The Essential Guide to Matching Men's Clothes
If you can establish a strong foundation of basic casual attire, building your wardrobe becomes easier. From the basics, you can add in novelty or simply stick to the classics. Nailing casual basics is easy, allow us to help guide you. This is a casual basic outfit guide for the modern man, it does not include suits and business dressing. Once you have decided on your favorite shirt and pant styles (or fits) it is just a matter of putting the outfits together. Below is a simple guide to pairing the pieces.
Quick Links:
Solid Same Color
This is a great under-used style option. This look elongates the body making you appear taller and thinner by not cutting the body in half visually. Because it's a clean, casual look, it's a great way to highlight favorite accessories like your favorite shoes or a great watch.
STYLE TIP – Stick with blues and neutrals(black/gray/tan) while building your wardrobe foundation. You will have more outfitting options and the versatility will make you more confident when you add in color and pattern.
Tone-on-tone
Tone-on-tone casual outfits are a great version of solid color outfits. The slight amount of difference in the color between a top and bottom can make a huge difference in the feeling of the outfit. Navy pants with a light blue shirt is a classic example of a tone-on-tone outfit. The options are endless, shades of grey can make for a very modern look. Medium blue jeans and a light blue shirt is a classic American style that will stand the test of time.
STYLE TIP – Make sure the hue matches, for example all colors can have a warm or cool flare. If you wear blue make sure both blues are warm or both blues are cool (a cool blue will have a green or yellow cast and a warm blue will have a red, orange, pink or purple cast).
Neutral Bottom, Color Top
The easiest way to add color into your casual style. And by “color” we advise blues, greens, and dark reds like burgundy. No neons or other colors you may be questioning. For the neutral bottom colors, stick to all classic shades of chinos. Sand, tan, light khaki, grays all work well. Shift the pant color lighter in the warmer months and go darker in the fall winter.
STYLE TIP – Wear dark colors for a serious casual style – Deep jewel tones are great all year for men. Kings wore robes dyed in dark rich colors because they were rare and projected a sense of prestige. Today rich colors are not as rare but they still create the same sense of prestige.
Color Bottom, Neutral Top
The opposite of above, best done with jeans or classic colors. Olive green pants make a great option for this outfit, olive pants with a white shirt is a strong look. There are some great dark burgundy pants that can create a similar strong statement.
STYLE TIP – Keep color grounded back to neutrals. This means wearing color on the top (shirt) and bottom (pants) can look busy or simply messy and uncoordinated if not done properly. It is best to match color tops to neutral bottoms, or color bottoms to neutral tops.
Neutral Top, Neutral Bottom
Often under-used, an example includes light chinos with a dark khaki top. Or brown pants with a white shirt can be a simple casual outfit. For a more modern look try different shades of grey, dark gray pants with a light gray shirt is a clean look you can't go wrong with.
STYLE TIP – Dark wash and regular wash denim can be used as a neutral for most occasions – modern men have accepted denim into their daily routine. The more often we can naturally fit items into our lives, the more classic it becomes.
Back to White
Similar to neutral combos, white is so versatile and classic it deserves its own category. This should be a staple look in every guys casual wardrobe. Be careful of a white shirt with black pants as the service industry has adopted this as their uniform. That is not to say you can not pull it off for more formal occasions or with a very casual look (e.g. white t-shirt or henley with black jeans).
STYLE TIP – Wear light colors for a happier, lighter attitude. The power of the solid white shirt may never truly be understood. Paired back to light color chinos or denim, a white shirt is one of the best-positive-attitude casual outfits the modern man can create.
Black on Black
Black goes with everything – or so they say. Often under-used is the black on top casual outfit. This is a must for every man, skin tone, and body type, you really can’t go wrong.
STYLE TIP – Pair black back to lighter color pants for a casual look. Darker bottoms will look more formal.
Pattern on Top
This is a primer for the next level of casual dressing, which adds in the novelty and interest. Often your accessories, like watches and belts, will do this task. When you need to step it up a notch pattern is a simple solution. Remember to start with the classics and then branch out. A classic plaid is a great choice for this.
STYLE TIP – Stay away from fads. If a new trend seems to make guys look a little "weird" steer clear. Oversized outfits, overly tight style, super loud prints/patterns, or specific style pieces you can't see yourself wearing in 5 years. Those things are simply not worth your investment and can effect how people view you in negative ways.
