Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! In today's video, we discuss how to wear
neutrals together so you stand out from the crowd in a subtle yet sophisticated
way. Most outfits I put together contain at least one neutral, usually a white
shirt, for example but combining only neutrals in one outfit can sometimes be
a bit more challenging because you don't want areas that all look the same. You
want to provide enough contrast yet still keep that tonal range very limited.
Nuetrals were very popular because they're very easy to combine with other colors such
as red, navy, or black yet when just combined on their own, it's a little more
tricky. You've probably seen many celebrities pulling up monochromatic looks
and that means a look containing all the same color. I always think of Christian
Bale at the Oscars, it seems like that what he's always doing and he always
looks bad. So how do you do it in a way that makes you look dapper? Before we
answer the question, we have to look at why we should wear all neutrals in the
first place. The good thing is chances are you
already own a bunch of neutrals in your wardrobe because they're just a staple
of every man's wardrobe. You probably have those chinos they are in khaki
would you say neutral, you probably already have white or off-white shirts,
another neutral, maybe you have solid brown shoes in your wardrobe
another neutral. These colors are classy because they never go out of style, you
can wear them now or 10 years from now and there won't be anything new. They're
also not bright and bold but rather mellow. Now that being said, you can still
make a statement out of it. The Navy blazer with a white shirt is very
pedestrian. On the other hand, wearing this gray jacket with an off white or
ivory pair of pants combines two neutral colors yet it really stands out and pops.
So when we talk about neutrals, what exactly do I mean by that? It is a color that
works well with other colors that are stronger and
contrasting yet it doesn't really draw the attention to itself.
They help tone down other colors and make them stand out and they're
basically grouped in cool colors and warm neutral colors. The warm neutrals
include tan, taupe, beige, ivory, khaki, or any shade of brown under the sun. Cool
neutrals, on the other hand, are shades of black and gray as well as white.
Sometimes, you also find people who expand that look a little bit and
include tones of navy and blue, as well as olive green, however, strictly speaking,
they're not neutrals. That being said, they pair quite well with neutrals. On
the other hand, just think of denim for a moment, it has become so prevalent and
the blue is so standardized that I think it can definitely be called a neutral
color. So how do you wear neutrals together? First of all, start with
something that is close to your skin tone and how you do that is really step
by step explained in this video here. Once you've chosen the right colors, you
simply combine them. The goal is to have a certain amount of contrast between
your items, otherwise, it just all blends in together, it's too monochromatic and
boring. For example in this outfit, I'm pairing a tan Brown turtleneck sweater
with a dark brown and ivory houndstooth suit. Now apart from the color, you can
also see there's a difference in texture. The suit is a slight flannel but the
knit of the sweater is a lot more hairy and it has a pretty much uniform color
but a fuzzy finish when you touch it that helps to provide the right amount
of contrast. The pocket square, on the other hand, picks up the ivory of the
houndstooth and combines it with brown of the sweater using a different pattern
once again. You can see, I have this solid neutral for my sweater, I have the
houndstooth which is a small pattern paired by with a bigger pattern which is
the Paisley. That's how you want to combine a neutral; you'll have different
canvasses, you have patterns, and you have them in different sizes. That way, it's
visually interesting yet the color palette is so neutral that it's all very
harmonious. Whenever neutrals are too close in color,
everything looks washed out. For example, if I wore this jacket with a gray
turtleneck sweater, it would simply look boring. At the same time, if I wear the
same turtleneck sweater with let's say a charcoal flannel, you can see there's a
certain amount of contrast yet it looks very sophisticated. Now, the further you move
away from your face, the easier it gets to play with other neutrals simply
because your face has that skin tone right next to it and it's more clashing
than if you have different pair of shoes or a pair of pants, for example. So with
this ensemble, I opted for a brown pair of suede boots. Again, they have a
different texture that is matte and works with the overall softer and fuzzy
textures in this outfit. They are also contrasting enough, they are in the brown
family yet they're not quite the exact shade of brown as my sweater. Could I
have worn the exact same brown? Absolutely, but sometimes it's hard to
coordinate the color of your shoe exactly to your sweater or your shirt. On
the other hand, if I would have worn a gray pair of boots, everything would have
looked more washed out and it would not have been as good as this pair of brown
boots. If you don't want to wear a sweater, a great way to implement a
neutral is to have a waistcoat in a buff color or kind of a tan color. If you
combine it with a white or off white shirt and a tie in a let's say Brown
grenadine such as this one from Fort Belvedere, it's very easy to create a
harmonious outfit that is warm, that works through the colder months of the
year but it is not boring. In my opinion, one of the most underrated neutral
colors is ivory for pants simply because it makes a bolder statement and
admittedly, it stains more easily but as a gentleman of taste, wearing it with a
brown sportcoat whether it's something like
this houndstooth jacket here of this suit or something more of a medium
tobacco Brown herringbone or even a kind of charcoal Brown, it always works. You
can even wear it with a navy blazer or you can wear it with a charcoal flannel
jacket, it always works, it always provides a lot of contrast, and it looks
particularly handsome. Since brown shoes are a staple of every gentleman's
wardrobe today, it's very easy to combine everything together. If you feel like
you're all neutral outfit needs a pop of something special but you don't want to
add a really strong color such as red or green or yellow, I suggest you simply opt
for a boutonniere. My favorite is the Edelweiss because it's off-white, it is
subtly textured like a velvet on top so it's very soft but it's a perfect
neutral accessory that makes you stand out from the crowd because likely, no one
else in the room is going to wear it. Now when it comes to neutrals, you can also
wear them in the summer. You can have a kind of gray polo shirt with a darker
grey pair of shorts and some black sneakers for example if that's your
style. Alternatively, you can have summer pants such as seersucker, pair them maybe
with a pair of light brown or tan shoes and a polo shirt in a brown, for example.
Or of course you wear a jacket in any form of brown tone with a slightly brown
shirt or an ivory shirt and you combine it with some Brown neck wear or a brown
pocket square. To see more pictures and get more outfit
ideas, please head over to our website and in today's outfit I'm wearing an all
neutral combination consisting of a houndstooth suit in chocolate black with
ivory, paired with a tan brown turtleneck sweater from Uniqlo it's 100% merino
wool it's rather inexpensive I'm wearing an
undershirt underneath otherwise it could be too scratchy on my skin the pocket
square is from Fort Belvedere it is off-white that picks up the color of the
jacket and Paisley and brown that picks up the
tone of the sweater my shoes are suede boots chukka boots and they're
a little stronger in color but since they're more away from my face they
still work overall for a ring I went with a citrine and gold because that
underlines the warm colors I'm incorporating in my outfit otherwise