Q Yesterday, trying not to wake my wife, I dressed in the dark. I ended up wearing my dark olive pants and white shirt with a purple tie rather than the dark green one I thought I had pulled. Checking in the mirror, it didn't look bad, so I went with it and received two compliments. Does that combination work, and why?
A You just stumbled upon an aspect of color coordination that a lot of people do not know: that is, when you are dressing in two solid-color garments (not patterns), you have a great deal more color leeway when it comes to adding a third or fourth item to your combination.
For men who dress well, color is one of their main tools for creating interesting looks. Good color pairing is usually the mark of a good sense of style and the skill that goes with it. But it is not always easy to do; this is especially true when working with patterns. Because your pants and shirt were both solids, you had a lot of options to choose from. And further, because your shirt was white (and, thus, no color), you had even more options and fewer restrictions. Additional garments could be almost any color you happen to like (matching or contrasting); they might even also include a pattern.
The most general rule on how to use color is to try to stay with only two colors that your eye notices. Wearing two colors is the well-dressed man's conventional way of dressing. It is expected; it is always correct; and it never goes out of style. Based on the concept of repeating colors, two-color dressing offers dozens of combinations. Still, it is not your only possibility; you needn't be afraid to venture outside these parameters, as long as you don't create a look of confusion with too many colors.
When you add a third garment to two solid-color garments, your options are almost unlimited. In your case, your purple tie with a white shirt or your tie with a solid light blue or pink shirt add up to a nice, not-too-expected look. But even so, first, establish what your basic color family is. For example, the dark olive pants were in the green/olive family. The truth is that I probably would find your purple tie a more interesting note of contrast than the green tie you were reaching for. And, in case the purple was a strong shade, you could soften it nicely by choosing a purple tie with a small print pattern. Other examples of what colors to wear with different color pants (especially when your shirt is white) are:
• With gray/black pants: Every color tie from reds (pale pink to burgundy), yellows, greens, purples, most blues (light to medium bright, probably not navy). Shirts can be white, blue or pink. Your pants in the olive/green family can be treated the same as those in the gray/black family.
• With navy pants: Every shade of blue, red, yellow, green and purple tie works; plus light and medium shades of gray (but not black). Light blue, pink, yellow and ivory shirts all mix well with navy pants.
• With brown pants (including khakis): Most colors work in ties, shirts and sweaters, but yellows and oranges are particularly good with the brown/khaki/tan family.
• With jeans: I can't think of any color of tie (or sweater or jacket) that cannot be paired with jeans from light, through bright, to dark; my favorites are contrasting lights and brights.
Often, when you are going tieless, the second color you add to your combination will be in the shirt or the sweater. Don't be afraid to wear a bold, colorful sweater or jacket.
A note on sophisticated dressing: In keeping with the idea of repeating a color somewhere else in an outfit, when choosing a patterned tie to go with a white shirt, look for one with some small amount of white in the pattern, such as a white stripe, a small white dot, a white medallion, or a bit of white in a paisley pattern. This works in the same way as combining a tie or sweater with some blue in the design with a blue shirt. Each item brings out, and emphasizes, the blue in the other garment. The synergy adds to the handsome impact of the entire coordinated look.
Interestingly, both your experience and this information seem to go along with my longtime advice: "It is difficult to be well-dressed without good lighting and a full-length mirror."
Please send men's dress and grooming questions to Male Call:
Lois.Fenton@prodigy.net
High Profile on 04/22/2018