointed out. “They have become acceptable around the clock.” More than acceptable, they have proved a reliable means of relaxing or, indeed, subverting a look that may otherwise seem contrived. No surprise then that this track-and-field trend is being adopted by the fashion set, whose members were among the first to perceive that, in matters of style, few sins are more grave or weirdly shaming than trying too hard.

There was nothing temperate about Stephanie Solomon’s spring fashion forecast. “Your tights, throw them out,” she urged. “Get rid of your hats, your scarves, but most of all those hose. You never want to see them again.” Solomon, the outspoken fashion director of Lord & Taylor, was as good as her word, turning up for lunch on a rare mild afternoon earlier this month, her own calves bared in anticipation of a season that is shaping up, in her assessment, as “the biggest celebration we’ve ever seen.”

Extreme though it sounds, hers is the feisty reaction to a seemingly endless winter, the emotionally charged response to months of pent-up yearning for a long-awaited thaw. Similar sentiments are being echoed this year by a cohort of merchants, trend seers and designers exhorting their customers to shrug off their woolly layers for a string of buoyant mood-lifters. What are they championing? Calf-grazing skirts; cropped, arc-shouldered tops that just meet the high-rise waistlines of the newest pants or skirts; and trousers so fluid they ripple. Just as high on their lists: zesty neoprene or mesh pieces borrowed from the gym. And, most compellingly, a profusion of flowers: a lavish visual metaphor for the promise of spring.

“You cannot talk about the season without talking about the floral printed dress,” said Beth Buccini, a partner, with Sarah Easley, in Kirna Zabte, the SoHo outpost for adventurous design. Easley was no less effusive, adding, “We’re seeing a garden explosion of florals in a thousand variations.” Like leopard and cheetah prints before them, florals have become so pervasive in the marketplace, she added, that they are poised to become “the new summer neutrals.” Poppies and peonies, daffodils and daisies and a gaudy profusion of hothouse blooms have overtaken the selling floors. Their outsize blossoms, moodily etched on dark grounds, lending vibrancy to everything from sculptured jackets to maxi-dresses, backpacks and Birkenstocks.

Mixed with dots or geometric computer prints, offered straight up in nostalgic wallpaper patterns or blown up in 1940s and ‘50s retro designs, flowery prints can soften the starchiness of an architecturally structured dress or a skirt that stands primly away from the body. They can provide a giddy counterpoint to a rigorously pared-down silhouette, as Sheila Aimette, a vice president of WGSN, a trend forecasting company, noted.

“There’s nothing old-fashioned or floofy about them,” she said. “They give women a reason to stray from their comfort zone when they shop.” Retailers are banking on it, making it a mission to take the floral message viral, spreading a contagion intended to tempt even once skittish consumers. “Whenever it’s hard to get women to engage in buying fashion, don’t be surprised if big, bold florals come out,” said Marshal Cohen, the chief industry analyst with the NPD Group, which reports on consumer trends. Noting that sales of women’s apparel have lagged behind men’s for the first time in a decade, he added that, along with pulsing color, eye-catching florals have become an essential merchandising tool. “They are a way of getting consumers to recognize that something new and dramatic is happening,” Cohen said.

London designers like Peter Pilotto (see left), Mary Katrantzou and Erdem Moralioglu have virtually built their brands on splashy botanical prints. But garden patterns were a brash departure for Markus Lupfer, who turned away from his customarily restrained palette this season to create a flurry of patchwork florals inspired by Tracey Emin’s sophisticated quilts.

“What I wanted to achieve,” he said, “is a play between something nostalgic and something very modern, between something feminine and a little naughty.” And the response to his cheery but worldly designs has been encouraging. “They were quite new for us, but good for our brand,” he said. “I feel like it’s something exciting to build up in the future.” Others began mapping out their spring direction as early as a year ago. “You have a feeling that something is in the air,” said Tom Mora, the vice president for women’s design at J. Crew, who took a chance on floral patterns unlike any seen in nature.

There’s nothing like the arrival of new season clothes in the shops to perk us up.

