HOW TO CHOOSE COLOR OF CLOTHES FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

Firstly, what are the different skin tones?

The best judge which colors should form the core of your wardrobe, you’ll need to determine whether your skin has a warm undertone, a cool undertone, or a neutral undertone. If the veins on your wrist are more blue than green, you have cool-toned skin. If they’re more green, your skin is warm-toned. If it’s hard to tell, you likely have a neutral skin tone.

1.COOL UNDERTONES

WHAT COLORS LOOK BEST ON COOL UNDERTONES?

If you’ve got pale skin and light features, then hues that clearly contrast with your skin tone will — quite literally — bring some color to your complexion. “I’d recommend basing your outfit around darker colors, which you can combine with lighter colors,” says Selfridges personal shopper and stylist Daniel Rhone.

Darker colors like grey, brown, burgundy, bottle green, navy and bolder shades of blue will all work well as these shades contrast with your skin tone. People with cool undertones generally look great in colors in the cool range of the spectrum: think purples, greens, charcoal gray and deep blues.

WHAT COLORS SHOULD I AVOID?

People with cool undertones to their skin will want to avoid soft, pastel shades or bright colors. The same goes for neutrals; rather than white, light beige or stone, choose richer shades such as sand, camel, khaki and slate grey.

“This doesn’t mean you can’t express yourself through color. It just means you have to mix light colors with dark ones,” adds Rhone. Red, though not best suited to the ruddier, rosy-cheeked pale person, can work for more alabaster pale skin tones when worn in bold shades like crimson.

2. WARM UNDERTONES

If you’ve got skin that tends to tan rather than toast in the sun, then you likely have what’s known as a warm complexion, which suits a much wider spectrum of colors than those with fair skin or cool complexions. If your veins have greenish tones instead of blue, and your complexion is more yellowish, you probably have warm-toned skin. Guys with an olive skin color or dark skin men tend to fall into this camp, though not always.

WHAT COLORS LOOK BEST ON WARM UNDERTONES?

While most colors will work with a warm skin tone, you can ensure you look your best by opting for shades that are either a little brighter or darker than the middle ground. What does that mean exactly? Choose pale beige rather than warm sand if you’re opting for light neutrals, or try a bolder shade of purple (such as magenta) rather than mauve, for example.

“I’d recommend a lighter color palette, with white being the obvious choice to accentuate your skin tone,” says Rhone. It’s good news, then, that the stark shade is no longer limited to linen. Outside of the sunny season, try a pair of white jeans with a dark jacket for a standout look.

WHAT COLORS SHOULD I AVOID?

Since your skin will likely have yellow or green undertones, it’s wise to avoid wearing shades of these colors that are too close to your skin tone. What you’re trying to avoid here is ending up looking nude by having your skin blend in with your clothing.

Hues you should probably give the heave-ho include pistachio, mustard, olive and mocha brown. For trickier looks like all-white or pastels-on-pastels, make sure you’re tanned enough (closer to black rather than green olive, if you will) to carry it off without looking washed out.

3.NEUTRAL SKIN TONE

Much like those with medium skin, when it comes to finding colors that suit you, guys with a neutral skin tone have won the genetic lottery and can try their hand at pretty much any hue without much need for trepidation. You likely have a neutral skin tone if it’s hard to tell whether your veins are blue or green, and you can see both colors in your skin’s undertone.

The world, gentlemen, truly is your oyster. The color of your skin is perfectly positioned to marry well with the vast majority of hues and shades, as it doesn’t run the risk of being washed out like comparatively pale skin tones. With that said, there are a couple of caveats.

“Having a license to wear bold, bright colors like jade green or cobalt blue is great, but be mindful of adding balance to your outfit with a color that will hold the look together,” advises Rhone. In practice, that means not spinning the color wheel like a mad decorator who just spent half an hour huffing chemicals in a paint shop. Instead, choose a single pop of color or two that complement rather than compete with each other. Bright red is a winning shade on men with a neutral skin tone.

WHAT COLORS SHOULD I AVOID?

Yellow is pretty much a no-go. Much like how pastel shades wash out paler skin tones, yellow won’t contrast clearly enough with your skin.

 While black and navy are two key colors in any man’s wardrobe (making up the majority of formal and corporate wear), it’s worth keeping these to a minimum to really make the most of your especially versatile skin tone.