Men often find color in style to be a bit confusing. They don’t understand it and so, very sadly, they just tend to leave it out of their wardrobe. If that is your stylistic choice, then that’s great. But if you are neglecting color because you find it confusing, or don’t quite fully understand it, or trust yourself to implement it in your wardrobe in a way that is fashionable, then that is a tragedy.
This episode is for the express purpose of helping you to fully understand color in men's wardrobe, and how it works. There are specific principles relating to each color, and how and why they go with other colors, and that’s what I’m addressing in this episode.
Why are navy and grey suits the best colors for first suits? Why are dark colored jeans more versatile than light jeans? What color of denim goes with a sports jacket? How can you start implementing colors that are a bit more out there(indigo, red, violet, etc) in ways that really works and still gives you a professional look?
Those are just a few of the questions addressed in this episode. If you’re looking for an all-encompassing primer on the world of color in men’s style, this episode is for you! Get ready to learn to love color, and the ways that it can be a part of your wardrobe once you start to fully understand it, on this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast!
Click here to listen on iTunes – Podcast 8: A Man’s Guide to Integrating Color in a Wardrobe
Click here to listen on Soundcloud – Podcast 8: A Man’s Guide to Integrating Color in a Wardrobe
Click here to listen on Stitcher – Podcast 8: A Man’s Guide to Integrating Color in a Wardrobe
Key Takeaways:
- Often, men avoid color because they don’t understand it
- Color percentages are not meant to be followed strictly, but rather used as a general guide
- Percentage-wise, most of your wardrobe should be white, grey, navy blue, black, blue, brown and green.
- White: Underwear, shirts (T-shirts and dress shirts)
- Grey: light, charcoal, medium. Anything between white and black. Grey is a non-color, so you can mix and match it with almost any other color
- Navy Blue: Great for suits and trousers.
- Blue: Most men will be complemented by blue. Gives a feeling of crispness and cleanliness
- Black: Some men have more black, others will stay away. Avoid black suits. Black has such a stark contrast with other colors that it’s hard to match
- Brown and Green: Brown comes in a wide range, and tends to be underutilized. Green works well for certain complexions
- Purple, red yellow and orange are all at 2% or below
White:
- Default dress shirt color
- High contrast
- Suggests cleanliness and purity
- Matches suits of all colors
Charcoal Grey:
- Ideal suit color
- Can give young men a bit of age, which can help
Black:
- Highest contrast of any color besides white
- Psychological effect of making the wearer look more aggressive
- Suggest seriousness
- Doesn’t show dirt or stains
Navy Blue:
- Great second suit color
- Match almost any shirt in your wardrobe
Light Blue:
- Traditional shirt color
- Matches most suits
- Sends a signal of cleanliness, but adds a changeup to the white in your wardrobe
Brown:
- Some people hate brown. Be careful of it
- Great with leather. Great with brown leather dress shoes
- Some studies have shown that brown sends the signal of reliability and trustworthiness
Indigo:
- Technically deep dark blue, but this refers more to jeans and denim
- Dark colored jeans work well with a sports jacket
Color Wheel Chart:
Mindset Takeaway:
Don’t be afraid of color! Understand the variety in the world of color for men’s fashion, and start to implement a bit of it, in a stylistically sensible way, each day.
Resources:
The Color Wheel and Men's Clothing (blog post) – Color coordination should never be overlooked by the man building a wardrobe. Well-chosen colors are like a proper fit: a detail that can entirely make or break an outfit.
