Purple Reign

(click image above to enlarge)

Purple, encompassing shades from deep aubergine to the palest lilac, can add a sophisticated touch to your wardrobe. The color is historically associated with royalty; in the 80’s purple immediately brought visions of Prince—a royal of his own kind. Many peacock gentlemen wear purple...peacock icon, James Andrew, elegantly wears all shades of this regal color; and the peacock artist, Emile Norman, likes to wear his signature purple Converse sneakers. If you don’t already wear purple, start with a belt and then work your way up to a shirt or jacket. Here are some purple goodies that will get you started…

1) Pantone has a plethora of purple colors...and your coffee or tea will definitely taste better sipped out of this purple colored Pantone Mug (spot color 2583).

2) This purple knit tie with tan dots would look sharp this summer with your Seersucker suit.

3) A purple Henley style t-shirt could easily become your favorite spring and summer wardrobe item.

4) Mr. Peacock loves these steely lilac oxfords. They would look great with a dark suit or even just your favorite jeans.

5) The Fine and Dandy Shop always has a selection of economical pocket squares in various shades purple of purples.

6) Thank you Marc Jacobs for your “special items.” There are always bargain treasures, and these purple and navy web belts for $20 are worth their weight in gold for adding a bit of purple to your wardrobe this spring.

7) These slim fit purple jeans take be back to high school. They would look chic with a navy blazer.

8) These limited edition purple Vans are a spring and summer prerequisite for every gentleman peacock.

9) I like the contrasting white spread collar on this lavender shirt, with French cuffs. It’s shown with a purple shantung floral tie, but a dark polka dot or striped tie would also be smart.

At right: Menswear designer, Michael Bastion, showed purple trousers paired with a plaid jacket at his Autumn/Winter 2009 Collection. Why wait until the fall to wear purple, be inspired now!



Above video: Whenever I hear Prince, it reminds me of my late sister, Theresa. We saw Prince in concert numerous times together—we loved him in the 80's. She first turned me onto him with this album.

What's purple in your wardrobe?