Color analysis for men

Color analysis isn't only for makeup and dresses. For men, it mostly comes down to a few items near the face, and getting those right does most of the work.

Where color matters most

The closer a color sits to your face, the more it affects how you look. For most men, that means shirts, collars, ties, knitwear, scarves and glasses. Trousers, shoes and belts matter much less. If you only change one thing, change the shirt.

If you haven't found your season yet, the overview of the 12 seasons is a good place to start.

Shirts

A dress shirt or casual shirt is the biggest block of color next to your face.

• White: Winters and Bright Springs look sharp in pure white. Summers usually do better in soft white. Autumns and most Springs look better in ivory or ecru.
• Blue: nearly everyone can wear a blue shirt, but the blue changes. Summers suit soft and powder blue; Winters suit crisp mid blue and icy blue; Springs suit clear, slightly warm blue; Autumns suit chambray and blue with a gray-green cast.
• Pattern: stripes and checks combine colors and add contrast. High-contrast seasons can wear bold stripes. Low-contrast seasons look better in fine, tonal patterns.

Ties

A tie is a small but central dose of color. It is the easiest place to bring in your season's accent colors.

• Springs: coral, warm turquoise, golden yellow, warm green.
• Summers: soft navy, rose, slate blue, muted burgundy.
• Autumns: rust, olive, mustard, teal, brown.
• Winters: true red, royal blue, emerald, deep burgundy, black.

Matte textures like wool or grenadine suit soft seasons. Silk with sheen suits bright and clear seasons.

Suits and jackets

Suit colors are mostly neutrals, but neutrals have a temperature too.

• Navy works for almost every season. Winters suit dark, inky navy; Summers suit soft gray-navy; warm seasons suit navy with a slightly warmer cast.
• Charcoal suits Winters and Summers, and Deep Autumns in its browner versions.
• Black suits Winters. Most other seasons look better in charcoal or navy, even for evening.
• Brown, tan and olive suit Autumns and Springs. Deep Autumns look strong in dark chocolate; Springs in lighter tan and camel.
• Light gray suits Summers and Light Springs.

Knitwear

Sweaters cover a lot of area and sit right under your face, so they matter almost as much as shirts. Knits also have texture, which softens how a color reads. A marled or heathered knit mixes two or more yarn colors and suits soft seasons. A smooth, fine-gauge knit shows color more cleanly and suits bright seasons.

For a single go-to sweater, pick your season's best neutral: camel for Springs and Autumns, gray-navy for Summers, charcoal or black for Winters.

Glasses frames

Frames sit directly on your face all day, so their color is worth thinking about.

• Warm seasons: tortoiseshell, honey, brown, olive and gold metal.
• Cool seasons: black, gray, navy, clear or gray-tinted acetate, and silver or gunmetal metal.
• Light and soft seasons: lighter or translucent frames and thinner rims. Heavy black frames can overpower gentle coloring.
• Deep and bright seasons: bolder frames and stronger contrast.

Watches and metals

Your best metal follows your season: gold, brass and bronze for warm seasons; silver, steel and platinum for cool ones; brushed finishes for soft seasons; polished for bright ones. Dial and strap colors follow your palette like everything else. A brown leather strap suits warm seasons; black or navy suits cool ones.

Beards and gray hair

A beard adds color near the face, and it is often a different color from your hair. Many men find their beard has red, copper or golden tones even when their hair doesn't. That warmth can nudge you slightly warmer, so test colors with the beard you actually wear.

Gray hair and a graying beard lower contrast and usually cool and soften your coloring. A man who looked best in rust and olive at thirty may find that soft navy and gray suit him better later on. Silver hair often pairs well with cool blues, charcoal and burgundy. It's worth rechecking your colors once you've noticeably grayed.

A simple starting point

If you'd rather not think about it much: buy shirts in your season's white and blue, one tie or sweater in each of two accent colors, and a suit in your best navy or charcoal. That covers most occasions.