Q. I have a great deal of difficulty matching many of my ties because I am partially color blind. I avoid a number of colors, but would hope there was some way to have an interesting assortment without its being too interesting.
A. Your problem is a lot more common than you might think. You likely are indeed that one man in every 11 (or fewer depending upon your researcher) who is color blind. This almost never means you are blind to all colors. Usually it refers to deuteranopia, where the difficulty is distinguishing reds and greens. With such a condition, you will find it next to impossible to select the tones and shades in any of these ranges necessary for exact harmony. Dark colors can cause the most difficulty.
Even those who are not color blind can have trouble differentiating shades. Here are some tested, foolproof solutions.
Ask a friend who has good taste and is not color blind to spend an hour or so with you, going through your collection of suits, shirts, ties, sweaters and socks. Arrange the clothing into compatible combinations.
On the label of each piece, use an indelible marker to identify its set by number. For example, all shirts and ties that coordinate with gray suit No. 3 are marked "3."
Or, if you are a regular suit-wearer, you can use your suits as an organizational tool. Hang each suit next to the shirts that go well with it, using the suits to separate clusters of hanging shirts. While this means that each shirt is only matched to one suit, it does prevent any major mismatches.
Here's a trick that works with socks: Buy all your black ones from one manufacturer, all your blue ones from another and all your brown ones from another, choosing brands that have some identifiable stitching on the toe.
And, of course, you might ask that same friend with the good eye for color to come along when you are next buying clothing. Here, I must insert a cautionary warning: If the friend is female, I advise you to make a preliminary dry run to the store on your own, choosing a few styles you like so you can ask for her opinion only as to color. I suggest this extra step so you will not rely on her judgment about which styles you should buy.
While I know this sounds sexist, many women (wives and friends alike) make the mistake of selecting clothes for a man based on what they have recently seen in men's magazines and retail-store advertisements. Unfortunately, often these clothes and combinations are too sharp-looking, too fashion-forward or just too stylish for the field or industry the man works in.
To elaborate, the clothes a woman selects may be ideal for men who work in "glamour industries" such as advertising or theater, but all wrong for professionals or businessmen in a serious financial field, where their choices should be more conservative.
If you are hesitant to ask someone to accompany you to a clothing store, there is another, simpler solution. Go to a top-notch, reliable men's shop and seek out a well-dressed, knowledgeable salesperson.
Keep in mind that, genetically, one man in 11 and one woman in 200 is color blind. Since so many men are color blind, it makes little sense to be embarrassed or to hide the fact from the salesman. He sees men who are color blind every day. You might ask him, for example, to show you a blue shirt with no trace of green or purple undertones in it. (That might be helpful even if you are not color blind.)
Here are some guidelines for choosing and coordinating colors handsomely.
• Begin with the suit color as a base-point (blue, black/gray or brown).
• Add a second, or accent, color for the shirt.
• The necktie should "tie" the colors together by combining the suit color and "picking up" (that is, repeating) one of the shirt's colors. Example: blue suit, soft yellow shirt, navy and yellow tie.
Additional color notes:
• The shirt should be lighter than the suit; the tie should be darker than the shirt.
• Wear a lot of "neutrals," colors that go with almost everything (black, gray, white, khaki).
• A color should appear in more than one place in an outfit; repeat colors.
• The same general color principles apply to casual dressing. (Example: Khaki pants worn with a plaid shirt -- if one of the colors in the plaid is khaki, you are repeating colors.)
• Only one part of a combination should stand out. Wear no more than one item that is bright, bold or particularly noticeable.
Not everyone needs to make an effort to be noticed. If standing out is the path for you, fine, as long as you exercise restraint. Using color well is the least expensive -- and perhaps the most effective -- route to being well dressed.
Send fashion queries to Male Call:
Lois.Fenton@prodigy.net
High Profile on 06/26/2016