It’s always very tempting to run out and buy the first spring looks you see, but to ensure you don’t end up frittering away funds on random purchases, we’ve done a bit of window shopping on your behalf.

Snap up some of our top 10 buys for spring/summer 2014 below (many already in stores and others to come), selected with the key trends of the season in mind and you’ll have the perfect capsule wardrobe to take you through to the warmer months. Just try not to be too smug about it.

1. Pleats please

The pleated skirt was everywhere on the SS14 catwalks, from Antipodium to Roksanda Ilincic and J.W. Anderson. Of course, pleats have been around for a while but you can bring the trend bang up to date for spring by opting for a knife pleat in an iridescent fabric, as seen at Christopher Kane’s standout show. This M&S skirt is perfect.

2. Broad brush strokes

Prada, Chanel and Celine all got the Pantone charts and paint pots out for the new season, with murals adorning dresses and paint daubed across smock shirts and jackets. Get the look with this colourful ASOS shirt, which will look great with some cigarette trousers in the office or jeans at the weekend.

3. Sweet like candy

Who can forget Burberry’s candy striped show finale under falling rose petals back in September? Those pastel lace separates and embellished trench coats will no doubt be much imitated on the high street. Be the first to wear the trend in this cute tee and pencil skirt from Red Herring at Debenhams. Wear with silver block heels and pop on a mint green boyfriend coat for cold days.
Red Herring lace top, £28, at DebenhamsRed Herring lace top, £28, at Debenhams

4. Bermuda/city shorts

Bermuda shorts featured on many of the catwalks for SS14, including Topshop Unique and Ashley Williams, and will be perfect worn with your pool sliders and bomber jacket, or with a 90s spaghetti strap top when it’s warm. Alternatively, go for these more formal, floral city shorts from Hobbs (very similar to those seen at Mulberry), which will look amazing with the coordinating jacket (also available) for a summer wedding, or with a shirt for the office.

5. Sheer brilliance

Sheer fabrics were used by designers from Preen to Calvin Klein and Fyodor Golan. This black skirt with a sheer panel at the bottom from Next is an easy way of accessing this look without baring a little too much. Wear with a sweatshirt on cooler days or a boxy crop top for summer.

6. Stealth bomber

Even as we watched the Jonathan Saunders psychedelic silk bomber jackets slink down the runway, we knew everyone would be after an exotic bomber to keep them warm on cold spring days. This Gap jacket will look great with your skinny jeans.

7. Culottes

Culottes are the trouser shape of the season and look great worn with high heel pumps and a crisp white shirt as seen at Victoria Beckham’s SS14 show and on the lady herself. If you want to take them up a level, go for this striking green pair from Whistles. Finish the look with white court shoes and a white shirt.

8. The luxe sportswear accessories

As much as we all love a sleek clutch or a cute mini handbag, our everyday bag needs to be a little more roomy for all our paraphernalia. Enter the bucket/rucksack hybrid. Saint Laurent has one, as does Alexander Wang, but you won’t do much better than this Zara leopard print version for a bit of glamour.

And what about your winter-worn feet? Well, you couldn’t ignore the fact that the pool slider was the shoe of the season and we’re slowly coming round to the idea. Invest in this chic pair from Hobbs that have been re-worked for the office or go for the silver Whistles ones.

9. The statement sweat

Sadly, not many of us can afford one of those amazing Christopher Kane jumpers featuring dissected florals, but this monochrome sweater from Oasis is not a bad substitute. Wear it with your pleated skirt.

10. The shirt dress

We left the SS14 shows at London Fashion Week with one over-riding thought: we need a shirt dress for spring. We loved Holly Fulton’s printed floor-sweeping versions and the relaxed, beach ready Topshop Unique ones, but we’ll settle for this gorgeous wistful Dorothy Perkins number.

Matching your makeup to your wardrobe can be a very flattering when done correctly and atrocious when done wrong.

So to help guide you on matching your cosmetics and clothing, we’ve put together some simple tips for pulling off a regal look, royal or not.

