

 Home › Color Coordination › How to Mix and Match Clothing Colors for Men (A Stylist
Recommends)

How to Mix and Match Clothing Colors for

Men (A Stylist Recommends) 15 min read
By Iryna Fedorchak — May contain affiliate links (Details) — Leave a Comment

If you’re a man wondering how to mix and match clothing colors, you’re in the
right place. This in-depth style guide has everything you need to know.

Let’s dive in.

Page Contents 
Why Color Matters
As a rule, most men are firmly convinced that the ability to dress well refers
only to the “fragile” half of humanity—women, and men shouldn’t bother to
dress the part. However, learning to correctly combine colors is far from just a
superfluous skill.

A modern man should strive to create a holistic, harmonious image that’s

going to delight the eye and match the mood, situation, and tell others who
you are or who you want to be.

Many high end designer brands carefully craft their own color stories.

One of the main components of developing your personal style and dressing
well is by choosing the correct colors. Some men are convinced that only
expensive jackets, shirts, and ties from the most fashionable, high-end
designers will look great (and they could) BUT they’re not going to create your
outfit’s desired effect if you fail to choose the right and the appropriate colors.

Moreover, an unsuccessful combination of colors, as well as an excessive

amount of them, can create a faceless image—worse yet—repulsive one. You
can call the correct variety of colors an art that anyone—yes, even you—can
master.
 These 3 graduated from CCU (Clown Central University).

Now that we’ve covered why the colors you choose to wear matters, let’s dive a
little deeper into the basics of color matching. This is how guys can mix and
match clothing colors.

If you’d prefer watching, a video is below:

How to Mix and Match Clothing Colors for Men [Everything You Need to Know]

Subscribe to the GW YouTube channel.

The Basics of Color Matching
First, define the primary color for the base of your look. Typically, the base
color is assigned to a suit, shirt, or jacket. From there you can then build out
the rest of the colors from that base.

For starters, choose neutral, achromatic colors, we’re talking black, grey,
white, brown, navy, or even dark olive. These neutral colors are very
convenient as primary colors since they can quickly and safely be combined
with most all other chromatic colors.
 Never underestimate the power of the furious five — blues, whites, grays, browns, and olives.

Particular attention should be paid to the charcoal or medium grey color,

which literally can make other colors within the same palette all in tune with
each other.

Additionally, it would be best to never forget about the three colors rule. And
that is, if there are more than 3 colors in your outfit, it’ll be more challenging
to achieve harmony with the combination of shades, especially if all the colors
are vivid and competing for attention.

» Readers’ Favorite: The Navy Blazer: An Ultimate Guide on this

Men’s Style Essential.

Now let’s talk defining accents.

Defining Accents
A man’s wardrobe is somewhat limited in selecting items that can create an
accent. But it’s precisely the accentuation of color that can create a unique
look. By putting the proper emphasis on an accessory or accent piece, you can
dilute the monotony of shades and make your presentation livelier in the eyes
of others.

Using pink as a defining accent is incredibly effective.

 The dotted burgundy tie is subtle yet striking.

Socks, pocket square, lapel flower, sunglasses and even pants can act as a defining accent.

To set a defining accent for example, you can use a scarf, tie, boutonniere or
pocket square, a watch strap, sunglasses, and in some cases, even socks can be
used for emphasis. The main thing that must be observed when choosing
accents is that they should supplement other elements in the outfit, instead of
clash.

And now let’s talk complexion.

Men’s Wardrobe Color Guide

It’s imperative to combine colors that complements your natural complexion.
After all, the main essence of dressing up is to emphasize your facial features
from the practical side, making it more expressive. By nature, men don’t really
think about how a particular color of clothing suits their faces.

Most men will fall under the 3 categories of low, medium and high contrast type.

In this case, you can and most certainly should learn from us women who
always try on an outfit in front of a mirror before buying.

To understand which color scheme is suitable for your natural complexion,

you need to determine the degree of contrast, which is the difference between
your eyebrows, hair, and skin color. To simplify, there are three main types:
high-contrast, medium-contrast, and low-contrast.

Consider Your Complexion

High Contrast Type: Black Hair – White Skin
 Typical complexion type of some Asian and Caucasian men.

For this type, the best solution would be the maximum contrast, for example,
choosing a black tie with white stripes.

