Dress to impress: what to wear to win them over!

Dressing up for a date or just keeping it cool? Charlie McKnight tells the men of Warwick what to wear.

Let’s suppose that by some freak of nature Tinder actually worked and that this Valentine’s Day you’re meeting with your potential spouse for dinner. You’re just about back in shape after Christmas, but you’ve neglected to pick up any new clothes over the holidays having just got used to throwing any old jumper on as long as it was warm and saved you money on the heating bills. The problem, however, is that you need to make an impression. After all, if the story of how you two fell in love was ever turned into a blockbuster chick-flick entitled “Love me Tinderly”, the last thing you want is to be played by a poorly-dressed Seth Rogen. So whether you are taking her for a lemon and herb chicken, or something a little bit pricier, here is a quick rundown of this season’s fashion trends to make sure you’re looking sharp no matter what. You never know, if all goes well, you might not need those clothes this Valentine’s Day.

Colour

Forget the dog, colour and pattern are a man’s best friends this spring. Rich blues and floral patterns are the kinds of designs you’ll expect to see on the high street. Expect denim to stay in too, but gone is the darker, navy blues in favour of bolder, brighter shirts and sweaters. Be careful though, there is a fine line between bright blue and electric blue – you don’t want to look like you’re fresh out of Knight Rider. Boots won’t be going out of fashion any time soon either, so maybe for that date, go for a bright blue Oxford-style shirt, some skinny black jeans and some brogue boots to rock the contemporary gentleman look.

Camo

However, if it’s originality you are going for, good news: camouflage and safari/military style print is returning from 2013. This fashion can be for some like Marmite – or Vegemite for our international gentlemen – and often hard to pull off. This year, the designs are taking inspiration from its sister trends ditching the earthier forest greens in favour of brighter more abstract arrays. If you are planning on trying this for a date, it’s not recommended you fashion the camouflage trousers as much as the hipsters at the vintage stores might want you too. Your best bet is in T-shirt or Crew Neck Sweatshirt form, coupled with a plain black leather or varsity style bomber jacket.

Checks

But if you are feeling more commando than Casanova in camo, then you’re in luck, because the biggest move in pattern is the return of the classic block check and thick stripes. Expect to find this on everything from t-shirts to socks because gone are small print blue and white check, in favour of bolder block colours like black and red. Your local vintage store should be in plentiful supply of thick felt buffalo shirts in this style – they are the ones that smell like your grandmother’s loft. Otherwise expect to find this everywhere from Topman to Next.