Color Theory : Do You Clash?

[lucy92]

are there any color pairings that you wont make?

dressing the other day i was stopped by my partner that pointed out that blue and black shouldn't be worn together...(i was planning on pairing a navy suit with black shoes)

i was confused as i thought this was just a mens style "rule".

the only color rule i follow is to not pair black and brown together. but lately i've seen celebrities breaking this rule (ie these photos of pippa middleton wear black/brown together and also navy/black together)

have the "rules" changed and do you follow them?

photo credit: instyle

 

[Psylocke]

I'm fairly safe from breaking any color rules since I pretty much only wear all black everything all the time. But there's still a few things I consider when it comes to accessories and the color of hardware on my bags and jeans, like I'd never wear anything golden with my silver watch or wouldn't wear silver studded boots when the buttons on my jeans are bronze I also avoid pairing stark white with anything off white or beige. I'm not sure if there's an official rule for that or if it's just my personal taste, though. But in the end that's what matters more than any rules anyway.

I don't mind navy combined with black but I'm definitely not a fan of pairing brown and black, unless the black item is clearly dark-brown based. I think Pippa's outfit in the last picture is pretty awful, I don't like the different shades of brown with the red and black. But the second one works well, in my opinion.

 

[Tinetush]

I don't really think that these "rules" are that pronounced here in Denmark . I think my first encounter with them e.g. paring navy and black or black and brown was here on tFS. Though most people do tend to stay away from combining metallics here.

Personally I've never obeyed these rules.
Though I've sort of made my own instead.
E.g. I don't think I would ever pair red with yellow, it reminds me too much of these two characters of a infamous danish kids TV program

[trinesworls.blogspot.com]

Nor am I a big fan of black and white - that reminds me of a Holstein cow

 

[lucy92]

^i think you are right! the "rules" in europe are different from the US.

for instance an american wouldnt pair orange with black because it would look too "halloween". (the only day these colours can conceivably be worn together here)

i also dont pair red with green, it looks too "christmas".

 

[Fewormany]

i also dont pair red with green, it looks too "christmas".

Same here. And I don't like wearing yellow with blue, it makes me feel like I should work at IKEA.

But both are more preferences then rules. On some tv-show I saw a stylist claiming that 'blue and green should never be seen'. Well, I break that rule a lot

 

[tangerine]

I break the "no navy-and-black" and "no brown-and-black" rules often, and with pleasure.

I also avoid the Halloween, Christmas, and IKEA looks, and I won't wear red, white and blue together.

I don't dress monochromatically except with black; mixing shades of blue, brown, green (you'll never see me wear a suit of green) or anything but black is a no-go zone for me.

And there are many colors I won't wear at all because they don't look good on me, though I have nothing against others wearing them if they look good.

But within my limited palette of blacks, greys, browns and the occasional bit of blue or red, anything goes.

 

[lucy92]

there's a lot i dont understand about mens fashion. why is it OK to pair non-solid coloured ties with non-solid coloured dress shirts?

and i dont understand why men sometimes buy crazy coloured socks. for instance, thomas pink sells fuschia coloured socks for men. i dont have any desire to buy non-black or white socks at all.

and if i have a almost-navy coloured skirt suit what colour tights am i supposed to wear?

 

[tangerine]

there's a lot i dont understand about mens fashion. why is it OK to pair non-solid coloured ties with non-solid coloured dress shirts?

It's not ok. But I don't understand men's fashion at all; I think that ties cut off the supply of blood to the brain.

 

[MulletProof]

I break the "no navy-and-black" and "no brown-and-black" rules often, and with pleasure.

I also wear these two combinations all the time. Adding some gray to that.

I don't really follow any rule, I do 'restrict' myself to certain things but not because I think it might be socially 'inappropriate' or bad etiquette or god knows.. they're mostly combinations that I grew up with and that I detest.. or combinations that remind me of certain people with unwanted style.. or certain food (yellow + red = sunny side up eggs + ketchup ).. oh and I also hate red + green (christmas + cookies + national colors used in school presentations), khaki + green or blue + dark red (school uniform). I guess now that I've written them down it's going to be tempting not to try then in a future. Every color combination can be worked out in my opinion.. khaki does go well with green for instance, if one of them comes in an ultra light fabrics. In other words, fabrics/textures/proportions are just as important as color for me.