Low Contrast: Blonde Hair – Fair Skin

 Low contrast is typical of men of Nordic descent or if you’re Zac Efron with bleached hair.

The use of minimally contrasting combinations make the most sense here so
that the clothes don’t draw too much attention. Remember, it’s super
important to maintain a balance by searching for common characteristics
between your complexion and your clothing.

Medium Contrast Type: Eyes, Hair And Skin Blend In Together

 These lucky leading men (Jamie Foxx + Tom Cruise] fall under the medium contrast complexion.

This is most advantageous type that can have many more color options for
clothes than others as a myriad of colors look great with your complexion.

An equally important point is your eye color, which should also be taken into
account when choosing your wardrobe.

The most important thing to remember when creating an outfit is the result.
More specifically, a holistic image that’s going to reveal your best qualities,
lend elegance and attractiveness, and make you stronger and more confident
as a result.
 » Related: 10 Best Colors to Wear for Southeast Asian Men

By choosing different colors, textures of fabrics, patterns, you can add some
variety even to the strict classic style of men’s clothing. Furthermore, many
variations are permissible for modern business attire. But to look elegant in
any situation, it’s necessary to combine colors and fabrics correctly.

And that takes us to the next point, the boring, yet trusty color wheel.
Practical Use of the Color Wheel
The color wheel can help dispel fears and doubts about choosing the right
combination of colors for your wardrobe. Using this genuinely magical tool,
you can use colors in the following proportions:

Base color – 60-70%

Complementary color – 20-30%
Accent color – 5-10%

The trusty color wheel and various color schemes.

A harmonious balance can be achieved when using one to three colors in your
ensemble; if there are more colors, then the integrity of the outfit may appear
scattered and noisy.

The easiest way is to combine monochrome colors, i.e., shades of the same
color. You can also easily combine a base color with analogous colors on the
sides of the base color since they’re so similar.

When coordinating outfits, you may want to consider using complementary

colors which are the opposite hues on the color wheel.
 A well balanced outfit of brown, gray and white (3 colors rule).

In their most basic form, they are one primary color and the secondary color
that is created by mixing the other two primaries, eg. the complementary
color to yellow is purple, which is a mix of blue and red.

Keep in mind that complementary colors are very high in contrast — which is
why sports teams tend to use them because the colors simply pop.

However, in menswear with such contrasting combinations, you need to be

extremely careful, so it’s a good idea to mix in the neutrals of navy, gray, black
or white to ground the look.
Men’s Color Mix & Matching Guide
Today, modern men are moving beyond conservative ideas about fashion and
style. The ability to dress elegant, fashionably, and suitably is essential to
make the best impression and be your most confident self. And color plays a
massive role in creating your image.
 Modern, elegant, and fashionable men’s style.

While some men can intuitively feel what looks good and which colors and
shades are incompatible, but this is rare with most guys. Thankfully, you can
in time, acquire it by mastering the basic rules of GW’s Color Matching Guide
for creating a harmonious, stylish outfits.

Now let’s get into the basics of the all-important, color coordination and
combinations.

Color Coordinating & Combinations

The art of combining colors is a crucial nuance. After all, even the most
expensive things can look ridiculous together and spoil the impression it’s
meant to have, just like flashy, tasteless outfits. To avoid these mistakes, you
need to master the basic rules of color combinations.

The first step is to choose the main shade as the base color of your fit. As
mentioned previously, it can be a suit or a combination of pants and a shirt.

It’s recommended to take neutral achromatic palettes as a basis, for example:

Black
Grey
White
Brown
Navy

The advantage of neutral shades is that they can be perfectly combined with
other colors. But don’t get carried away with one hue or a shade. Otherwise,
the image can turn out to be too dull, unless monochromatic is what you’re
going for. An ideal outfit consists of 2-3 shades, and keep in mind any more
than that can lead to the opposite result.
 Grey monochrome is among the easiest set of colors a man can wear.

It’s also much easier to combine monochrome colors than printed ones. And
the closer the colors are in the color wheel, the easier they combine. For
example, a base color and two adjacent sides are excellent solutions. And an
even more effective move is a combination of shades located opposite of each
other. But here, you need to be confident in your knowledge of color.

Using a color wheel isn’t always possible. Therefore, the most suitable and
harmonious combinations are best remembered and practiced. Of course,
monochrome sets are the most laconic and elegant ones.

