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A Guide to Mastering Clothing Coordination

MENS STYLE TIPS

The Definitive Mix And Match Primer For Men!

Your personal image is important! Your clothes andthe way you carry yourself determine whether
people take your seriously,recognize your authority, and do what you want!
And thats as important for a job interview as itis trying to get an upgrade to first class or just trying
to talk a clerk intotaking back an item without a receipt.
One would hope that your abilities and experiencewould convey their image. But thats not the case.
The way you look andyour body language may override your true capabilities.First impressions
maybe unfair, but people base their opinion of you on how you look as we discoveredin the article
FirstImpressionism. (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/clothing/style-tips/clothes-domake-the-man)
In addition to living in a visual society, we live in anegative one. People will remember the worst
thing about you.
Fashion, as we know, has a limited life span.
You can do it!

First, Do The Research!

1. Determine which Body Type (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/how-to-look-yourbest/body-style-yours) is yours.
2. Analyze what Colors (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/how-to-look-your-best/how-

men-see-colors) go best with your hair, eye and complexion. Menare lucky that most of us
look great in traditional businesscolors.
3. Consider the science of Color Coordination
(http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/clothing/style-tips/coordination-2).
4. Know the Basics (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/how-to-look-your-best/the-basicshow-to-look-your-best) (which patterns make you look tall and skinny)and how to stand, walk
and position your feet and hands.
Now youre ready to put it all together.
Its called Coordination!
The word coordination developed from the Latinco + ordin, order, meaning, to arrange in
order.
Dressing well isabout mastering composition, not unlike painting a picture or taking aphoto.
You can use eachpiece of your attire to create a portrait that can project an image ranging fromdull
to understated to inspired to over-the-top.
So how do we put together all the diversecomponents of attire a suit, shirt, tie, pocket square,
belt, shoes, socksand vest and what about the pants, shirt, sweater, etc in casual clothes?
There are some rules in coordinating shirt, tieand suit. And they work equally well in pairing
Khakis with a polo shirt!

TheElements Of Clothing Coordination:

Were going to focus on a four-part clothescoordination formula comprised of:
Pattern
Color
Fabric Weight
Fabric Texture
These four elements can make a bigdifference in your image.
Pattern can be cause for comedy orgive you an interesting look. Color can make your complexion
look great, orwashed out, and send messages like trustworthy or scream gaudy. Fabrictexture
and weight can be crucial as to the appropriateness of your attire fortime of day, or time of year!

Observe people at a mall, your office, or anairport. Pick out those who seem unsightly; something
doesnt quite seem rightwith their attire, chances are one or more of these four elements will be out
ofbalance or unattractive.
For example, somemen try to jazz up the traditional formalwear ensemble, which they think
isboring. This, is usually a mistake, resulting in a loud, busy, or other discordin a classic attire.
There can be too much matching!His and her identical Hawaiian shirts come to mind!

Patterns
Too many patterns and youll resemble a clown!
The strongest authoritativeprofessional clothing is no pattern a solid color.
People always remember solids the longest. Thats why guys look so elegant and handsome in no
pattern, high contrast, and only two-colorformalwear!
One ofthe rules for coordination of a suit, tie and dress shirt is Two Plainsand One Fancy
meaning that of the three itemsshirt, tie andsuittwo of them should always be plain (solid) and
the third should be fancy(patterned).
For example, if you wear a solid suit and a solidshirt, you should not wear a solid tie. Select a tie with
a pattern. But, if youwear a striped shirt, you should wear a solid tie with it, and a solid suit.And, if
you wear a Glenn plaid suit, you should wear a solid shirt and a solidtie.
This is good advice when you are first building awardrobe, but as you get adventurous you will
successfully mix patterns. A pinstripe suit with a stripe shirt and a small patterned tie can
lookwonderful!
The fundamentals of mixingpatterns require analyzing each pattern for:
1. Size (scale)
2. Type or design (whether its stripe, polkadots,geometrics, etc.)
3. Color
4. Intensity (bold or subtle)
You can mix two or more patterns just make certain that some ofthe colors in each match, and the
patterns are not the same size or type. Forexample with a check shirt try a tie with small patterns,
and bright strongpatterns should be paired with subtle ones.Note that suit patterns, such as a
pinstripe ora subtle plaid, work almost like a solid since you have to be close to see thepattern.

Stripes on stripes? The slanting stripes of a reppor regimental tie help to visually reduce weight in a
mans face by drawing theeye downward. You can wear a stripe tie and a striped shirt if the scales
aredifferent. A fine-stripedshirt goes perfectly well with a thick, repp or Regimental stripedtie.

