Whether you're putting together a business wardrobe or a collection of casual attire for your own personal activities, it's important to present a coordinated look.
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A lot of women joke that their husbands need Garanimals, a popular line of kids' clothing that has tags attached with pictures of various animals. Match the animals, and you have a coordinated outfit.
It's a funny concept, but unnecessary; you don't need Garanimals to be able to put together a sensible wardrobe. Coordinating an outfit isn't that hard if you stick to a couple principles: choose most of your outfit from neutrals, and add a spot of bright color if you wish with a dress shirt, pullover jersey, or turtleneck; and try to keep warm colors with warm, cool colors with cool.
In business attire, you can keep to neutral colors like tan, brown, black, navy blue, and gray for a suit or blazer and matching pants, and add a dress shirt, jersey, or turtleneck in traditional white or a brighter color - anything from green to pink to peach. If you're going for brighter colors, wear just one, not several, at a time.
For more casual attire, adding a bit of color to a neutral palette still works. A pair of khaki or deep brown cargo pants and a coordinating neutral safari jacket will be set off well by a light orange or deep olive pullover.
Try to ascertain whether your clothing components are a warm or cool color, and match warm to warm, cool to cool. Traditionally, reds, yellows, and oranges are considered warm colors, while greens, blues and violets are cool; but there's variety within each color. Greens can contain more or less yellow in them, which can give the green a warmer or cooler cast; reds can contain a blue cast, which makes them cool, or contain more orange or yellow, which makes them warm.
Believe it or not, supposed neutrals like off white, tan, and brown can be warm or cool. A muted maroon big shirt, which is a cool color, should be paired with a cool neutral pair of pants like a sandstone; a peach colored shirt, either bright or pastel, should be coordinated with a warmer neutral, like a warm tan.
More dramatic colors are popular these days for men's clothing; olive for instance, in either light or dark hues, is a favorite. If you want something this dramatic, in a safari jacket, for instance, choose neutrals in a pullover or turtleneck to coordinate.
Follow these two simple rules for every piece of your wardrobe, from pants and shirt to vests and outerwear, to provide a comfortable, attractively coordinated and versatile outfit. If you dress in layers, you can adjust to fluctuations in temperature and environment by adding or removing layers, and look great in the process! If you require special sizing, there are companies that deal exclusively with those hard to find sizes.
The colours of the clothes you choose are very important, depending on your skin tone and complexion. Below is a list of what colours to wear and what colours to avoid for each different skin tone.
Dark skin tone Men who are dark-skinned tend to have black or dark brown hair and eyes. If this skin tone includes you then the colors that you wear should contrast with your dark features. The contrast breaks up an otherwise dull look and catches the eye.
Colors you look your best in: pink white khaki baby blue gray
Colors you should avoid: black dark brown turquoise spring green magenta
You should stay away from tropical colors and really dark shades. While black and navy blue are hard to avoid altogether because they basically make up the corporate uniform, try to keep them to a minimum and wear only when necessary.
Medium skin tone Anything from blonde locks to jet-black manes, their eye color can vary from baby blue to onyx black. This skin tone is probably the most useful; as it means that you can wear just about any color and still look good. This is because light and dark colours contrast nicely with your skin tone.
Colors you look your best in: beige burgundy royal blue navy black pink (stripes)
Colors you should avoid: pistachio mauve dark brown red olive
The only colors that you should really avoid are those that might blend in too closely with your skin tone. For example, if you have an olive complexion, avoid wearing olive-colored or brown clothing.
Pale skin tone Pale-skinned men will tend to have red, blonde, or dirty blonde hair. Their eye color is often just as fair, including green, blue, gray, or hazel. If you match this description, your best bet is to go with more subdued colors and pastels. These will blend well with your skin tone, and create a look that's both appealing and relaxing to the eye.
Colors you look your best in: light blue brown beige off-white bold blue
Colors you should avoid: red pink orange yellow purple
The key is to steer clear of harsh or bright colors since these will contrast with your skin in an unflattering way. Basically, your clothes will stand out while you fade into the background. That said, stay away from vibrant colors at all costs.
Remember that what works for one man doesn't necessarily work for another. The key to wearing colors lies in matching the color to your skin tone. Now, you can avoid that fashion disaster and make sure you're the guy the ladies check Anatomy of a scandal poncho out.