At the same time, spectacular contrast is one of the most expressive

techniques in color coordination and combinations, which takes us into our
next order of business—contrasting colors.

Clothing Color Guide (11 Great Contrasting Colors)

1. Khaki olive and beige
These shades combine just perfectly. Add a white tone to the look to add
contrast. An ideal choice for a green palette is brown as well.

2. Red
Red works well with blue, but if one of the tones is darker than the other, two
bright shades are not the best choice. Red and yellow can be considered an
effective combination, but can be overkill with excessive brightness
(McDonalds anyone?) That said, a red and black/white (basic colors)
ensemble can be incredibly effective.

3. Violet
The combination of purple in men’s clothing is suitable for those who want to
look stylish and emphasize their creativity. Combine it with white, dark grey,
and dark greens for a powerful combination.

4. Blue
This palette doesn’t work well with black, but it looks fantastic with white,
beige, and brown. You can also use pink or burgundy to add a special vibe.

5. Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a stylish shade that’s not easy to match, but in addition to blue, it
looks great with white, black, grey, and brown.

6. Beige
This neutral shade goes well with lighter tones—think white, blue, and light
red. Just note that the more yellow the beige is, the more difficult it is to
combine.

7. Black
This versatile color works well with various colors, but light options are the
most beneficial. White, pink, blue, mint are great accompanying colors with
black, and a red tint can add expressiveness and visibility to a gloomy look.

8. White
Another neutral option that can be combined with almost any palette, but you
need to consider some of the nuances. White looks more attractive with cold
shades—think blue, light blue, black, graphite. However, beige and sand will
work too.

9. Grey
Light grey looks better in the company of light shades of other palettes, such
as pink, blue, white. While dark grey looks better with dark: black, burgundy,
blue.

10. Brown
With browns the shade is also essential. Light brown tones look good paired
with a cream shade, blue, and white. Dark ones will make an exciting contrast
with blue, black, burgundy, dark greens. All brown options look gorgeous with
white.

11. Pink
Many guys don’t really like this color, as it can come off as too feminine.
However, if you’ve bought a light pink shirt or sweater, it’s relatively easy to
combine with other colors. Keep in mind that bright shades require accuracy.
Soft shades of the palette can be safely worn with blue, grey, white, beige,
brown.

And now let’s do some mixing and matching with some basic colors.

Mixing and Matching with Basic Colors

Try these 4 Winning Combinations
It’s far from convenient to carry the color wheel with you when you’re out and
about. Therefore, you can focus on several basic color combinations that you
can safely use in new looks over and over again.

Now let’s get into these winning color combinations.

1. Military green and pistachio/grass green

Dark military tones with green are combined very easily and naturally in
men’s clothing. This color combination will be perfect for spring and autumn.
For example, it could be military green jacket and a pistachio green chinos a
white shirt/t-shirt.

2. Red and green

In the color wheel, these colors are opposite each other, and in men’s clothing,
they mix and match just fine. But even though these colors complement each
other perfectly, it is better to avoid their highly saturated shades, else you risk
looking like you came out of a Christmas card.

To make the look less flashy, you can choose a red or green color that’s lighter
or darker in tone. Otherwise, you can use earthy shades of green and red in
the same outfit as well.

3. Red and blue

If you want these two colors to really work in tandem in menswear, one color
must always be darker than the other. This rule will allow the different colors
to take up the majority of the look. It is so important to strike a proper
balance between similar colors. Pair red and blue like this and you’ve got
yourself a power move.

4. Yellow and red

This combination might be the most difficult but, at the same time, the most
effective. Combining these colors in men’s clothing, you need to tread subtly.
The same rule applies here as for the combination of red and blue, and you
can limit yellow or red to small accent pieces.
 Want to make a fashion statement? This is it.

For example, it could be a tie. Combining big things in two colors can connect
a red polo shirt with mustard yellow, dark trousers. That could also be yellow
shaded loafers and a red blazer.

To maintain balance with tones, it’s beneficial to keep the ensemble in one
color temperature. Try to avoid mixing cold and warm shades, as this visually
creates a feeling of discomfort.

» Related: You might like this article on the Best Colors for Asian
 Men.

And now here’s what colors to wear for 3 different situations.