DO: WEAR COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

Pinks and browns are a combination fit for a queen (or one soon-to-be). To get Kate’s wearable smoky eye, apply a light pink shade over the entire lid, and then use a small, pointed brush to apply a mauve shade in the crease. Blend well and complete the look by adding a touch of brown shadow on the outer corners of the eye. Finish with a pretty pink and brown blush like this Nars Highlighting/Bronzing Duo.

DO: Stick to One Color Palette

Coral is one of the easiest shades to match, but when wearing such a bright color, apply your makeup with a light touch — wearing bold shades on your face and your figure can look cartoonish. Maggie Grace’s eyes, lips and cheeks are all done in a sheer wash of coral makeup that looks beautiful. Take a cue from Grace and play down the rest of your features. Jemma Kidd’s Bio-Minerals Essentials Kit boasts a great color palette that will ensure your makeup looks uniform.

DO: Embrace Shimmer

Silver is such a sexy shade on both your body and your eyes, and Sophia Bush pulled it off perfectly. When wearing a shimmery color like silver or gold, don’t be afraid to add a little sparkle to your makeup, too. The trick is to apply it lightly — don’t overdo it. A light shimmer powder on the cheeks, like this one from Laura Mercier, will make you look ethereal and gorgeous (just be sure to play down the rest of your features when accentuating with shimmer). We also love how Bush added a touch of silver eye shadow on her lower lids.

DO: Say Yes to Yellow, but Think Pink!

Yellow can be fun and fashionable, but it can also wash you out. We love how Emmy Rossum accessorized her sunny dress with an ombre orange and yellow eye shadow (the same color palette). However, cover up her pink pout and you’ll see how washed out she would look. So think pink, but keep the overall colors soft and subtle.

DON’T: Be Too Literal

Cyndi Lauper has made wild fashion statements “time after time.” However, with her black and white clothes, eyes and hair (eek!), she’s gone a bit too far for our taste. When matching your makeup to your clothes, stick to one feature only, and then play down the rest. And when it comes to your hair, if you need to play with color, try a clip-on extension that complements your own hair color.

DON’T: Avoid Color Altogether

White is such a clean and bright shade to wear during all seasons, but without a little color, you’ll look less sunny and more mummy. When wearing all white, be sure to add a pop of color in both your accessories and your makeup. Try a bold lip, or even a bright eye shadow. Going too pale (especially for bleached blondes like Lindsay Lohan) will leave you looking washed out and sickly.

Defining Colors: The “Accent” Clothes Unless you’ve chosen a very striking base like a brightly-colored suit, the “feel” of your outfit is going to be defined by the smaller accents. The same neutral gray suit can become very different outfits when you start changing the shirt, tie, pocket square, and other accents that go with it.

• Neckties are the most common accent for men. They look best when they are either from a similar color family as the shirt beneath them (lavender tie over a light blue shirt, for example) or a complementary color for contrast (such as a burgundy tie over a white-and-green striped shirt).
• Pocket squares are similar to neckties in terms of decorative function, but are far less widely-used. Include one in your outfits to add a bit of stylish flash. They should pair with the suit jacket or sport coat in much the same way that the necktie pairs with the shirt: either joining it in a similar color scheme or contrasting with it in a complementary fashion. When wearing both, be aware that the necktie and the pocket square should never match — they are two separate accents!
• Jewelry should generally be understated on a man. The basic rule of thumb is to keep all the metals matching: either gold tones or silver, never both. Watches, rings, cufflinks, and earrings if you wear one all fall under the rule. The only exception is a wedding band, which can be worn with anything — its significance is recognized to be set apart from the rules of fashion. If you do happen to wear colored jewelry (unusual on a man), be sure that the colored stone/glass either contrasts or mimics the colors of the larger outfit in the same way as the other accents.
• Briefcases and other bags are rarely a perfect match (unless you happen to have the money for a matching bag with each suit and shirt). Most men find it easiest to own a black bag and a brown bag and match the bag to their shoes and belt. Blue-tone canvases do well with brown leather, more neutral bases go best with black, and brighter colors may go with one or the other depending on where they fall on the color wheel.
• Glasses can be particularly frustrating if you need to wear them daily and only own one set of frames. Any kind of distinct color will be a jarring note in outfits that don’t go well with that particular color. Try to stick to narrow frames with a muted metallic or black color if you’re planning on wearing your glasses with all of your outfits. See our article on A Man’s Guide to Wearing Eyeglasses for more information on making glasses work with your outfits.
• Putting it All Together Creating a well-matched outfit is as simple as combining the two categories above. Your “canvas” clothing provides the background that you work on. Your “accent” pieces define the color scheme. Accents similar to the canvas colors gives you a matched, single-color look.

