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HOW TO WEAR THE RIGHT MENSWEAR COLOURS FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

Written by Brandi Titkos in Tips & Advice on the 5th October 2021

How often do you dread waking up only to find yourself standing in front of your wardrobe scratching your head in complete disarray? You’ve probably experienced a whirlwind of thoughts just trying to piece together the right styles, let alone the right colours -- but thank goodness it’s not neuroscience, although it can be quite the challenge at times. Well, you can finally rest easy because you’re in good hands. Keep reading for a fail-safe and easy to implement guide on how to wear the right colours for your skin tone and match them together like a pro.

“Your own natural colouring combination defined by your hair, eye and skin colour can be massively enhanced by the colours you wear next to your face. It can make you look younger, diminish shadows and blemishes on your face, and enhance your eyes. Next time you’re shopping, hold up a shirt or sweater and look at the colour against your face to try and work out if it lifts or drains you.” - Sarah Gilfillan, Personal Stylist & Shopper for Men at Sartoria Lab.

SIRPLUS

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself

First things first, don’t waste another minute stressing out about how to match your hair or eye colour to your clothes because trust me, it’s not as difficult as it sounds. To make it easy for you, just focus on the following methods regarding the best colours for your skin tone and you’ll be just fine.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to picking colours when buying clothing is to always go for ones that’ll compliment and give you depth. Once you do that, the rest of the stars will align, and you’ll instantly look more stylish and vivacious.

Monochromatic Outfitting

If you’re unaware, monochromatic outfitting basically means teaming different pieces that are all the exact same colour or variations of a colour to create a streamlined look. If you constantly find yourself in a colour matching-slump, do yourself a favour and give monochromatic a try. I often recommend this to my clients because it’s really simple to do and is guaranteed to have you looking ultra-snazzy and modern.

For starters, you’ll want to pick one “compliment-all” colour like navy or charcoal which are known to instantly enhance your features. Also keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to do one solid colour from head to toe. Your shoes are the exception and can be any other colour that you see fit.

Boglioli

Fair or White Skin Tones

If you find your skin crumbling at the mere sight of the sun, avoid bright colours like yellows, pinks, oranges, and reds like the plague! These colours are known to surface your “rosy” undertones and make you appear bright as a tomato.

A good standard to go by is to stick with more “subdued” colours like anything in the green, blue, or purple families as these will help ground your skin while still playing up your best features.

Warm or Yellow Skin Tones

If your goal is to not look sallow, any type of soft tones in yellow, orange or cream are not your friend. Instead, you’ll want to go with colours that are going to provide a nice contrast -- basically, any colour that’s on the darker end of the spectrum will be your go-to.

Think of colours totally opposite of your skin tone as they’ll be sure to add vibrancy and richness to your overall look.

Hamilton and Hare

Deep or Brown Skin Tones

Avoid picking anything that’s closely aligned with your natural colouring. Otherwise, you’ll just end up looking flat and drab. Instead, go for darker tones, or on the contrary, brighter tones, and you’ll look great.

Think variations of red, greens or blue as these will really help your look to pop and make a statement.

Keep it Simplistic

A sure-fire way to conquer the game of colour is to start off with one hero piece and keep the rest of your outfit neutral. For example, your neutrals can be a pair of charcoal trousers and a white shirt, topped off with a forest green field jacket as your standout or hero piece.

This is a great strategy if you’re typically loyal to neutrals but looking to get your feet wet with more striking colours.