So how do we put together all the diverse components of attire -- a suit, shirt, tie, pocket square, belt, shoes, socks and vest and what about the pants, shirt, sweater, etc in casual clothes?
 

There are some “rules” in coordinating shirt, tie and suit.  And they work equally well in pairing Khaki’s with a polo shirt! 

The Elements:

We’re going to focus on a four-part clothes coordination formula comprised of:

These four elements can make a big difference in your image. 

Pattern can be cause for comedy or give you an interesting look.  Color can make your complexion look great, or washed out, and send messages like “trustworthy” or scream gaudy.   Fabric texture and weight can be crucial as to the appropriateness of your attire for time of day, or time of year!

Observe people at a mall, your office, or an airport.   Pick out those who seem unsightly; something doesn’t quite seem right with their attire, chances are one or more of these four elements will be out of balance or “unattractive”.

For example, some men try to jazz up the traditional formalwear ensemble, which they think is boring. This, is usually a mistake, resulting in a loud, busy, or other discord in a classic attire.

The strongest authoritative professional clothing is no pattern – a solid color. 
 
People always remember solids the longest. That’s why guys look so elegant and handsome in no pattern, high contrast, and only two-color formalwear!

One of the "rules" for coordination of a suit, tie and dress shirt is "Two Plains and One Fancy" meaning that of the three items—shirt, tie and suit—two of them should always be plain (solid) and the third should be fancy (patterned).

For example, if you wear a solid suit and a solid shirt, you should not wear a solid tie. Select a tie with a pattern. But, if you wear 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 solid tie.

This is good advice when you are first building a wardrobe, but as you get adventurous you will successfully mix patterns.  A pin stripe suit with a stripe shirt and a small patterned tie can look wonderful!

The fundamentals of mixing patterns require analyzing each pattern for:

1.  Size (scale)
2.  Type or design (whether it’s stripe, polka dots,   
      geometrics, etc.)
3.  Color
4.  Intensity (bold or subtle)

You can mix two or more patterns just make certain that some of the colors in each match, and the patterns are not the same size or type.  For example with a check shirt – try a tie with small patterns, and bright strong patterns should be paired with subtle ones.

Note that suit patterns, such as a pinstripe or a subtle plaid, work almost like a solid since you have to be close to see the pattern.

Stripes on stripes?  The slanting stripes of a repp or regimental tie help to visually reduce weight in a man's face by drawing the eye downward.  You can wear a stripe tie and a striped shirt if the scales are different.  A fine-striped shirt goes perfectly well with a thick, repp or Regimental striped tie.

In the article on Color Coordination we’ve learned these guiding principles to working with colors:

Complementary colors:  are those directly opposite one other in the color spectrum or wheel.  That’s why hunter green pants look great with a burgundy sweater.  Blue is opposite of orange so gold, rust, and brown are complementary shades of blue.

Analogous colors: 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 green jacket.

Warm and Cool:  Select two warm 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, rust jacket and blue jeans.

Monochromatic:  Can be all one color, or different shades, tones or tints of one color.

Neutral: dress in shades of white, black, gray or beige.  Khaki pants, white shirt and a gray sweater are all neutrals.  It may not be a dynamic look, but it is sophisticated. 

Seasonal Colors: Some colors are more appropriate at certain times of year than others.  Like the pastels of yellow, are usually associated with summer, while autumn colors are rust, brown, green, and burgundy.  Wearing rust in the summer, or light yellow in the fall looks out of place.

The Color Spectrum or Wheel:

Color Value:  (also called Saturation, Intensity and Chroma)  

Value is the degree of lightness or darkness in a color. It’s the quality by which a pale or light color is distinguished from a deep or dark one.  Values can be expressed by shades, tints, and tones.  

     A visual presentation of some color terms:

Dark and dull colors recede thus making you look thinner, and smaller.

Light and bright colors project, which tend to bulk you up and make you look larger. 

ANDY’S ADVICE:  If you’re trying to look slim, save the bright colors for accents. With a gray or navy suit a red or yellow tie will draw favorable attention to your face.

Dark colors are more formal than light.  Bright colors in large amounts become tiresome to the eye.

Want to emphasize your shoulders and de-emphasize your hips?  Wear a lighter colored sports jacket with dark trousers. (You can also apply this principle to a polo shirt and trousers).

Men with muted or softer coloring look better in "dusty or hazy" colors that have a touch of gray or are faded. For example, light hair and skin would pair well with powder blue.

Men with darker complexions and hair look better in bright, crisp, clear, rich colors that pop out. Navy blue would be an example.

Color contrast:  Another "rule" says one of the three
elements should be light, the other two dark.  

Try one light element with two dark, or one dark with two lights.  For example, a charcoal suit (dark), white shirt (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 the tie and shirt look best when they contrast.   And unless you’re a cast member of the Sopranos, the tie should be darker than the shirt!

