Thomas Dean

To pursue a new artistic direction, sometimes it's necessary to pare down the stable of contributors, like when Pink Floyd jettisoned Syd Barrett, or...Lynyrd Skynyrd. Dropping the third wheel to drop a new line, Thomas Dean

After five years successfully hawking quality dress shirts at a meager price point, two of TailorByrd's founders cut ties with the third to launch a collection of long staple Egyptian cotton woven buttondowns featuring patterned inner lining on the placket, collar, and cuffs to present a stark, sometimes terrifying contrast. Patterned numbers include vertically striped teal contrasted with diagonally striped navy, white, and Carolina blue; red/light blue checkers with salmon contrasts; blue stripes accented by floral lining; and a multi-striped (red, blue, white, pink) design with red-and-white checkerboard cuffs, the perfect camo for covertly stealing meatballs in an Italian restaurant. On the solid side, the classic fit blue chambray with red/blue/white plaid cuff and collar lining makes clashing fashionable, while the blue-and-white plaid inner cuffs on the lime waffle print totally make up for the fact that you're wearing a lime shirt

Presently only available through independent online retailers and select boutiques, TD plans to launch a dedicated e-shop soon -- because these days, without a strong web presence, your project will just crash and burn.