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3 Ways to Men Can Wear a Strong Color (B)

Today’s men’s fashion world is getting more and more colorful. The modern man doesn’t shy away anymore from wearing strong, very saturated colors.

However, many men don’t know how actually wear a strong color. Pulling off colors like orange, pink, purple, yellow and indigo is something a lot of men want to do, but don’t know how.

This guide is a practical approach to wearing a strong color. Our tips are not unbreakable rules, but they are guidelines you can follow for great style results.

 

 

The Naked & Famous sport shirt

To exemplify this, we have chosen a Naked & Famous shirt, that, not only features a deep red, but also a dragonfly print. Cut from a Japanese fabric, this shirt features a slim-fit design, a narrow, button-down collar, single button cuffs and a rounded hem. Its kimono-inspired design makes it just the right shirt for men who want to take their style to a different level, but feel that they are still beginners in the field.

There are several approaches when it comes to wearing such a great shirt.

 

Here are three ways in which you can wear this very stylish, yet very casual, practical and versatile shirt:

 

 

With solid neutrals

A very safe and easy-to-do way to wear a strong color, regardless of whether it is red, blue, yellow, pink or any other color is to wear it with solid neutrals. In fashion, neutrals are a series of colors that can be worn with any other color. Under the neutrals category fall the following colors: black, white, beige, tan, gray, ivory, khaki and dark blue. If you wear one strong color and keep all your other colors neutrals, you can be sure that you will look great.

Of course, you can wear a bold piece with a neutral pattern as well, but we will discuss prints and patterns in one of the next paragraphs.

 

 

 

To create a first outfit with this sport shirt, we used a pair of Jack Spade khaki pants, a black leather jacket from Theory and a Quoddy slipper. This casual outfit would work very well if you are traveling, running errands, or going shopping.

 

 

With a complementary color

 

Complementary colors lie on exact opposite sides of the spectrum.
Complementary colors lie on exact opposite sides of the spectrum.

 

A very daring and impactful way to wear a strong color is to pair it with pieces in its complementary color. Complementary colors are colors that life on opposite sides of the color spectrum. For example, yellow and blue, orange and green, etc. If you are creating a complementary color scheme, what you need to know is that the items you are pairing don’t need to be of the exact shade. For example, a dark red shirt such as the Naked & Famous shirt can be paired with a pair of light blue pants.

 

 

 

To create an outfit based on complementary colors, we have used the same shirt, but we paired it with a pair of blue Levi’s Made & Crafted pair of pants which are almost teal in shade, a pair of neutral shoes from SWIMS and, for a subtle effect, we added a pair of socks by Happy Socks that feature a red-blue stripe pattern.

This outfit is very casual and can be worn for a walk in the park, a college class or studying at the library.

 

 

With one or more prints or patterns

Prints are not something that is easy to pull off, especially if you are wearing more than one print. Basically, if you want to wear one print, our recommendation is that the print should include one of the colors you are already wearing or a color that goes with it (a color located close to it on the color spectrum, such as red to orange or a complementary color, such as blue to yellow).

If you want to wear more than one print, things get a little more complicated. Basically, the rule is that the print or pattern you wish to wear should be of different sizes. Therefore, if you are wearing thick stripes for example, you can pair them with small dots, small stripes or small paisley – anything, but it should be small. If you add a third print or pattern, you should make sure that it is in a different size than the two prints you are wearing.

Moreover, when you are mixing prints, you need to make sure that the colors go together well. Remember, they don’t need to match, but they need to go together.

Furthermore, don’t forget that a pattern is a symmetrically repeated design, a print is an image that features a clear composition and a texture is a pattern that can not only be seen, but felt as well. Always make sure you study the pieces you want to wear and see of what types of lines and color areas they are composed of.

 

 

 

To exemplify, we have composed a third outfit that is made from the Naked & Famous shirt, which features a medium-size print, a Shipley & Halmos jacket that features a large print made from blue and neutrals and a pair of Scotch & Soda pair of pants that features a small blue and gray print. To top it all off, we have added a pair of Paul Smith socks that feature a very delicate neutral stripe print and a pair of blue Grenson wingtip shoes that feature a nice leather embroidery. And that gentlemen, is how you pull prints off! As you can see, wearing more than two prints or patterns doesn’t necessarily need to be outrageous.

This outfit remains casual and can be worn when you are going out to eat something or when you are having a great evening in a club or at a festival.

 

And there you have it! One bold shirt paired with different pieces results in a variety of outfits that can fit different settings, different tastes and different men.

 

Bold colors are a great fashion element you can benefit from and which, as you can see, adapt to your taste, to any setting and to your own approach to fashion.

 

 

Fraquoh and Franchomme

 

 

 

 

 

Further reading:

A guide to coordinating the colors of your clothes

The professional way to choose the colors of your clothes

How to mix patterns and prints

How to match striped shirts with striped ties

P.S. Do you like to wear bold colors? Which colors do you wear? How do you like to wear them? Share your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

 

6 replies on “3 Ways to Men Can Wear a Strong Color (B)”

Thank you for the comment, Triyj, we’re glad you like the outfit! The socks, as well as the other items were examples, you can feel free to change them as you wish!

I think that wearing a bold color with a strong print is really cool, with a complementary color, I feel is too strong!

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