Mens dress clothes color combinations

This post is also available in: Italiano

If you are reading this guide on men’s clothes color combinations, you have probably found yourself in a situation of having to combine clothes or decide what outfit to buy, but did not know where to start.

It may seem confusing or overwhelming when you are first confronted with all the uncertainties. What color should the jacket be? The shoes? The accessories? Which pants will go better with which jacket? After eventually giving up, you’ve probably told yourself that you’re not that kind of complicated person, and that you just need to wear simple clothing to feel good.

You certainly do not want to look eccentric all the time, so let’s put that idea on ice for now, and perhaps take it up again for an occasion such as an outing with friends or a wedding.

You might feel that you’re missing something. Perhaps you are afraid of making mistakes and being ridiculed by someone who knows more about fashion. Perhaps you asked your partner for suggestions.

By doing a web search, you may have found some color guides and complicated elaborations that include the color wheel and things like that. Itten’s circle is fine, and may help one to learn about complementary colors. But, frankly, are they practical tools?

After reading this guide on color combinations, you will know which colors to match and, unlike other guides that are on the Internet, you will be able to choose them independently without having to consult any guides.

If you know how to match colors, that means you know the shape of your body; this includes skincare, hair color and knowing how to enhance the strengths of your appearance. It is, therefore, not something effeminate, but for professionals.

There is a very specific reason for deciding which colors to wear. It is worth discovering this information, and is easy to learn and apply.

In all this confusion of colors, fabrics and styles, a man has to take into account only two things when he dresses: proportions and colors. I spoke of proportions in a recent article, and today I want to explore the topic of color.

Men’s dress clothes color combinations

Following this guide, you will be able to understand what the structural elements of color matching entail. At the end of this article, you will know why you should wear a certain color and why you should avoid others.

You should also understand why imitating others does not work. Ready to start? Let’s start. You do not need to be some kind of specialist to understand what colors to use. Think of the tuxedo: a single color for one of the most elegant outfits that man has ever invented.

Key principles: the purpose of color

The purpose of color in clothes is not to follow some fashion, but to enhance your figure and draw more attention to your face. The combination of colors for a man, thus, has the aim of bringing the attention of the beholder to the face, not to the outfit, as your face is the most important part of your figure.

Since the aim is to enhance the face, the part underneath the face (shirt, sweater, tie, etc.) is more important than shoes and pants.

What is the color?

Color (or tone) is light at a certain frequency that the brain processes in a visual stimulus. The brain is, therefore, involved in the processing of colors and is extremely effective in identifying 2 things: contrast and similarity.

The contrast

The human eye is more attracted to things that stand out, so the desired result of a combination is an outfit that highlights your face. To know which colors to wear, you have to look at your face with the intention to understand the contrast between the tone of your skin and your hair.

In the example on the left, the actor has a medium-low contrast between the tone of his face and his hair. In the photograph on the right, the contrast is greater.

Contrast is the difference in hue or intensity between two colors. Let’s see a practical example:

How much contrast does the color of your skin produce with your hair color? If the contrast produced is low and your outfit has a high contrast, the focus will be on your clothes. Low contrast means little difference between colors and intensities. A high contrast means a more significant difference between the colors.

If you have a low-contrast face, you will have to avoid a strong contrasts under the face, because the focus will then be on your outfit. Be careful not to overdo it: light face, blonde hair, and clothes that are too light … you will become a ghost.

Similarity

Similarity is uniformity of tones and elements. You have to combine clothes, fabric, colors or patterns to form a consistent, homogeneous whole.

Try to combine the shirt with the color of your hair, or the tie with the color of your eyes.

Contrast and resemblance are two powerful weapons. The only mistake you can make is to fall in the middle. Not too similar, not too contrasting.

The temperature

Finding the right temperature is important because it makes you understand, for example, why a certain type of blue makes you feel good, while another makes you feel bad. Typically, people fall into one of two categories: warm tones or cold tones.

To find out which temperature category your skin tone falls in, follow this guide on sub-skin tone. Once you have determined your skin temperature category, you will be able to direct yourself to the right colors. For example, if you find that brown with warm tones enhances your face, you will automatically not choose the other green one.

Cold and warm tones

The cold tones are those characterized by a dominant blue, while the warm tones from red/yellow. Although they are clearly distinguishable at the ends (left and right), there are intermediate color zones that are similarly cold and warm.

For example, green can have a blue direction, as well as a yellow direction. For every color, there are in fact many gradations, which are mixed with warm and cold colors. The balanced colors are those colors that have the correct proportion between warm and cold tones.

The colors that are good for everyone are balanced colors. So, how does one choose colors for men? Here is a practical solution: if you do not want to struggle, choose balanced colors.

Here is a list of balanced colors:

Where to start to match men’s colors

First rule: never combine colors that are too bright, choose softer or more pastel colors instead. Bright colors can be rejuvenating, but should be used in moderation to avoid the Christmas effect.

The second rule: combine “neutral” colors, i.e. those colors that can be combined with each other without problems.

In this article, I have explained which colors should be combined with gray.

Match the patterns

There are not only flat colors in clothes but also patterns. It is worth studying this topic a little bit. A very simple, general rule is to focus more on contrast than on resemblance. Similar shapes will become a visual problem, while very different shapes will combine harmoniously.

Color combination of clothes and shoes

For your convenience, I have included a table with the color of shoes to wear depending on the type of suit.

Because you do not have to imitate others

Because you are unique, and I do not say this in a motivational sense, your physical characteristics are only yours. In this guide, we talked about dressing according to the contrast of your face, the colors of your face, the sub-tone, and explored the typical colors for men.

Being men in itself also simplifies the choice of colors. In short, if you do not know where to start: discover a single color that matches your face well (choose from the basic colors). According to that, choose a color to match according to the processes we have talked about, following the contrast and resemblance. You should not have any difficulty.

Let me know if you have any questions or if you want to send me your combinations. Leave a comment below.