The traditional strong contrast of a navy suit and white shirt works well with every skin and eye color.  Just like the great look of classic black and white in formalwear.

If you are tall you may (as we discussed in the body styles) want to contrast the top
and bottom of your attire (dark sports jacket and light colored trousers) to give a break to the eye thus making a horizontal line that makes you look shorter. 

If you are short do the opposite and try to more closely match the color and intensity of the top and bottom of your ensemble.  Short or heavy gentlemen look great in suits since the matching top and bottom produce a “taller, thinner” image.
 

Two principles guide the choice of colors: matching and contrasting.  

A dark blue tie with a pale blue shirt and a blue or gray suit is an example of color harmony.      

Substitute a red or maroon tie in this getup, and you have color contrast.   
                                                                
 

There is much to learn in color coordination.  Too close a color harmony results in a monochrome effect and can be boring.  And too much contrast can be harsh. 

Andy’s Tip:  The buttons of sports jackets are usually contrasting with a range of colors.  Choose your trousers from one of those colors!

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

Take the tie for example, silk is correct all year round, but in winter you can add a wool tie to the ensemble.  Now you have introduced a heavier fabric element must be careful to balance.

Heavier fabrics give the impression of a heavier body. (Tweed, flannel, bulky sweaters)

Light to medium weight fabrics visually remove pounds. (cotton, twill, linen)  

You can use the quality of roughness or smoothness in fabrics to help
coordinate your attire and present the appropriate image. 

Texture makes a statement.   

Smooth parallels dark as being dressier, giving authority and power, but you can be too smooth or slick projecting a cold, elusive, distrustful appearance.  

Rough textures parallel lighter colors, projecting an accessible and friendlier image.  Silk ties are dressier than wool, smooth suit fabrics are dressier than tweed. 

You can contrast (smooth with rough) or match (smooth with smooth, rough with rough) textures.   Balance between textures also should be considered.

Oxford cloth shirts are the most textured dress shirt and call for a smooth tie and suit for the most dressy business situations, but an oxford shirt and a wool tie with corduroy pants are a great casual winter look.  A wool cable knit sweater can add a component of texture to your attire. 

Fabric sheen, shiny vs. dull, is also significant.   Shiny is more appropriate for evening social functions and can look "cheap".

Both Fabric Weight and Texture come in to play with seasonal clothing.  Be careful to wear items appropriate to the season.  A heavy ski sweater doesn't work with linen trousers!

Additional Details: 

Think about the situation you’ll be in, and your image when you choose your clothes.  You don’t always want to project a power authority image.  Sometimes you want to appear as a friendly, “let’s work together” person.

Playing with Matches
(and Mixes): 

The word match comes from an Old English word "gemaecca" which was shortened to "macche" meaning mate or companion!

Sock colors match or can be slightly darker than trousers.  Solid is more dressy than patterns.

Shoes and belts match each other in color, and texture.  With Navy, or gray suits and trousers, black or cordovan 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 brown or cordovan shoes.  Some circles think that brown shoes are not dressy enough for wearing in the evening.

With Jewelry, belt buckles, etc., silver is considered dressier and works best with navy, blue, black or gray, while gold matches brown, olive, and other earth colors.

Traditionally gold was appropriate for day, and silver for evening, but with the advent of a more casual approach, both are interchangeable. 

You may want to coordinate the metal color with your watch and ring, so that everything, for example, is gold, but that’s not really necessary.  Many watches contain both silver and gold and color mixing is not scorned.

Don't worry about matching color of jewelry; just make sure it matches what you're wearing in level of elegance. (no sports watches with suits.)

There is a "Rule of Seven" practiced in women's fashion that applies to men as well.  The "rule" states that there should be no more than seven points of interest on your body at any one time!

The theory is that too much visual stimulation detracts from the total look.

Points of interest could be a watch, pocket square, bright tie, blazer buttons, braces, cuff links, fashion glasses, facial hair, vest, anything that could draw attention to that item.

Some caveats for traditional business wear:  Class rings are best left in your jewelry box after you enter the business world.  Ornate belt buckles (like your 1985 Rodeo Champ) should not be worn with a suit.

Rules are good to keep in mind, but don’t be afraid to experiment.

Be constantly on watch for coordination ideas.  Observe the attire on TV (newscasters are more conservative, while sportscasters are avant guarde). 

Read men’s fashion magazines, watch movies, see what your boss wears to work, and walk through department stores, to analyze what goes well together. 

But just because a store or magazine is featuring yellow plaid short sleeve shirts with lime green striped ties doesn’t make it right.

And don’t listen to the typecasting that guys don’t like to shop.  It may be a myth that women perpetuate. Men are the original primeval hunters.  Shopping is second nature to us gentlemen!!