Mix Mastery

To brighten up your summer wardrobe, shed the staid and dated fashion formula that calls for a patterned shirt to be coupled with a solid-color tie (or vice versa). It's a perfect time to stylishly alter your image by tastefully mixing and matching pattern with pattern. However, while picking your pairings from among the many new styles in shirts and ties now on the market, you should familiarize yourself with a few of the ground rules. Patterned shirts, for instance, always communicate one solid background color, regardless of how complex the design. For best results, coordinate this single shade with the background color in a patterned cravat (we recommend the upbeat new styles in three- or four-inch widths). Also check to see whether the shirt and the tie balance each other; a bold plaid or stripe in the shirt is complemented by a tight tie pattern. Remember, too, that the busier the pattern of the shirt, the more ground there should be in the tie. Your goal is to achieve a bright new look, one in which shirt and tie complement--but do not overpower--a suit or sports coat. The latest offerings in shirt colors range from fuller hues (deep blues, browns and oranges) to new dimensions in patterns (wide-track gray stripes on pink). The immediate future of neckwear includes the revival of bold club figures and the appearance of East Indian abstract designs. By wisely coordinating the colors and patterns in both shirt and tie, today's man easily becomes a great mixer.