Winter Pattern Mixing inspired by Tim Gunn

It hasn't been until recently, after 10 years of Project Runway being on air, that Tim Gunn (the legend) started to make an effort dressing up for the show. I'll admit that the man is elegant and knows how to wear a suit but if you work in fashion you need a little more than that.
I already blogged about one of his looks about a year ago and it seems he was only getting started then. In last week's episode Tim gave a masterclass on pattern mixing wearing a bold pin stripe brown suit paired with a pale blue shirt and a striking blue paisley tie. I was glad to see that I am not alone in pushing the boundaries (of taste) of pattern mixing – you should have seen me wearing camouflage in Milan...
And so I went over to the little piece of heaven on earth that is Mr Porter to find some blazers I would gladly add to my winter wardrobe and paired them up with some fun neck attire.

Above: Woolrich Woolen Mills plaid wool blazer paired with (my favourite) the Jil Sander dinosaur tie.

Above: Gucci slim-fit wool and cashmere blazer and Beams Plus camouflage bow tie.

Above: Paul Smith slim-fit wool blazer and Drake's woven silk tie.

Gingham love

For those of you unfamiliar with the man below, you only need to know that his name is Tim Gunn, that he plays the mentor role on Project Runway and that he has never been seen not wearing a suit. I don't normally notice his attire much because he is a very classic man. So it was even more of a surprise to catch him in a red gingham shirt paired with an also scarlet tie. I, then, started thinking how well gingham always works. It doesn't matter how bold the colour is, this checked pattern makes it look smart and fresh. I also love the fact that you don't necessarily have to wear it with plain ties. Horizontal lines and other type of patterns look very cool worn with gingham. I wore one of these combos a few months ago to a graduation. Do you guys wear a lot of gingham?

[Pictures: Project Runway screencaps, JCrew.com, Barneys.com, BrooksBrothers.com]