The warm season is for many people, mostly men, a great season to experiment with their style and try on new things.
You can introduce yourself to new cuts, such as over-the-knee shorts, prints, such as paisley or new colors. Most fashion stylists and professionals, ourselves included, often recommend opting for new, bold colors to see how they work out for you.
The details make the differences
However, sometimes you will discover that you can find more value in simpler, more basic colors. We therefore want to introduce you to three cousin colors: pearl, gray and white.
Pearl is a rather darker shade than white, but it’s not gray. Think of it as antique white in home decorations. It’s not gray, as it still has the shine of white, but it’s more muted.
Gray is a combination of black and white. Depending on the amount of black and white used for the color mix, gray can be lighter or darker. You can have a very soft, light gray or a very dark gray.
White is a pure color, as it is not a mix of two or three colors. White is clean, crisp and immaculate.
Neutral colors
Pearl, gray and white are all neutrals, which means that you can pair them with every other color (red, orange, green, etc.) or with any other neutral (tan, ivory, khaki, brown, black, dark blue, beige).
Also, being neutrals, pearl gray and white can be worn with any type of metals: gold, silver, etc., including with a mix of metals.
Incorporating the three colors in your outfits
Depending on your taste, these three colors can be used as either the basis of an outfit, meaning that they are covering the biggest amount of clothing you have, which allows you to add bold colors only in small amounts, but they are powerful enough to be one of the main colors of your look.
You can even wear a look that features a combination of two of them (gray and white, pearl and gray), or even all three. Talk about versatility.
The color you choose to wear from these three should always be carefully combined with other colors. For example, if you want to wear a red piece, that is rather dark, it is very likely that it won’t go greatly with gray. The reason is that dark red already features a certain amount of black, so mixing it with gray, which also has a dosage of black in it, will make the whole ensemble look a bit dull. In this case, you can go for either pearl or white.
Of course, this is not an unbreakable rule. It all depends on the shades and on what you want to convey. For example, clear yellow goes best with clear white as otherwise the yellow will read as dirty.
An important note
When you are mixing the three colors in one outfit (or even just two of them), you should be careful about them being well distinguished from one another. Otherwise, you risk looking like an optical illusion. Also, not having clear limits between the three colors will make you appear more washed out if the three colors are not individualized properly.
Pearl, gray and white might become the colors of the season for you and great wardrobe staples if you use them wisely in your outfits. They go both in summer and in winter, so there is time to play around and see what works. Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep on trying new outfits until you get the right combination!
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
4 colors to wear that always make an impact
3 ways men can wear a strong color
Color combinations of clothes that work for any skin tone, hair and eye colorÂ
The relation between colors and personality
Men and the color pink: A cultural history
A guide to coordinating the colors of your clothes
The professional way to choose the colors of your clothes
Choosing the colors of your clothes according to your skin tone
Discovering what colors to wear according to your natural features
Choosing the best color of clothes for dark skin tones
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you make of these three colors? Have you worn them so far? How? Did you ever wear all three at once? Share your feedback, questions or 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, Twitter or Instagram!