Fashion, like life, is incomplete without color. Color is a beautiful asset in fashion, and to be truly stylish, color must be utilized effectively and smartly. Not many things look more awkward than wearing an outfit with clashing colors. However, if you can maneuver through colors like a fashionista, the options are endless. And the choices are oh so beautiful: salmon, maroon, navy, mustard, teal, purple and so many more.
To start off, keep in mind that black, white and most shades of gray harmonize very well with any color out there. If you want to showcase a certain colorful piece, then wear all neutral colors for all other outfit pieces. This makes the colorful piece stand out in a complementary way, like on him. If you want an outfit to stand out with colorful accents, then make everything else neutral, like this guy with his red tie. Wearing only one color throughout the outfit functions well if it’s offset with neutral colors like on him; his blue is perfectly coordinated with the black.
Fashionably speaking, for guys, blue denim is dead. Especially light blue denim. Blue denim speaks to the blue-collar workers of yesteryear, and they are noticeably scant from all modern fashion lookbooks and outfits. Dark blue is still acceptable, but keep the blue dark enough to be an undertone. But it’s alright, everyone. Blue denim’s popularity had to go down to make room for bigger (more like skinnier) and better things.
Top bottoms choices are khaki pants or black pants. Every trendy man’s closet should have a pair of each. They are incredibly versatile, and can match with way more tops than blue. If you don’t have khaki or black pants yet, then seriously invest. I guarantee it will be one of the best fashion decisions you’ve ever made. Oh, and please, also make sure they are either slim or skinny. For those who think skinny is too androgynous, slim fit pants are loose on the skin, but are still form-fitting. Check them out!
The most important thing when it comes to color matching your outfit is to create a mixture of different colors. Unless, of course, you’re wearing an all-black outfit because that almost always looks badass, like on this guy. Try to keep all the colors in an outfit independent while still meshing well together. Make sure all the colors you wear are in the same tone; for instance, wear all earthy colors, all nautical colors or all creamy colors.
But beware, don’t wear too much of one color besides black, white and gray. Also, there are some different hues (not all) of the same color that shouldn’t be worn together. A bright red shirt with a maroon beanie is a definite no-no. However, a blue checkered shirt with a blue sweater is great. It seems sort of counterintuitive at first, but maybe examples will help. This guy’s outfit is very toned down, and it pairs white, brown and green, which are all very earthy colors. This guy’s outfit is very modern and refined, but with a twist. Instead of having just black pants, he has dark plaid pants.
Experiment with it and don’t be afraid to color it up! Your body’s your canvas.
Original Author: Eric Ding