Written by Dan Skinner in Tips & Advice on the 4th July 2018

Possibly the most avoided colour in men’s fashion is Yellow. Notoriously unforgiving; wear it right and you'll look great, but wear it wrong and you'll look like a giant lemon. Similar to other bright colours, yellow should be worn sparingly e.g. no big flamboyant pieces along with no fluorescent shades (you’re not a lollipop man). We recommend keeping yellow out of the work place and reserved purely for casual comfortable outfits.

Stick to three shades 

Pale yellow, butter yellow and a mustard yellow (see here for neon yellow). Pale yellow should be accompanied by pale colours such as lighter blue denim shades such as light greys and beige. This nulls the power of the yellow for a more worn out vintage look. For a golden butter yellow, pair it with contrasting bland colours such as black and navy, this allows the yellow to be the statement of the outfit while the other items limit the pop. Mustard yellow is a safe bet for starting out because it fits great with navy and black because they anchor the boldness of the colour. Mustard yellow works best for coats, jumpers and other bigger outerwear items. It should be noted that if wearing white with yellow, use it sparingly and in small details of the outfit only.

Find the shade that best fits your skin tone 

Pale guys need to be thoughtful when wearing yellow. Go too light and you'll be washed out. Even fairer hair colours can be at risk of being fully drowned out by simple accessories. Stick to darker shades of yellow and ensure you contrast them properly with navy and black when styling the rest of the outfit. Comparatively, darker skin types needn’t worry as already contrasting backgrounds and colours compliment any shade of yellow best.

Use it in detail 

Yellow is underutilised in breaking up outfits. It’s an intense colour to use with darker outfits as it gives an extra flair in prints on jumpers, stripes on T-shirts or details on shoes (It’s very versatile). Moreover, when paired with the other primary colours of red and blue it denotes a very retro vibe. It should be noted that these colours should be used in patterns on a solid base background to reduce the risk of looking like a clown.

The menswear items that should be yellow 

The easiest way to introduce yellow into your wardrobe is in small steps. Start off with casual T-shirts and accessories to learn how to best pair with certain colours such as greys and navy. Slowly transition into introducing bigger and bolder items such as jumpers and sweaters which will round off outfits whilst keeping it practical and simple. These items allow for everyday wear but maintain the ability to be covered up with darker outerwear if needs be; giving slight hints of yellow details to an outfit. Only then would we endorse spending the extra money on mustard coats and shoes for real statement, bold pieces.

Have fun with it 

Yellow is a happy colour, so you should be happy wearing it. It’ll take time to develop pulling off yellow with confidence but once mastered, you’ll have significantly superior style knowledge compared to your counterparts. Don’t be afraid to try mix-and-match with a variety of dark shades in order to find your set style and once again, confidence is key with bright colours (yellow is no different). 

We take a look at yellow fashion for men and discuss which menswear items should be yellow in this guide on how to correctly style yellow menswear.