MAN OF THE HOUR

Once the 1960s came around, the world entered a post-minimalist time in which fashion would become less about tried and true classics than fleeting fads and faux pas. As clothes became more personalized and customizable, tie dye and graphic tees, for example, replaced timeless garments. Trends have ruled the last 30-some years of fashion. But while plenty of style movements stayed behind in their original era, color coordination should never kick the dust.

Without managing it, color coordinating could be a complete disaster. Think about those OG’s you see with a little lean in their step, brown shirt, brown pants, brown shoes, brown hat, and maybe even a brown cigar to top it off. Yeah, you want to avoid that. These cats come from another era, so there is no comparison here—they aren’t wrong for dressing how they know, but you are wrong for trying to copy their suave. Let them do their thing, and admire the stroll they have while doing so.

When color coordinating goes wrong—we’re talking suits or casual—it makes the wearer appear style-less. It takes seconds to marry one shade into an entire outfit. If style was that easy, how fun would fashion blogs be? Where would fashion be without the extra oomph? On the runways this season, head to toe color coordination dominated. How blah.

When you connect colors properly, everyone will notice the balance like a piece of art. Start out with a shirt that makes you feel your best. To keep it simple, wear the shirt with a similarly colored denim wash (example: dark shirt, dark pants) and throw on a hat for some extra color (it's chilly out!) Or instead of a hat, you can make a statement with footwear of a different shade. A simple striped scarf would also do.

With so many easy options, there’s no need to be a stickler to matching. If there’s too much solidarity, grab your favorite accessory (be it an orange belt or green, leather gloves) and gain some style points.You'll stand out in a better way with a basic approach: a button down shirt of any pattern or color, dark denim, and dark boots (or boat shoes when the weather heats up). This look is acceptable damn near anywhere.

There’s bound to be some skeletons in every gentleman’s closet (Kangol caps, leather pants, to-the-knee sports jerseys…whatever you were into). But rather than salvaging a pile of has-been clothing, let trends stay behind unless they were built to last. (I.e. Sketchers and fanny packs should never make a comeback, or we’re all doomed.) Remember, structuring an outfit to break up the color is simple.  Decide what works for you and makes you look more interesting. And let’s not confuse interesting with obnoxious, shall we...