Pop Couture

The forgotten Beatle might be remembered better than we think. For the proper Beatles fans, I’m not referring to Pete Best, but the fab four’s Ringo Starr. With his new eponymous album, “Ringo 2012,” Starr proves there’s admiration in nostalgia. There certainly isn’t anything fresh about the album, but that’s alright when dealing with a former Beatle.

In addition to “Ringo 2012,” we also saw the release of Paul McCartney’s latest this week, “Kisses on the Bottom.” But these aren’t the only ways that Beatles have been popping up recently.

A peace sign posed on his left hand and accessorized in a blazer, Starr tailors his fashion on the album cover to reflect the same nostalgia he presents in his songs, and designers are taking notice. Though I wouldn’t say all modern wardrobes are derived from the cover of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” I would say that, between leading the British Invasion and crossing Abbey Road, the Beatles have set the standard for style in suits. Our cultivating trends, ironically, have begun to follow “suit” on this season’s runway.

Men, welcome to an era where your style can finally be expressed just as dramatically as any woman’s. It’s no longer about picking out a patterned tie. There is more to this phase, which has been coined by popularly returning designer Tommy Hilfiger as Indie Prepster.

Think of it as a new concept that pairs the comfortability of casual essentials such as denim and cotton drawstring jackets with the nostalgic statement pieces such as the vests and blazers of the fab four. Let’s work from the bottom up.

The shoe should contrast the pant, and vice versa. Consider pairing denim or other casual fabric pant with cap-toe dress shoes from names such as Bally. On the other end, pair roll-fitted dress pants with leather lace-up or heeled ankle boots like the Beatles first wore with their drainpipe trousers. Alas, with trousers comes the return of the trouser fit. Instead of a skinny fit, opt for looser, wider-leg, pants ranging in color from dark grays to tans. For lighter, clean-cut looks, consider hues of white found in lookbooks such as Perry Ellis.

Fashion watchers such as Esquire term this season’s looks as a more sober version of recent trends. We’re seeing fewer patterns and more classic hues of navy and tan — and this is only more evident in recent top-half fashions with the blazer. In 2005, the two-piece suit John Lennon wore on Abbey Road’s cover sold for $120,000. That price is high enough to make even the most devoted Beatles fans wince, trend-seekers will crave the looser fit of the featured blazer. Labels such as Prada will push a boxier fit that certainly contrasts recent slim fits.

Men can also look forward to a few louder accessory complements with bold colors. I recommend checking Southern Proper’s latest round of bow ties or even returning to Hilfiger’s idea of Indie Prep and pairing a blazer with a colored argyle vest.

And for my ladies, I suggest drawing inspiration from Alexander McQueen Resort line’s vests or taking the classic blazer and washing it out with lighter hues of tan and white. It will contrast beautifully with the darker skin tones of summer. And, after all, who is Lennon without his Yoko?

Nostalgia looks good on everyone.