Chequered coats: Wear them bright, but right

Chequered designs, prints and flashy colour combinations for men's jackets and coats are in vogue. Not everyone has the demeanor to carry off chequers, but the style is indeed worth experimenting with, say designers and experts.

"Well, personally speaking, very few people have the demeanor to carry off chequers with panache and elegance. So, my personal advice is to keep it simple while wearing a chequered jacket," Delhi-based designer Sameer Madan told IANS.

"Fashion is at a peak these days in terms of experimentation. More and more people have been taking risks as there's a lot of support and encouragement from numerous fashion bloggers," he added.

Fashion sensibilities in India have evolved due to "global trends", says designer Narendra Kumar, now the creative director of Amazon Fashion India.

"While slick and classy comfortable office wear dressing is quite popular among younger professionals, they also have separate party and trendy casual options in their wardrobe which didn't really exist before. They are also now looking to stand out in a crowd," Kumar told IANS.

Also, the focus is likely to be "big on prints and boldness" in 2016, feels Teena Kapoor, founder, thevipsale.com, an online store for luxury Indian and western designer wear.

"Prints in bright colours is something to invest in for this year. For the winter wardrobe, concentrate on layering your prints with a solid colour to neutralise and highlight the print in question," Kapoor told IANS, adding that people can indeed experiment with bold prints.

As far as trendpsotting is concerned, Kumar says that bright colours are making their way through the regular monochromatic pattern.

"Blue seems to be the strongest colour when we talk of chequered coats and jackets. However, now you find colours like red, maroon and purple added to the base of blue and grey chequered blocks. A lot more vibrant colours are coming in, breaking the norm of blue and grey combination," he said.

But how can men judge the best combination for their chequered jackets?

"For maroon and blue chequered jacket, pair it with plain deep blue trouser or denim, light shade shirt and layer it with black pullover. Complete the look with tan boots. Here you can also opt for beige trouser, sky blue shirt and tan shoes," Kumar said.

For chequered jacket in shades of black, grey with a hint of light yellow, pair it with deep blue tailored trousers, sky blue shirt and tan boots.

And for those in shades of purple and pink, pair it with a plain white shirt and light beige tailored trouser and tan shoes. Adding a light tone of white and beige colour will neutralise the entire combination, he added.

(Ankit Sinha can be contacted at ankit.s@ians.in)