Working With Color

In the article on ColorCoordination (http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/clothing/styletips/color-coordination) weve learned these guiding principles to workingwith colors:
Complementary colors: arethose directly opposite one other in the color spectrum or wheel.
Thats whyhunter green pants look great with a burgundy sweater. Blue is opposite oforange so
gold, rust, and brown are complementary shades of blue.
Analogouscolors: Colors, which are next to each other on the color wheel,go well together, such as
blue pants, a blue-green shirt and a forest greenjacket.
Warm and Cool: Select twowarm colors with one cool or two cool with one warm to create dynamic
harmony.
Examples: navy suit, light blue shirt and red tie, or a yellow shirt, rustjacket and blue jeans.
Monochromatic: Can be allone color, or different shades, tones or tints of one color.
Neutral: dress in shades ofwhite, black, gray or beige. Khaki pants, white shirt and a gray sweater
areall neutrals. It may not be a dynamic look, but it is sophisticated.
Seasonal Colors: Some colorsare more appropriate at certain times of year than others. Like the
pastels ofyellow, are usually associated with summer, while autumn colors are rust, brown,green,
and burgundy. Wearing rust in the summer, or light yellow in the falllooks out of place.
The Color Spectrum or Wheel:

A Visual Presentation of Some Color Terms:

(http://i1.wp.com/www.askandyaboutclothes.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/11/ColorWheel.gif)

HUE
The pure color (for example RED)
TONE
Hue + small amount of gray or opposite color (will or tone down the color)
TINT
Hue + White (will lighten the color)
COMPLEMENT TINT
Tint + small amount of gray or opposite color(will mute or tone down the color)
SHADE
Hue + Black (will darken the color)
Sir Isaac Newton developed the first
circular diagram of colors in 1666

Color Value: (also called Saturation, Intensity andChroma)

Value is the degree of lightness ordarkness in a color. Its the qualityby which a pale or light color is
distinguished from a deep or dark one. Valuescan be expressed by shades, tints, and tones.
Dark and dull colors recede thusmaking you look thinner, and smaller.Light and bright colors
project,which tend to bulk you up and make you look larger.
ANDYS ADVICE: If youre tryingto look slim, save the bright colors for accents. With a gray or
navy suit a redor yellow tie will draw favorable attention to your face.
Dark colors are more formal thanlight. Bright colors in large amounts become tiresome to the eye.
Want to emphasize your shouldersand de-emphasize your hips? Wear a lighter colored sports jacket
with darktrousers. (You can also apply this principle to a polo shirt and trousers).

Men with muted or softercoloring look better in dusty or hazy colors that have a touch of gray or
arefaded. For example, light hair and skin would pair well with powderblue.
Men with darker complexions andhair look better in bright, crisp, clear, rich colors that pop out.
Navy bluewould be an example.
Color contrast: Another rulesays one of the threeelementsshould be light, the other two dark.
Try one light element with twodark, or one dark with two lights. For example, a charcoal suit (dark),
whiteshirt (light) and red tie (dark), or tan suit (light) with yellow shirt (light)and green tie (dark). Or
Khaki pants and a dark blue shirt. Even on Regis thetie and shirt look best when they contrast. And
unless youre a cast member ofthe Sopranos, the tie should be darker than the shirt!
The traditional strong contrast ofa navy suit and white shirt works well with every skin and eye
color. Just likethe great look of classic black and white in formalwear.
If you are tall you may (as wediscussed in the body styles) want to contrast the topand bottom of
yourattire (dark sports jacket and light colored trousers) to give a break to theeye thus making a
horizontal line that makes you look shorter.
If youare short do the opposite and try to more closely match the color and intensityof the top and
bottom of your ensemble. Short or heavy gentlemen look great insuits since the matching top and
bottom produce a taller, thinner image.
Two principlesguide the choice of colors: matching and contrasting.
A dark blue tie with a pale blue shirt and a blue or gray suit is anexample of color harmony.
Substitute a redor maroon tie in this getup, and you have color contrast.
There is much to learn in color coordination.Too close a colorharmony results in a monochrome
effect and can be boring. And too muchcontrast can be harsh.
Andys Tip: The buttons of sportsjackets are usually contrasting with a range of colors.
Choose your trousersfrom one of those colors!

FabricWeight
Traditionally heavier weight fabrics (such as 11 to 16ounce wool suit fabrics, corduroy, suede, and
leather) are worn in the fall andwinter while lighter weight fabrics (seersucker, and linen) are more
common inthe spring and summer.

