It’s Dating Season! How To Succeed This Spring

It’s Dating Season! How To Succeed This Spring

Fade Up

The secret to wearing bold colors without looking like a dandy or a spaz is simple: They should be washed-out. Faded. Like they were already broken in before you even pulled them on. And don't be afraid to mix them all together, like New York band Vampire Weekend—the indie darlings who are now looking, thanks to an inspired third album, to float the mainstream

When Vampire Weekend's first album appeared, in 2008, you couldn't talk about them without arguing about them. All up for debate: their sly, self-assured, and perfect-pop riffs; their breezy Internet-fueled rise and Afropop appropriation; the perception vs. reality of their elitism, vis-à-vis their degrees from Columbia and the pink horses on their Ralph Lauren. Back then, VW's cheery frontman, Ezra Koenig, tells me, it felt like "people were waiting for us to fuck up."

Now here comes third album Modern Vampires of the City, a tightly produced batch of wordy, playful, daydream jams written and recorded in L.A., Brooklyn, and—okay, laugh it up—a friend's guesthouse on Martha's Vineyard. Koenig says, softly sarcastic, "If people are still like, 'Oh, my God, you preppy white-ass Ivy League whatever,' " well, then, maybe they weren't really listening to the music in the first place. Not that he's all that salted about it: "I mean, I'm always happy to engage in a dialogue about Polo shirts."

Right before I hang up, I offer a theory: A while back, Drake embraced the winter sweater, via his particular Haute-Cosby Look. Is it possible Vampire Weekend—once so closely associated with the woolly wear—became, by comparison, less preppy? "Maybe that's true," Koenig offers gamely. "I didn't think about that, because the sweaters Drake wears are from such a different branch of the sweater tree. It's the style of somebody wearing clothes associated with very old people. Which I like." He mulls it over some more. "I feel like sweaters will always be a part of our band. But maybe the moment for them to be at the forefront has passed, in a healthy way? And we can start focusing on other items?"

Spring Colors You Know, in Shades You Don't
This season, our favorite colors look like they were made in the 1980s—and then spent the next thirty years in some forgotten warehouse washing machine. The result is rusty reds, watery blues, and purples that fade into grays. Start by buying a sweatshirt or a pair of chinos and then work your way up to Vampire Weekend's next-level mixing and matching

Wear It NowEasy Upgrades: 10 Must-Haves Under $100

1. Topman suede desert boots
Suede desert boots are a mainstay—McQueen rarely straddled a bike without his—but designers never ventured beyond khaki and brown. That just changed. For spring, the boots got spiked with an array of colors that will give new life to your jeans, chinos, and suits. It's time to let those tan boots fall to the back of the closet—and go electric.

2. Prada Luna Rossa cologne
Prada's new Luna Rossa packs an extra-fresh hit of lavender for the kind of detail-obsessed guy who knows the difference between pomade, paste, and styling clay.

3. Smart Turnout knit tie
This season, reinvigorate your wardrobe with one simple purchase: a knit tie. The hit of texture will give any business suit a lift—and knits are now available in zillions of not-drab colors and countless not-boring patterns.

4. Zara penny loafers
Penny loafers for penny-pinchers: These new low-cost versions are just as advanced as their pricey cousins. Perfect for the guy who's about to start loafing for the first time.

5. Warby Parker Jasper sunglasses
Warby Parker is a brand that's made for this list—every great pair of glasses and sunglasses, like this pair of Jaspers here, comes in at under $100.

6. Minnetonka moccasins
Moccasins have lived in driving loafers' shadows for years—but no more. Not since labels like Tod's started using high-end suede and leather roping to give them new life. Bonus: The OG brand, Minnetonka, has responded, giving the Italian boys a run for their euros.

7. Gap oxford shirt
With a tie or without, alone with the sleeves pushed up or under a blazer, this slim-fit oxford from Gap is ready for anything.

8. The Knottery Grenadine tie
If you're going with a solid tie, it never hurts to choose one with a little texture, like this "grenadine" tie from The Knottery.

9. Superga sneakers
Superga's sneakers are popular with the athletic crowd, but these Italian classics work just as well with a pair of jeans as they do on a tennis court.

10. CB I Hate Perfume Invisible Monster cologne
Invisible Monster from CB I Hate Perfume makes you smell like you felled trees all day with one of those $300 paint-dipped axes, then went home to shotgun a microbrew.