Color Wheel For Clothing Combinations

For those who are just breaking into the world of menswear, assembling outfits that are harmonious can seem to be a daunting challenge.

Start by assembling a base wardrobe of solid and conservative colors. Namely things in the grayscale, shades of brown, and shades of blue.

With that in mind, let’s cover the fundamental knowledge you’ll need to commit to memory in order to start experimenting, that is how to understand the color wheel.

PRIMARY COLORS Simply stated, primary colors are the foundational colors from which all other colors are mixed. In other words, you don’t mix any colors to get red, yellow, or blue, they simply are what they are.

SECONDARY COLORS Purple, green, and orange. The secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors together.

TERTIARY COLORS They’re made by mixing a primary color and a secondary color together. These colors can sometimes be referred to by their own unique names, for example, the combination of blue and green can sometimes be called teal but in more simple terms, they can also be referred to by simply combining the names of the colors.

COLOR TEMPERATURE Of the three primary colors, red and yellow are said to be warm whereas blue is considered cool. It follows then that any combination of red and yellow will also, by default, be a warm color. Meanwhile, when cool blue mixes with one of the warm primaries, different things result.

COLOR INTENSITY Another word for color is hue and that’s usually the word used when we’re talking about the relative lightness or intensity of a color.

COLOR RELATIONSHIPS Colors also have relationships in terms of how they interact when they’re kept separate.

ANALOGOUS COLORS Simply put, analogous colors are ones that are similar in temperature and are found close to each other and sometimes directly adjacent on the color wheel.

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS In simplest terms, any two colors that are directly across from one another on the color wheel are considered complementary. Why is it important to understand color relationships in terms of putting together your outfits? The answer is because color is the principal way that we can direct the eyes of others.

The primary objective of any colors in an outfit should be directing the eyes of the viewer to your face and also making your face look as well colored and healthy as possible.

Tips on how to wear and pair your colors effectively:

Regarding the degree of contrast between a man’s skin tone and his hair color, men fall into one of three basic groups; high contrast, which is most typically characterized by fair skin and dark hair though the reverse could also be true for darker skinned men with dyed or graying hair, medium contrast where the colors are different but not to a large extent, and low contrast either fair-skinned with blond or graying hair or dark skin with dark hair.

High contrast men can more safely experiment with wearing combinations of bolder colors. For example, pairing primaries or complementary colors together. Just don’t go for the true hues of all of these colors when you’re pairing them together.

A medium contrast man can, of course, wear a garment that is bolder in color but he should be mindful that if he does so, it will draw some attention away from his face. Again as with many things in menswear, confidence is key here.

Low contrast men are the ones who should be most careful in pairing together contrasting colors, really make sure that you’ve muted the hues of the contrasting colors if you decide to wear them as that’s the best way that you’ll be able to pull them off.

In conclusion, then, knowledge of the color wheel and the broader discipline of color theory is one of the most helpful and versatile tools in the well-dressed gentleman’s arsenal. With this knowledge, he can be confident that he’s put together harmonious outfits that complement his natural tones and draw proper attention to his face.