Note: This article intends to enhance the knowledge of men about colour selection for their wardrobe. All the information is based on personal experience, observation and colour science. Some colours will look good on you while some may not. It is at your disposal to wear what you wish. StyleShark does not impose any choices on anyone.
Gentlemen, colours define you and patterns design your style. What is being discussed here?
Mixing colours has been an extremely taxing job for most men. For the lack of fashion sense or unavailability of right colours in the wardrobe, men are compelled to pair clothes that either look too unpleasant or uncoordinated. This kills the impression and prevents interchangeability of colours as well.
The colours you put on, the shades of a particular colour, the combination of colours you choose make you visible or a goner. A wrong colour in your ensemble can make you disappear; stop you from being noticeable.
Having a good knowledge of colours require study of your complexion and flattering colours.
Patterns design you translates as patterns define your silhouette, add proportions, give dimensions to it. Ain’t it fellas? Wanna dig deeper?
Andiamo!
Choosing colours is not as easy as matching black with black or brown with brown. Copying another man’s colours may not add flair to your style, it is infringement!
Widen your imagination as you navigate down. Without visualization you cannot figure out what colours might look amazing on you or what colours might betray you.
Solid Colours in Shirts, Tee shirts and Pants
Based on colour combinations precisely clothing is of four types
- Complementary
- Contrast
- Same colour [monochromatic]
- Mismatched.
Kick off with basic white shirt and black dress pants, the ultimate combination of all time. That is the easiest to match with common sense but as you bring blue, light purple, pink, grey, light green, maroon, navy; colour coordination turns difficult and more a matter of analysis. Common colours in pants and shirts- black white navy grey KHAKI
That’s where colours begin to classify clothing into formal and casual, which means darker and bilious colours look better in casual context and lighter colours suit a formal background.
Too much of a colour
For instance a man wearing 3 pieces of a single colour- red T-shirt, red denim and red shoes will appear unpleasant to look at.
Experiment! Now reduce red on him.
- Replace his red shoes with dark grey ones.
- Still not much difference unless you change his red denim to some acceptable colour, say, black.
- You see as you removed much red from his attire, he must appear a normal human being.
That means some colours in excess look horrible on men, that’s different from women,
Women can execute full red outfit beautifully, including red stilettoes. Even they can also perform amazingly in full blue or full green. Why is it so? Do colours favour them more than us? Yes to a certain degree. More than a single colour; various shades of it make this phenomenon more interesting. That’s why men have to choose their colours meticulously if they want to make a lasting impression.
Reason for this could be the acceptance limit of human eyes depending upon the energy, wavelength or saturation of a colour. However I am not going into science as of now. All I want is that you give it some thought and practical. Same applies to orange, yellow, dark green. Now if he wore all white or all black or all blue he would still look trim.
We can conclude that monochromatic outfits for men only look good with certain colours and you need to have a good deal of imagination and acute sense of ‘too much of a colour’.
Mismatched colours
Now take colours that never make a logical combination. Pink and yellow for the moment. There is no logic in wearing a pink shirt and yellow denim or yellow shirt with pink formal pants. To suppress yellow you need to add muted colours, dark grey. So a man in yellow polo, dark grey denim and white/black sneakers will look decent. There are number of colours which never coordinate.
More pairs Green-burgundy orange-green red-yellow. Practice new such pairs to train your mind about colour selection.
Light Top Dark Bottom Clothing
- These are complementary colour combinations. Dark colours accentuate bottom half- hips, thighs and legs.
- Looks sober and attractive at the same time.
- Choose these shades when you want to add visual volume to your legs.
- Almost all colours are interchangeable.
- Clothing may be monochromatic
- Colours are suitable for almost all events.
- Match dark or light colour shoes to create balance of the outfit.
- Wear dark socks- black, navy, dark grey.
- Colours used in the shirts- off white, pink, beige, light purple; pants- Charcoal, Navy, Dark brown, Dark green.
Some colours don’t look as elegant in trousers- maroon, purple. Mostly these colours would look better in upper garments, shirts and t shirts. Rather wearing brown in trousers choose a dark brown round neck t shirt and cream trousers. White shirt and navy trousers are great option for all men.
Dark Top Light Bottom Clothing
Just opposite of above category but with more vibrancy of colours. Top dark looks more appealing than top light as it emphasizes the torso and adds spice to your style.
A man in top dark comes off confident and energetic but mostly these colours make casual outfits. Colours are complementary with muted contrast.
Navy corduroy shirt on white cords with brown or grey suede loafers; dark green or olive t shirt over beige chinos, no problem.
- Colours used in the shirts- Dark blue, Dark brown, Burgundy, Navy; pants- Light green, Ash grey, Lavender, Khaki.
- Shoes: It is better to match dark colour shoes since you are wearing light shade in pants
- Colours are suitable for Business casual, evening occasions.
- Clothing may be monochromatic
Light Colour Clothing For Men
- These are lowkey outfits with weak contrast between top and bottom pieces
- Looks cool and elegant
- Choose the light shade style when you want to remain low-keyed
- Almost all colours are interchangeable
- Colours are suitable for workplace, summer events and daytime parties
- Match dark shoes black or brown to invigorate the outfit
- Wear light colour socks- grey, cream, white, khaki
- Colours used in the shirts- off white, pink, beige, light purple; pants- Light green, Ash grey, Lavender, Khaki.
- Try all such colours and make your own wardrobe of light shade outfits.
Contrast Clothing For Men
Much vibrant and seductive casual clothing for the occasions when you just want all attention without saying a word. Feel highly spirited in deep shades of Navy, Olive and Brown.
Some of the best rich colours have been depicted to elevate your style sense.
Try all different colours interchangeably. Mind that colours should always complement each other, if not, it will inevitably called a mismatched outfit.
- Looks rich and exuberant
- Match dark black or brown shoes with contrast outfits.
- Pair dark colour socks only.
- Only on casual occasions.
