When speaking of style, a little effort goes a long way. With February being the season of love, and Valentine's Day fast approaching, this may be a good time to put in some stylistic effort of your own. If you have your mind on some wardrobe upgrades ready for a big date, or simply for a spring refresh, we're here to help.
However you're planning to spend the occasion, we assure you that looking your best will be entirely to your benefit. We’ve put together a Valentine’s Day collection in the hope that we can make stylish shopping easy and seamless - because the right outfit can unlock the perfect evening. Let us guide you through some of the subtleties around Valentine's Day style…
Pocket Squares - an Essential Companion
If you need a lift for your outfit that is low-impact, versatile, relatively affordable and looks great, the pocket square is the do-all garment you’ve been dreaming of. It’s incredible what a small piece of fabric will do to even the most boring jacket, turning a nondescript office suit into a detailed, sophisticated date outfit. Cravat Club’s range of silk handkerchiefs includes everything from simple paisleys and polka dots, through bold patterns, and into our opulent multiway designs for a devastating finish.
Perfect for a date in the weather of early spring (we can but hope…), the HAYATE pocket square matches a pale blue to a delicate Japanese cherry blossom pattern. A symbol of the beautiful but fleeting nature of life, we can hardly think of a more romantic notion, or a better one to remind your partner to seize the moment.
If you’d prefer something more nakedly classic, then the PORTER pocket square in black and gold polka dot makes for a sublime contrast to a dark jacket or simple white shirt. Black, as they say, never goes out of fashion, and the sheer versatility of this pattern and colour combo proves itself again and again.
Staying with the classics, the GYMIR in a denim blue and gold paisley brings out cool tones in spectacular fashion, meaning that you can elevate something workaday into something that will wow your date. Truly a simple way to demonstrate some all-important attention to detail.
Multiway Pocket Squares - Drama & Flexibility
If your tastes go more towards the imaginative, or if you’re looking for a piece that can be worn in many different ways depending on the outfit and occasion, our larger multiway pocket squares might be worth a look. With large-scale, artist-drawn designs on a variety of themes, these illustrative handkerchiefs not only cut a striking appearance on the hanger; their very nature allows you to pick and choose areas and colours from the design, giving you many options in one.
As an example, the HIGURE features a woodcut-inspired illustration of Mount Fuji, with the city skyline behind. In itself, this is a beautiful design, but it also gives you cobalt blue, burgundy, vanilla, pink and vanilla tones to experiment with. Similarly, the MAIKO pocket square pairs an illustration of the famous maiko, or trainee geisha, with hues of bright red, deep blue, gold and cream, along with cornflower detailing. Whether you wish to make a statement of these pieces, or whether they’re a subtle adjunct to the action elsewhere, you’re sure to find many, many ways to enjoy them. Best of all, the edges are rolled by hand, giving a luxurious and great-looking finish that simply can’t be achieved any other way.
Silk Evening Scarves - a Spectacular Touch
For going all out, we don’t think there’s much that beats a silk scarf. Admittedly they’re a bold choice, but fortune does indeed favour the bold. As a counterpart to a nice blazer, a winter coat or even a leather jacket, a silk evening scarf really sets the tone for what sort of man you are.
Polka Dots
Beginning in a relatively simple way, a polka dot scarf communicates a lot with tremendously subtlety. Hand screen printed to achieve a flawless and uniform finish, the labour, skill and fabric involved necessarily make these luxurious pieces. As if to underline our point, we’ve named our polka dot collection after the Romantic poets - try the KEATS scarf in navy blue, or if you too are “mad, bad and dangerous to know”, you will want to have a look at the BYRON in coffee brown and powder blue.
Hand-Drawn Art Pieces
For something that dispenses with classic patterns and goes with the more thoroughly modern, our printed silk scarves come in designs of dizzying detail, with a colour palette that will enliven even the most basic ensemble. For a light touch that won’t dominate the outfit, we suggest the DECO ISLAND DAWN scarf, with its playful art deco details over a champagne gold base tone. If a moodier look with a more strident pattern are what you’re looking for, try the HIDDEN CURIOSITIES for a dramatic scene inspired by English woodland - complete with apropos red roses. All hand-drawn and made in England.
Cravats - The Gentleman’s Choice
We would be doing you a true disservice if we failed to mention cravats at this juncture. Versatile, easy to wear and simply beautiful with the right outfit, a well chosen ascot always commands attention.
The TAKUYA design comes to you as part of our Japanese collection and is inherently suitable for a romantic occasion, with its cranes-in-flight pattern suggesting both woodblock prints and pixel art, and presented in stunning lilac and sky blue. In a similar vein, the DAIKI cravat offers koi carp swimming in a pool of deep purples, for a beautiful compliment to a simple shirt.
For something perhaps a little wilder, the TIGRAN cravat pairs an exotic tiger print with chocolate and strawberry milk tones, to help soften the drama of the pattern.
If you would prefer something a little more reserved to sit back a little, the NOBUYUKI is a great choice, with a cherry blossom print that provides just the right amount of interest and detail in a busier overall look.
Ties - The Gift That Keeps Giving
The cravat is of course not your only option. A tie is an ever-present for a reason, able to perform duties that almost no other garment can. In fact, many nicer places even specify collar-and-tie, so if your date’s tastes (and your budget) extend to that, we recommend you trade up from the high street tie you usually go to the office in.
For example, the DUSTIN tie is about as classic as it gets, with delicate hand-printed polka dots on a deep bordeaux red, and will emphasise the gentlemanly or the playful aspect, depending what you pair it with.
The KAZUKI tie is a step further down this road, swapping the polka dots for our signature cherry blossom, adding some unexpected detailing. If you’d prefer something that sits completely at the other end of the spectrum, our MAXIMILIAN paisley tie in cornflower blue, raspberry and gold will work to give your shirt and jacket a real lift, adding a perfectly-judged touch of playfulness.
We can’t promise you the perfect evening on our own, but we can give you a garment that demonstrates your style, elegance, and attention to detail, perfecting your outfit for this important occasion. While you always have options, it’s worth your time to explore and pick out the thing that’s going to work the best for you. Truly, the care you take will not go unnoticed. Let loose your imagination on our range, and make sure it’s a Valentine’s Day to remember, for both of you.
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