Take the tie for example, silk is correct all yearround, but in winter you can add a wool tie to the
ensemble. Now you haveintroduced a heavier fabric element must be careful tobalance.
Heavier fabrics give the impressionof a heavier body. (Tweed, flannel, bulky sweaters)
Light to medium weight fabricsvisually remove pounds. (cotton, twill, linen)

Fabric Texture
You can use the quality of roughness or smoothness infabrics to help coordinate your attire and
present the appropriateimage.
Texture makes a statement.
Smooth parallels dark as being dressier, givingauthority and power, but you can be too smooth or
slick projecting a cold,elusive, distrustful appearance.
Rough textures parallel lighter colors, projecting anaccessible and friendlier image. Silk ties are
dressier than wool, smooth suitfabrics are dressier than tweed.
You can contrast (smooth with rough) or match (smoothwith smooth, rough with rough) textures.
Balance between textures also shouldbe considered.
Oxford cloth shirts are the most textured dress shirtand call for a smooth tie and suit for the most
dressy business situations, butan oxford shirt and a wool tie with corduroy pants are a great casual
winterlook. A wool cable knit sweater can add a component of texture to yourattire.
Fabric sheen, shiny vs. dull, is also significant.Shiny is more appropriate for evening social functions
and can lookcheap.
Both Fabric Weight andTexture come in to play with seasonal clothing. Be careful to wear
itemsappropriate to the season. A heavy ski sweater doesnt work with linen trousers!

AdditionalDetails:
Think about the situation youllbe in, and your image when you choose your clothes. You dont
always want toproject a power authority image. Sometimes you want to appear as a friendly,lets
work together person.
Playing withMatches (and Mixes):

The word match comes from an OldEnglish word gemaecca which was shortened to macche
meaningmate or companion!

Match

Color

Pattern

Texture

Weight

Black shirt
Black
pants

Pin Stripe suit

Striped
tie

Gabardine pants
Silk
shirt

Flannel shirt
Wool
tie

Striped shirt

Tweed pants

Contrast

Navy suit

Plaid shorts

Cotton shirt

Broadcloth shirt

(Mix)

White
shirt
Burgundy tie

Stripe
shirt

Corduroy
pants

Silk
tie
Camel hair
sports
jacket

Sock colors match or can beslightly darker than trousers. Solid is more dressy than patterns.
Shoes and belts match eachother in color, and texture. With Navy, or gray suits and trousers, black
orcordovan shoes work best, but a dark brown shoe can add a sophisticated look.Tan, brown, olive
and other earth tone suits and trousers look best with brownor cordovan shoes. Some circles think
that brown shoes are not dressy enoughfor wearing in the evening.
With Jewelry, belt buckles,etc., silver is considered dressier and works best with navy, blue, black
orgray, while gold matches brown, olive, and other earth colors.
Traditionally gold was appropriatefor day, and silver for evening, but with the advent of a more
casual approach,both are interchangeable.
You may want to coordinate themetal color with your watch and ring, so that everything, for
example, is gold,but thats not really necessary. Many watches contain both silver and gold
andcolor mixing is not scorned.
Dont worry about matching color ofjewelry; just make sure it matches what youre wearing in level
of elegance. (nosports watches with suits.)
There is a Rule of Sevenpracticed in womens fashion that applies to men as well. The rule
statesthat there should be no more than seven points of interest on your body at anyone time!

The theory is that too much visualstimulation detracts from the total look.
Points of interest could be awatch, pocket square, bright tie, blazer buttons, braces, cuff links,
fashionglasses, facial hair, vest, anything that could draw attention to thatitem.
Some caveats for traditionalbusiness wear: Class rings are best left in your jewelry box after you
enterthe business world. Ornate belt buckles (like your 1985 Rodeo Champ) should notbe worn
with a suit.
Rules are good to keep in mind,but dont be afraid to experiment.
Be constantly on watch forcoordination ideas. Observe the attire on TV (newscasters are
moreconservative, while sportscasters are avant guarde).
Read mens fashion magazines, watchmovies, see what your boss wears to work, and walk through
department stores, toanalyze what goes well together.
But just because a store ormagazine is featuring yellow plaid short sleeve shirts with lime green
stripedties doesnt make it right.
And dont listen to thetypecasting that guys dont like to shop. It may be a myth that
womenperpetuate. Men are the original primeval hunters. Shopping is second nature to us
gentlemen!!

Andys Color Coordination Chart!

Put up this useful chart in your closet, and make Color Coordination easy!
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Hang this in your closet to help coordinate the colors of your clothing. This is a great but easy way
to instantly see what colors go with others. This high-quality poster, printed on heavyweight 7 mil
semi-gloss paper using superior dye inks. Image size 16 X 20. Treat yourself or give as a gift.

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