Accents that contrast with complementing colors give you a balanced, active appearance. The real key is to make sure all your accents are doing the same thing — a few matching accents and a few contrasting ones may wind up looking confused rather than deliberate. Pick an approach — matching or contrasting — and stick to it throughout your accenting.

We’ve already written on this site about the basics of color for men — what colors match well and different ways to combine them. But how does that translate into an actual outfit? It’s not enough to know that red and green are complementary colors that go well together.

Even though the colors are good in combination, the wrong shades or the wrong amounts of each color will just make you look like a Christmas decoration. Menswear has to find a good balance between the dominant colors of the suits and shirts and the accent colors of things like neckties, pocket squares, and jewelry. Combining colors tastefully is one of the hallmarks of the truly well-dressed man.

Base Colors: The “Canvas” Clothes

Color comes from every item you put on your body. Your suit has a distinct color and so do the frames of your eyeglasses. Try to have a good understanding of what each piece brings to the relationship between colors. Large, visible pieces like suits and shirts are your “canvas” — the color that serves as the basis for whatever accents you add. These are the most visible piece of clothing but don’t necessarily have to define the outfit.

A neutral canvas like a dark gray suit or a white shirt will let the viewer’s attention move to other details. If you want people to notice a particular accent — new eyeglasses, or a status watch, say — you can grab their eye by leaving the canvas clothing simple and muted. Wear neutral canvases with colored accents for the most balanced look.

A blue-tone canvas (navy blue suit or lighter blue dress shirt) is a traditional base for menswear and is often seen as a “youthful” look. It adds more color than a completely neutral base, which is more eye-catching but also more limited in matching options. There are a few colors that just won’t look good with shades of blue. Wear blue-tone canvases with colors like brown or dark oranges for the most flattering contrast.

A colored canvas (brightly colored/patterned shirts or colored sports jackets) can be striking but difficult to match. They’re also not very appropriate outside of casual settings. Wear accents of complementary colors to make a colorful base work without clashing (you can visit our article on A Man’s Introduction to Colors for more on complementary colors and the color wheel).

Have a good sense of your base or canvas clothing before you start adding accents. Some pieces may fall into more than one of these categories — a tweed jacket, for example, might be predominantly gray (neutral) but have traces of blue woven into it. That would make it a better match for shades that go well with blue, even though it can theoretically work with any accent colors.

It happens rarely, but it happens: the designers of New York Fashion Week for spring 2012 are far from united. Granted, there is a trend, which is expressed in colour blocking, bold colours and a kind of graphic print with clean lines.

The trends for next spring

The Academy of Art University showed almost entirely nude and pastel tones with flowing fabrics like silk and chiffon up the bulk of the collection. We think that it is also nice. Nevertheless, what then?

Nicole Miller, with bright colours at the New York Fashion Week

A few New York designers such as Nicole Miller showed flashy colours. Influential designers like Max Azria for BCBG, Mara Hoffman, and Nicole Miller take full account of the brightly coloured patterns look. Nude shades are announced next spring also. On the other hand, swear Porter Grey, Rebecca Taylor and Tadashi Shoji on muted colours and nude shades.

Leather clothes: White leather shorts

The leather is not only popular in pockets or purses. Even if you are not rockers, or cowboy you can take advantage of the beauty and style of leather garments! The leather-have trends this summer purely do nothing more with rockers: velvety fabrics, friendly pastel colours and trendy cuts, the new fashion leather make for everyday use and completely portable. In the leather shorts, the legs look endless.

