I'm constantly encouraging you guys to incorporate color into your wardrobe especially since the warmer and more sunny months are upon us, but I recently had a friend of mine ask me "where do I start??" Since we, men, have a seemingly natural tendency to gravitate to darker & less ostentatious colors, we have to make more of an effort to go against the grain. When my friend expressed that his dilemma is knowing which colors to combine when putting together a complete look I initially told him to take chances and trust his instincts, but shortly after giving him this response I realized not all guys have the instinctive ability to recognize or create great color combinations. Now, I 'll admit that undertaking this task of breaking down the science of color combinations was no easy one considering that I've been blessed with a natural eye for great style and have always been able to simply recognize a dope colorful ensemble upon first glance but, for you guys, I took on this task with vigor! Let's have a brief but informative science lesson, shall we? Oh, and it'd behoove you to stay awake because daydreaming or falling asleep, as some of you may do during your science classes at school, will result in you missing out on gaining the fundamentals of color & risking your ensemble being completely off balance. Let's begin...
The Basics
When brainstorming ideas for creating an interesting look that tells a cool color story, a great way to lay a foundation in your mind is by imagining all the different colors that exist and a color wheel is the perfect visual tool to illustrate all of the many colors that exist:
Every possible color you could ever think of including in your wardrobe can be seen in this one simple wheel (so I guess our kindergarten teachers knew what they were doing when they kept this wheel hung in their classrooms, who'da thought?!)
Now, we, men, tend to stick to the more basic colors (ie. red, blue, yellow and green) which actually makes things much easier, especially when you're a guy whose just getting his feet wet in the vast sea of color. Focusing on these basic colors will help you develop, over time, a keen eye for color because it pushes the remaining 8 shades in the wheel into the background thus causing you to feel less overwhelmed. See, starting off isn't as difficult as some of you may have thought! Now you can breathe... Let's continue...
Harmony
It takes a seasoned fashionisto to take garments in crazy colors, put them together and create an unconventional yet amazing look that the average person never would've dreamed of creating. Remember, if you're just starting out you'd want to keep things simple. Now the fun begins! So you've more than likely chosen a garment in one of the four basic colors I previously mentioned and you're attempting to add in some other items & accessories to create a full look, let's go to the color wheel for some ideas for accent colors:
The color that is directly across from the color of the garment you're going to wear is its complimentary color which means its the ideal color to create a harmonious pair. For example: if you are planning to wear a pair of navy blue slacks, a yellow shirt would be the best color to pair them with (on the color wheel blue is directly across from yellow). Or if you're a guy who has a taste for something a bit more bold, orange and a slightly lighter shade of blue would be a knockout pair!
The 'POP!'
By now you've found your main garment, chosen an accent color, now comes the opportunity to have a li'l fun! Adding in cool accessories is the perfect way to add interest (or "pop" as its called in the fashion world) to your look so why not think outside the box and throw in some unique items that'll give people a reason to truly appreciate your ensemble?! We, men, have a very limited amount of choices in terms of accessories therefore we really have to make the ones we choose count. No matter what genre of style you're going with on a particular occasion, there's always room to add accessories to amp up your look...
Business:
A navy suit doesn't have to be bland & ordinary; toss in a solid color pocket square (a white cotton one folded into a square also works fine), a sleek watch with leather straps and yellow socks (complimentary color) will transform this classic suit.
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Casual/Sporty:
As I've said in previous posts, you want to have one item be the main focal point while the rest of your look remains fairly subdued and less bold overall. For example, when wearing something as bold as a fire engine red blazer you'd definately want to build around it and incorporate maybe a black or brown beaded necklace and/or wristbands, light faded jeans, and a pale turquoise tee (complimentary color) underneath.
(Kanye's grey tee works great
as well because its a muted tone
which is a nice contrast to the
bold red)
Last but not Least: The Foundation
Let's recap: you've selected your main garment, chosen complimentary pieces and threw in a few accessories for flare. Now all you need to do is finish it off with the right shoes; sounds simple, right? Shoes are the simplest part of your wardrobe, especially when it comes to more dressy/formal attire yet I constantly see guys getting it horribly wrong. To eliminate any further confusion I'm going to let you in on a few li'l secrets that are the rules of thumb for your shoe game:
Black pants/suit- black shoes & belt (dressy attire: your belt & shoes should always match)
Navy, Grey or khaki suit/pants- brown shoes (black shoes also work well with gray)
Sporty/street-inspired attire- Most of the time just go for it! Take chances with funky colors to really make a statement! Today's streetwear has a nostalgic look; its all about bright colors that are reminiscent of the '80s & early '90s. Note: as I previously mentioned, when wearing bright colors try to keep the rest of your look balanced (including your shoes). If you wear a bold colored shoe, let that be the focal point thus building the rest of your look around that. When wearing bold colored shirt & trousers, keep your shoes a bit more subdued. Balance not clashing!
Keep it Stylish, keep it Sexy and always keep it true to YOU! -Mr. Hampton
