What I Wore: April 2021 – Spring has not yet Sprung

It sure feels like March was a tease with a number of days being sunny and approaching 20 degrees Celsius outside… It was cold and rainy most of the month of April, but I didn’t let that stop me trying to usher in Spring by wearing my warm weather clothing. Let’s have a look at a few outfits from the last month.

Green & Grey

This semi-tonal look was built around these new trousers from Pini Parma. I would describe the colour as a faded sage green, with a bit of a grey undertone. Paired with this white linen button down shirt and grey houndstooth jacket the overall effect feels light and airy, and the low contrast allows the patterns and textures to shine. The trousers are from their Soragna collection, and feature a medium-high rise, and slim fit. Based on their size chart, I did go up a size, and am glad I did. The construction is of high quality, and the trousers have some nice details – notably the extended double-button waistband.

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Olive & Navy

This outfit was surprisingly well received on Instagram, ending up as one of my most liked posts. It’s an interesting one for sure, especially the way the burnt orange grenadine tie interacts with the olive cotton trousers from Collaro. Then, adding the deep blue of my herringbone MTO sport coat from Spier and Mackay and the saturated blue striped shirt from Cavour. I think the choice of the Battle of Trafalgar pocket square from Rampley & Co and the chestnut calf shoes from Mattina really help to up the cohesiveness of the outfit.

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A slightly different Green & Grey

This MTM sport coat from Kent Wang is such a gem. I had a really positive experience with their program, and I think the results speak for themselves. In the past, I’ve leaned into the tan in terms of accessories and pairings, but this time I went quite neutral. Charcoal Crispaire trousers from Cavour in their Mod 2 fit, a pale blue stripe shirt and a light grey houndstooth tie. Olive socks from Boardroom Socks and my new black calf penny loafers from 51 Label complete the look. Why I think this worked well – the jacket is clearly the focal point of the outfit, and having the surrounding pieces mostly grey keeps the colour temps balanced, as well as prioritizing contrast in the upper half (shirt to jacket) to draw the eye upwards.

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Tobacco, Purple & White

This was the most summery of all my April outfits. White cotton trousers from Besnard set the tone immediately. Then this tobacco linen jacket is a mid-tone, but contrasts well against the white. For the shirt, I went with this purple striped button down I had made from Spier and Mackay, which I think works really well in this context. My choice of square is the Kingfisher from Rampley & Co.

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Casual Tailoring

Since working from home is the name of the game for the foreseeable future, this year I planned to add some more casual tailoring to my wardrobe. So I picked up this awesome cigar linen overshirt and block stripe cotton/linen popover, both from Spier and Mackay. Both pieces are incredibly soft and comfy and will be getting lots of wear.

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I wrote about this beauty from the Anthology in my Menswear Brands to follow post a few weeks ago, and couldn’t stop thinking about it… So after chatting with the team to dial in the sizing, I placed the order. The inky blue and camel tones are so complimentary, and the fact that this checked pattern is woven into a corduroy fabric is amazing. The oversized chest pockets that feature the pattern rotated 45 degrees introduces a visual break in the look, while not being overt or out of place. I’ve been wearing this a lot, and will share more images soon.

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That’s it for April

Hopefully we get some more sun and warmth in May. See you then!

-Colin