The only restriction is no mix of leather and not being worn leather parts at once. So get to the leather! You can enjoy the magic of the skin during the summer months. Contrary to popular belief that the fur clothes are not very suitable for the summer heat, the designers set out to prove the opposite. Leather shorts look very sexy. No that is not all. There are holes in the models that to cater for your complete comfort during the summer heat.

Therefore, in any case, you should not miss this chance. Choose your model and be irresistible summer.Remember that leather shorts are one of the most attractive clothing when it comes to attracting the male gaze.

Street Style is the ultimate insider’s fashion theme. Whether Berlin or New York – no Fashion Week looking at not zealous photographer for the coolest street styles. The Fashion Week New York 2012 teems with hip and stylish girls and boys, in terms of the outfit know no creative boundaries. There are crazy shoes, hats, colour and pattern and style combinations! Many an outfit seems absurd, yet cooler than anything we have ever seen.From the subway, change twice, a little run, and we are there. In the middle of Brooklyn. In addition, it looks like in the Movies! Cool photo locations as far as the eye! It is wonderful. So there you go – and look cool, pose for the camera. Street Style flat.

So easy that is not for me

The Street alone does indeed pretty much style, but our outfits are a little too uncreative. How Street-style must really look and that the road has nothing to do with not so much, we have held for you and we will show later in the next blog. I promise! The outfit ideas that are then able to see it, to be proud of something!

While shopping in Soho – $ 300 for a 30-year-old bag

Vintage is unique, beautiful, well done, but mostly one thing: expensive. Since the price scares you the bang Pink Pumps ever quite violently. We are on the hunt and find a bargain! The dresses and outfits in the shops. Individual pieces and special styles far as the eye. Many of the shop owners tell us that they are often very long in search of the appropriate pieces for their collections. Not everything comes to them in question and almost all have favourite songs and see every customer who enters the store, what he seeks or needs. So also with us.

Bags, shoes and hats

The fashionat Fashion Week New York 2012 shone not only with perfect outfits, but also with well-chosen accessories. Bags, shoes and hats on the front line. We really like the bag trends fell into the eye – whether designer or linen bag – the bags were one thing: Vintage. Apparently, vintage fashion loses whether in clothes or accessories with any season of coolness and popularity.

Chucks or college jackets are currently among the fashionable must-haves! What few know, however is that these trends are not new, but were popular decades ago.

Retro Style: college jacket retro style

College Jackets, Chuck, Nerd and Co, all these items are in fashion and are loved by all kinds of people. They are supported, although they were trademarks of specific groups until recently. Going shopping in the usual shops, exactly these garments hanging in the store and mixed colours no one thinks about the fact that you would have looked at a few years ago as Normalo wrong if they had worn a jacket and a college nerd. Art is changing. The subdivision fashion certainly is changing most rapidly. Nevertheless, ever remember someone that not everything is in today, comes from our time? In other words, there is anyone interested?

College Jackets – Retro trend from the Fifties

Let us make a small one-time jump and leap into the 50’s at an American college. The sun is shining, cheerleaders dancing on the lawn, sit in the corner and read and nerds, the Footballer have just finished training and attract what? Properly, their college jackets. Because even if we, especially in the summer season, and see people wearing the trendy jackets – or we even have even one – they are not a fashionable new release. Actually, athletes to show what team they belong (by the colour and the embroidered logo on the left breast) wore college jackets. Nevertheless, sometimes we have the impression that this is not the most clear. “I love the college jackets. Totally cool the new trend! “Or so it we have all heard. Sorry, wrong, because the trend is not exactly new. The college name on the back of the jackets were simply deleted, or replaced, like the logo. Where earlier example, even Los Angeles State College was in a logo, located in the modern college jackets one randomly selected single letter, or a free logo.

Chucks – Basketball shoes of the Twenties

Chucks are comfortable, they look cool … and they are in their 20s come as basketball shoes on the market! Of course, one could now throw in flippant tone: “All trends have an origin somewhere!” And of course that is true. But at no other life styles is so much fuss made about how the college jackets, Chuck and Co. we still pack the nerd and faded jeans to it, we already have a whole outfit, consisting of parts that are all over 50 years old.To sum it up in a kind of fashion law: the old trends Appreciates if you wear them today!