Clothing - simple advice on matching colours

Mistakes with colours are the most common fashion mistakes made, especially by men. Our fashion expert outlines simple, sensible colour combinations

As a start you can avoid a lot of mistakes simply by matching pale clothes with pale shoes, and dark clothes with dark shoes.
Pink is not a man's colour, and real men do not wear it.

Matching clothing colour guide
(Sports) Jacket colour	Shirt	Tie	Trousers to match jackets	Belt & Shoes
Navy	white, blue yellow,	blue, gold yellow red, wine red purple	grey, tan	black, brown
Black	white, yellow light grey, blue	black, white grey, blue red, yellow olive, wine-red any pastel colour	grey, tan	black ONLY
Grey	white, grey yellow, blue lavander	black, white grey, green blue-green wine-red, navy red, yellow blue	grey, black navy	black, brown
Brown	white, blue yellow very pale green	tan, brown rust, black orange, red wine-red, green gold, yellow	tan, grey a lighter or darker shade of brown	brown ONLY
Tan	very light green blue, white	tan, rust, red brown, orange navy	tan, brown grey, navy	brown, black
Olive	white, grey pale yellow pale blue very pale olive	rust, tan, green yellow, wine-red	grey, navy tan, brown	brown ONLY

When matching trousers to sports jackets use the colour of the buttons of the jacket as a guide. You can choose trousers that match any of the button colours and they will go perfectly.

Extra considerations: -

Always allow for your hair's colour: Count it as a colour when deciding 1) what colours to wear and 2) how many different colours to mix

Choose colours to match the time of year: Pastels of yellow are summer colours, while autumn colours are rusts, browns, greens, and burgundy.

Think contrast: Try one light colour with two dark, or one dark with two lights, such as a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and red tie, or tan suit with yellow shirt and green tie. Or cream trousers and a dark blue shirt.

The visual effects of clothing colours: Dark colours recede thus making you look thinner, and light colours project, which tends to bulk you up. Dark colours are more formal than light.