Minnesotans like to brag that we have over 90,000 miles of shoreline, which is more than that of California, Florida and Hawaii combined. 10,000 lakes, baby! Here in Northfield, we contribute to the overall mileage with our (small) Lyman Lakes, plus the banks of the Cannon River. In the same way we appropriate the term “coastline” here in the Midwest, we also have our own version of the daily prep school look.
A white oxford shirt may be classic, but we like to add a bit of color. This Fashionisto's shirt is not quite white, but rather flirts with a mauve or lavender tint. While some say it’s because we tend to be a little less starch and uptight about our style, it’s really the best way to hide our varying shades of paleness as winter fades away. Speaking of pale, pale shades of your favorite hue are very in right now. Think mint, muted blue, blushing pink and lavender (and I must emphasize that lavender is huge right now). Because I love gender benders, I will always advocate for pink dress shirts on men, especially if you have gorgeous café con leche skin like this Fashionisto.
While a lot of Midwesterner’s love their rather large and humorous ties (think of your uncle’s one with the Loony Toons characters), you know you’ve got a solid Midwest coast prep school candidate when he breaks out with a super skinny and stylish neckpiece. Try classy stripes as shown by this Fashionisto, or one of my favorite new patterns for ties, gingham. Bonus points if you get it to match your shirt.
Hint: So what exactly makes this Midwest coast prep? The jeans, of course! A nice pair of dark wash, slightly faded slim straight fit jeans go a long way in proclaiming your status as a hard-working, home-grown boy from America’s heartland.
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