By now you should have read my post about the basics of color and developed an understanding of how your complexion requires a certain degree of contrast. This helps draw attention to your face and also keeps you looking healthy. If you get the contrast wrong it can wash you out and make you look nearly dead, or just make it so no one bothers to look at your face because they’re too focused on your clothes.

The easiest way to achieve a good contrast in your clothing is through multiple colors. Colors all have certain relationships with each other and can be tweaked and worn to either complement a man or to distract from him.

However, even with a fairly monochrome palette, you can still achieve a fair amount of contrast through things like pattern.

That’s a picture of me from this morning. Based on the blue in my eyes and the pinkish base of my skin, blue is my best color. I have a moderate complexion so I need some contrast without going overboard.

Now obviously the white in my shirt and my tie is going to provide some contrast against the blue. That’s good but think about if I had on a white shirt and white tie. Or a solid navy shirt and white tie, or a white shirt and navy tie; none of those combinations alone would provide enough contrast. It would draw people’s eyes towards my chest instead of my face.

By having different patterns thrown in there it provides the right contrast to keep my face framed. The key is to make sure the patterns are different and the sizes are different as well. If I had a checked tie and the checks were the same size as my shirt there wouldn’t be any contrast. But, by going with stripes and having the stripe pattern be smaller than the checks, it gives the right effect.

PS. The month is more than halfway over so take advantage of the reduced price on Basic Consultations before they go back up.