How to Choose the Right Colours for Your Look

Section: Building Your Wardrobe - Blog

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The menswear game is a tricky business and while you may think you have it all sussed, there’s always room for improvement. So with your sartorial reputation at stake we decided to share with you another few nuggets of wisdom, this time relating to the ever challenging world of colours. So read on to find out how you can become a master of hues and shades by remembering just a few simple tricks.

A Blank Canvas

It might seem a bit cliché to say it but your suit should be considered a blank canvas with your accessories being the paints that bring life and verve to the portrait you’re creating. With that in mind, we need to decide which type of canvas we’ll be using.

• Neutral – A dark grey tailored suit is the perfect example of a neutral canvas. Its subtle shade gives you the opportunity to showcase some other elements of your look like that new Rolex you’ve been itching to wear or a silk pocket square you really want to draw attention to. Black is of course another neutral canvas, but unless you're selecting a patterned fabric, black can look bland and overly safe.
• Blue tone – This is a great base colour for those that like light blue shirts in particular and while it’s a great look, it does limit you somewhat with other colour choices. That is unless you’re a reckless and adventuresome soul.
• Coloured – Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting lime green or orange suits. Your coloured canvas could be a blazer or sports coat in whatever colour tickles your fancy. Obviously this particular type of canvas is best suited to casual or smart casual wear, and is great if your're in more creative industries.

If you’re unsure as to which colour best suits you then take a look at our guide on choosing a suit colour.

The Paints

How you fill your canvas is all down to personal taste but it’s not as simple as throwing everything together to see what happens. The best way to choose colours that work well together is to use the colour wheel.

Complementary colours are those that are opposite each other on the wheel. These are the best choices when you are looking for a big and bold statement in your look. These contrasting colours are most commonly used for shirt and tie combinations.

Analogous colours are colours that are adjacent to one another on the wheel. Choosing any two of these as your tie and shirt colours is a very subtle look that is both classy and elegant in appearance. Take it a step further by choosing a third colour for your pocket square and you have just mastered the art of colour matching.

As with all your clothing choices, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable in your outfit. If you think it looks gaudy, then it probably does. While we love colours that complement each other, we highly recommend taking the analogous approach. It may take a bit of effort and more than a few attempts to get it right, but once you do you’ll look almost as good as if the men of Montagio decked you out themselves.Jusk ask us!