Your Shirt Should Have More Flowers On It

If there’s one thing we can learn from Magnum P.I. (besides how a perfect mustache is supposed to look) it’s that floral shirts have as much of a place in a man’s wardrobe as, say, a black leather belt. Case-in-point: Idris Elba wearing the heck out of a short-sleeved shirt sporting a watercolor floral design. It’s fresh, it’s dapper, and paired with light cropped chinos and canvas plimsolls, it’s what the summer itself would wear.

Why It Works

The watercolor floral design is a departure from the traditional Hawaiian flower motifs common to this type of shirt. It’s bright and eye-catching and just the right amount of bold.

• Elba freshened up the look even more by pairing it with light-colored chinos and canvas plimsolls (some of the most comfortable types of canvas shoes around). Just looking at it gets you in the mood for summer.
• Altogether, it feels both casual and dressed up. You could just as easily wear this to dinner as you could to a garden barbecue.

How You Can Make It Work

There’s a difference between “bold floral” and “too busy” and considering the plethora of men’s floral shirts out there today, it’s easy to get confused. Elba’s design is simple, organic, and light, and features a white background. The resulting look is therefore fresh and elegant. If you’re going after the same effortless look, go for a shirt with similar characteristics. You want your floral shirt to make an impact, but you don’t want it to stand out so much that it overshadows your personality (or gives you a headache).

Get The Look