Reader Question: What Guys Should Wear on St. Patrick’s Day

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by megan | on March 11th, 2013 | 34 comments

Think the luck of the Irish lies in your St. Patty’s Day outfit?

In like a lion, out like a lamb. That’s what they say about March, and I hope that it’s true.

On Friday here in New York, it was spitting snow (Thursday too, which annoyingly delayed my mom and sister’s flight out here for a fun girls’ weekend), but we woke up Saturday to a sunny day in the 50s, which subsequently felt like the 80s thanks to the previous day’s horror show of a winter redux. I mean, in March? I’ll take 50s any day; it was great.

And right smack dab in the middle of this tempestuous month, we light upon St. Patrick’s Day.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a few readers ask about what to wear to their upcoming St. Patty’s Day celebrations.

One said,

“I’d like something low key but I want it to stand out (if that makes any sense). I was thinking a kelly green hoody, chambray/denim/oxford shirt, orange bow tie and either camo pants,denim or khaki chinos.”

So…..here’s the thing. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I’m actually not a huge fan of guys going loading on the green on St. Patrick’s Day. Sounds crazy, I know, since you guys are aware of how much I love when you wear more color.

It’s just that piling on the leprechaun hue for the day feels a little over-the-top – a little, well, immature.

Remember your third grade teacher who would dress in head-to-toe orange and black on Halloween? You know he or she meant well, but you also rolled your eyes at them just a bit. And you were like, seven. That’s a bit what you look like when you “dress” for St. Patrick’s Day. And it should go without saying, but us ladies do not want to date our third grade teacher (no offense Mrs. Battista. You were great, and I’ll always cherish the time we spent together).

While I can see how this all might come off as Scrooge-like (excuse my mixing holiday metaphors), it’s really not. I love holidays. Love ‘em. All of ‘em. Presidents’ Day? Gimme. Fourth of July? I’m on it. But in recent years, say, since I’ve been old enough to celebrate a holiday by toasting to it, I’ve noticed that many guys who use the holiday as an excuse to drink, do so excessively.

The results are not pretty.

Love the sentiment, but keep it off your t-shirt

My one and only experience with St Patty’s Day in Hoboken – a big thing here in NYC – left a sour taste in my mouth…and probably the scent of more than a few dudes puking out of faux-Irish pubs on my clothes. THAT is who I think of when I think of guys dressed up for St. Patty’s Day. The ones who can’t hold their liquor. The ones who are still holding on to college. The ones who are probably hiding (or not really even hiding) a beer gut under their “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” t-shirt they bought at Urban Outfitters sophomore year of college and drag out every March.

[SEE ALSO: SANTACON]

Which brings me, slowly, back to the question of what to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. My distaste for guys in t-shirts that say ostensibly funny things can wait another day, but suffice it say to I think guys would do well to rein it in a bit this Sunday. Skip any article of clothing that refers to how drunk you are. Skip the orange bow tie. Skip the shamrock beads. Skip the leprechaun hat.

That said, if you want to incorporate just a little bit of green into your St Patty’s Day ensemble, a kelly green shirt like the one the reader mentioned above would look nice while not making me wonder what frat you wandered off from. If you want to start celebrating a little early, why not try a small pin of a shamrock on your lapel? That’s a classy nod to the actual holiday, and not just what the holiday’s become.