 

[Fewormany]

and i dont understand why men sometimes buy crazy coloured socks. for instance, thomas pink sells fuschia coloured socks for men. i dont have any desire to buy non-black or white socks at all.

I think it's a way of stepping out of their comfort-zone, yes with just socks

 

[Margaret24]

I don't think I would put yellow and white together or black and orange. I don't own anything that is yellow or orange anyways.

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

I don't wear that many colors so it's not much of an issue but I don't care for fashion rules dictating what I can or can't wear together, especially when I don't even know where these rules came from or any good reason why I should care.

 

[YoninahAliza]

I'm not crazy about having rules for what colors a person should wear, I think it's silly, however I have personal color combinations that I just don't like wearing. And much of these color combinations stem from things I associate them with. Like others have mentioned; I won't wear red and green because it's too Christmasy, nor orange and black because of Halloween, or purple and gold because they were my old school colors. I also am not a fan of mixing silver and gold jewelry because I don't think it looks good on me. However, on other people I think silver and gold can work. One color combo I like that some people say shouldn't be worn together is black and navy. I don't see why people think it looks bad... they really aren't clashing. So really it's a matter of one's preference rather then following a set of rules. And besides, rules were always meant to be broken.

 

[fashionista-ta]

there's a lot i dont understand about mens fashion. why is it OK to pair non-solid coloured ties with non-solid coloured dress shirts?

and i dont understand why men sometimes buy crazy coloured socks. for instance, thomas pink sells fuschia coloured socks for men. i dont have any desire to buy non-black or white socks at all.

and if i have a almost-navy coloured skirt suit what colour tights am i supposed to wear?

I think it can be done well, but it's definitely a challenge.

I won't wear red and purple together. I hated it in the 80s, and I haven't changed my mind.

Black and brown (like tobacco alligator skin) can be fantastic. Of course, it can also be, 'I was too damn cheap to buy another belt.' I remember working with someone who mixed--I don't remember exactly, but it was three different colors, like brown, black, cordovan, something like that, and it was just clear that he either shopped or got dressed in the dark. Or felt that not coming to work naked was all he needed to be concerned about.

 

[ErnstLudwig]

and i dont understand why men sometimes buy crazy coloured socks. for instance, thomas pink sells fuschia coloured socks for men. i dont have any desire to buy non-black or white socks at all.

business attire is "boring" enough and the only possible way to break with it: ties & socks.
And pinkish shirts (which don't fit the skin type) are way worse then fuchsia socks that stay hidden 90% of the time

 

[eizhowa]

I think black and brown can look good, but maybe not if you wore black head to toe and used a brown belt. I think if the balance is fine then it can look good.

And concerning Navy/black I have this really old book ("A guide to elegance") that says that it is one of the most chic color combinations out there! "as proven by Yves saint Laurent" or something. So if a person says black/navy is a no-no, his or her fashion sense dates back pre-1960s.

 

[Gigi Lamoroso]

I have no rules when talking about colors. I like mixing them.

 

[saann]

I'm like most here.. No rules. For me it's more about shades than the actual colors. And I'm with Psylocke in that I try to avoid gold and silver together, though I have broken that rule as well.

 

[Betinapple]

These days i mainly wear non-colors (black, white, grey), but when I wear colour I look at the attire instead of thinking of rules. I wear black clothes with a brown bag all the time, and have also worn navy with black on several occasions, thinking it looked just fine.

 

[Melisande]

The only rule I follow is that it should look good.
The success of mixes all depends on the texture, hue, saturation and balance.

But I agree about heeding cultural contexts about Halloween, Christmas, flags etc.

I won't wear red and purple together. I hated it in the 80s, and I haven't changed my mind.

Ohhh palest lavender/lilac with just an accent of almost vermilion lacquer red is one of the most magical color combinations out there...
Like a palest lilac linen dress with cherry red nails and lips