Topman

Checkmate

Wearing clashing patterns and checks on checks is advanced menswear. You need an eye for geometry to make it work. If you’re bold enough try it, keep the look tonal and “remember that contrasting checks look best worn together when they are of noticeably different sizes,” says Arnold. “The contrast in scale will help to balance your outfit.”

Try a plaid shirt or houndstooth blazer under a Prince of Wales peacoat and remember to have at least one plain piece in a muted color to anchor your look. It could be your trousers, a roll neck or a scarf, but you definitely need something.

River Island

Key Styles

Overcoat

Loud, statement dressing and classic menswear are often mutually exclusive ideas, but not when it comes to a check overcoat. This is one of the few staple pieces that encourages the playful side in you. You can opt for a subtle houndstooth, sure, or grey-on-grey Prince of Wales. But how about some tartan? Red tartan. How about high-contrast black-and-white plaid? Why not make it oversized with an extra wide lapel or a dramatic collar? It’s hip to be square, you know.

Casual Jacket

Bombers and Harrington jackets have, in recent years, been in your face and very shy at the same time. In black or navy, they are a cornerstone of the minimalist male wardrobe, seen but unseen. Not any more. As menswear designers get ever bolder, these quiet jacket styles have found their voice again. Gingham and Prince of Wales checks recall mid-century casual wear, especially in a deep green. For something more modern, a plaid puffer jacket is the hypebeast answer to hypothermia.

Raincoat

The brands that first made wet weather gear fashionable also have the most famous checks in the business. It stands to reason, then, that raincoats from the likes of Burberry and Aquascutum should come with their famous patterns on the outside, not just the lining. Macs and trench coats are traditional silhouettes so muted colors should be forecast – think greens, greys, blacks and creams. You’ll still have something ten times more interesting than the average commuter’s cagoule.