3 Style Scenarios & Colors to Wear

1. Business negotiations power move
If you have an upcoming negotiation or a serious business meeting, and want
to appear confident, then it is better to choose clothes in colder, neutral
shades.

OUTFIT DETAILS —Suit: Black Lapel | Shirt: Spier & Mackay | Boots: Allen Edmonds | Necktie: Cotton
Brew | Suspenders: Amazon Fashion | Tie Clip: Amazon Fashion

A highly successful combination is a suit made of quality fabric in charcoal

grey, brown or navy, combined with a white shirt and patterned tie. A pair of
braces could set the look of just right. Black or dark brown shoes and socks
can complete the look.

2. What to wear for a date when things are getting serious?

If we talk about a date, namely a meeting that may become fateful for you, you
need to connect creativity, courage and ingenuity. You must strive to create an
image of a conqueror – persistent and courageous.
 For date night, keep things elegant in navy and dark brown.

You can position yourself as a calm, strong-willed, reliable man with

intelligence using blue clothes, as well as its relevant shades, ranging from
blue to indigo blue. As always, blues go extraordinarily well with colors like
white, grey, or brown. In this way, you can conquer a woman with ​family
values ​and stability.

3. Dressing up for the party

A party with friends allows you to relax and show your taste preferences to the
fullest, even against the standards and accepted norms.
 » Related: Holiday Party & New Year’s Eve Outfit Ideas

You can choose colors for your look guided by symbolism. So, green evokes
associations with cheerfulness and youth; yellow symbolizes optimism and
happiness. The combination of these colors is probably the most harmonious.

And now, let’s talk about picking colors for 3 common styles.

How to Choose Colors for 3 Specific Styles

It is essential to choose colors depending that reflect well on you—your status,
age, and style.

1. Business/Office Style
 The blue suit is classic business/office attire.

Office or interview outfits best involve the use of neutral, mostly cold shades.
Dark grey, white, black is the perfect solution for the strictest dress code. The
black palette is the most relevant in this style, and it “raises the degree” of
presentability and respectability.

Blue goes well with white, grey, beige, black and other complementary shades.
But with a red and black combination in a business look, it is better not to
experiment unless you have some major cajones.
2. Vanguard Style

You don’t see emerald green every day. Pair it with beige and brown.

This style doesn’t like boring combinations; you can minimize neutral shades
here. Use emerald green, steel, and brown/beige actively. Print is appropriate
as well.

3. Casual Style
 White, tan, and black works quite well with this casual fit.

Street casual style isn’t too strict, but minimalism prevails, so muted shades
are preferable to bright ones. You can safely combine neutral and more
expressive colors, for example, grey and burgundy. The most popular here will
be blue, black, brown, and white to refresh the outfit as well.

And now a master class in color with some stellar looks.

Spectacular Style (5 Bonus Examples)
And now, my personal stylistic selection will clearly show you examples of
successful men’s outfits, by putting it all together with colors, patterns and
textures.

Street style can be effortlessly stylish.

Street style can be very expressive if you choose beautiful shades of blue, gray,
or brown and complement with catchy accessory details.

Light shades are always refreshing for a casual look. Even simple blue jeans in
a company with a light shaded linen shirt looks more attractive and so
European.

1. Plaid Checkered Everyday Casual Style

As casual as it gets with black and white plaid.

A color blocked or plaid checkered shirt, dark jeans, and bright white t-shirt
for everyday casual style.

2. Flashy Bold Business Look

 Use florals to inject personality and flair into your bold business looks.

In a business look, you can also play with color. Blue and tawny brown are the
perfect duos.

3. Light & Powdery Shades of Taupe & Beige

 Keeping things light works well with medium skin tones.

Powdery shades look very stylish in combination with dark or equally light
things.

4. Avant Garde Casual Suiting

 This looks screams Pitti Uomo sprezzatura.

If you prefer avant-garde, the choice of combinations is excellent. Bright

contrasting (contrasting with your skin color as well) compositions will be
most relevant here. A prime Pitti Uomo ensemble.

5. Red & Black Power Move

 Red, black and blue is a definite power move.

Lovers of chic combinations should pay attention to the tandem of red and
black. It is pretty effective and catchy, at the same time elegant and can give
off status.

In the end, it’s just style and you’ve got to have fun with it!
About Iryna