Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! In today's video, we'll discuss how you
can stylishly and effectively pair two primary colors, blue and red, in your
outfits. In the world of classic menswear, there are certain time-honored color
pairings that are almost guaranteed to succeed. For example, you can find videos
we've done on how to pair blue and brown and gray and brown together, here. You can
also find our article on pairing blue and gray together, here, video coming soon.
You don't just have to confine yourself to these staple colors of menswear,
however, case in point, the more adventurous pairing we'll be discussing
today, pairing together blue and red. First then, a bit of background on where
you may have already seen this color pairing out in the wild. While it's
not an exceptionally popular pairing, it is a favorite among
politicians in the United States. A blue suit, white shirt, and red tie has been
the go-to uniform for many a politician for much of the latter 20th century. That
is, of course, if they're not wearing a black suit. We've got a video on that
topic, why black suits shouldn't be worn very often, here. The intention with this
red, white, and blue color pairing among politicians is obviously to echo the
colors of the American flag, however, it won't look like a costume, at least when
it's done correctly. Phrased another way, if this red, white, and blue color pairing
weren't effective, politicians probably wouldn't wear it. After all, one of their
main considerations is making a good first impression.
A secondary reasoning here is that scientific studies have shown that red
is perceived by many people to be a power color. Said studies have often
reached the conclusion that wearing red makes people seem more attractive,
outgoing, and successful and boosts their confidence. In fact, a study of British
soccer teams over sixty years actually showed that teams
who wore red won their matches more often. This may have something to do with
the fact that red not only increases confidence but testosterone levels, as
well. So the psychological benefits of wearing red are clear then but outside
of trying to evoke the American flag, why do we think you should specifically pair
it with blue? Simply put, the color wheel holds the answer here. Red is an intense
color. The richer of the two warm primary colors on the color wheel, the other of
those being yellow. Thus, because it is often so bold and intense, it works
better in smaller doses when paired and grounded with a complimentary cool color.
While red's direct compliment on the color wheel is actually green, the color
green contains some warmth, given that it's composed of blue and yellow.
Also, the red and green color pairing has a particularly strong association with
the Christmas holiday in many parts of the world. As such, at least in the world
of menswear, it can often be a smarter choice to pair the intensity of red with
the only cool primary color there is, blue. By the way, if you'd like a deeper
dive on all of the facets of the color wheel and its terminology, you can find
our video on that subject here. And another plus for using blue in this
combination, as we've already said, blue is one of the staple colors of classic
menswear so you'll be able to find it in almost
any garment and in almost any shade. Alright, that's the color theory portion
out of the way then but on to the main question of the video, how can you
stylishly pair blue and red in your outfits? Given that we've just covered
how blue is exceptionally versatile in menswear and red less so, our first
handful of examples are going to revolve around wearing a blue suit. However, this
won't be the case for all of our examples so stick with us.
With most brighter or more intense colors, the safest bet is to wear them in
your accessories. Therefore, you can start by incorporating red into your tie or
your pocket square, possibly also with blue. As we've said
countless times before though, when it comes to ties and pocket squares, don't
wear overly shiny satin silks and don't match your pocket square and tie
together exactly. Both of these choices are just
going to come off looking cheap and unstylish. Instead, you could try a tie
that has some texture to it like a grenadine tie or knit tie in red. Another
option would be incorporating red into a pattern like this shantung striped tie
or this medallion pocket square, both of them from Fort Belvedere. Or the tie I'm
wearing here in today's video which is a madder silk model in red featuring a
blue pattern. For a different sort of accessory, you could also wear a red
boutonniere such as a carnation or a rose.
Boutonnieres aren't commonly worn by most men these days so you'll definitely
stand out a bit if you try one but if you've got one that's working
harmoniously in your outfit's color palette, it's going to look all the more
smart. You could also wear red cufflinks as I'm doing here. Transitioning now from
accessories to articles of clothing, let's first tackle socks. Now, we, here at
the Gentleman's Gazette, are not big fans of outlandish or crazy socks as we've
discussed before and as we've also said in today's video, red is an
attention-grabbing color so you have to decide if you're going to wear socks
with red in them whether you really want people's attention directed at your
ankles instead of your face. To balance this then, you could go with a subtle yet
distinctive option like these shadow striped socks from Fort Belvedere
featuring midnight blue and burgundy. You could also go a little bit bolder such
as shadow stripes featuring navy blue and red or blue socks with red clock
patterns. and of course, now would be a good time to note that not every element
of your outfit has to feature both colors working together. You could, for
example, wear socks that just had shades of blue or red on their own and not
paired. And you could incorporate other accent colors as well as with any outfit,
just be sure that things are overall working harmoniously
together and not fighting for the viewer's attention. Let's move now
to shirts. As we just mentioned, not every element of your outfit has to feature
both colors working together. If you've already got some red in your accessories,
tamping things down a bit with a solid blue shirt or a shirt with a pattern of
say blue and white working together would be a safe bet. A bolder choice,
meanwhile, would be a shirt incorporating a red pattern such as stripes or checks.
And while pastel blue is a staple of classic menswear, we wouldn't really
recommend solid red shirts, either bright or dark, as they don't really have much
of a place in classic menswear. They're more at home in contemporary looks and
don't mesh well with the more classic fashions that we're talking about. A
shirt with a red and blue pattern could also be an option. Of course, whatever the
color situation, just remember the finer and smaller a pattern, the more formal a
shirt is and the larger a pattern or bolder, the less formal the shirt. Staying
with the torso for a moment, let's talk about waist coats and sweaters. If you
want a larger pop of red, especially in the fall or winter seasons,
you could try wearing a red toned waistcoat under a blue jacket. Even
classic British style, which is typically more conservative, will often take
advantage of slightly more colorful waistcoats or odd vests. This will add
some personality to your outfit while still being appropriate for most offices.
The key here is just to cover up the bolder red hue with something in a more
subdued blue and if you don't own a red waistcoat, red knitwear could also be an
option. This wine colored cardigan, for example,
pairs well with white and navy in the outfit shown here. Before we move on to
jackets, let's take time for trousers. In warmer weather, chinos in a shade known
as Nantucket red are a popular staple of preppy style which we've covered in a
video, here. Just do be aware though that this close association with preppy style
can make Nantucket reds seem a little bit
snobby or pretentious, especially if worn in other areas like the UK. Otherwise, a
darker maroon shade could work for almost anything from corduroys to odd
trousers and of course, your options for blue pants in any shade are almost
limitless. Moving on to jackets now and as was also the case with trousers, blue
on its own is a staple of almost any kind of jacket, whether that be a sport
coat, blazer, or a jacket for a full suit. The bolder option then would be a red
sport coat probably, again, most appropriate for the warmer months of the
year. Something like a red linen sport coat would evoke more of an Italian or
specifically, Neapolitan style and could look smart with a white or off-white
dress shirt and some blue pants. Meanwhile, darker Maroons or Burgundys
could, again, be more appropriate for a wintertime blazer or sport coat. You
could also seek out jackets incorporating both colors. A blue base
with a red pattern over top would probably be slightly more subtle and the
reverse, a red base with a blue pattern would be more bold. This is true for
jackets, as well as full suits. Next, we'll touch on overcoats.
Similarly to how a red jacket would be a bold choice, so too would a red overcoat.
Essentially, wearing red as any kind of outer layer is going to be more bold,
especially in the wintertime. Red outer layers are definitely going to stand out
more so you could consider trying to tamp them down by having a few visible
blue accessories like a tie that's showing, a scarf, or maybe some gloves. And
the guidelines we just discussed for patterns in jackets would also apply to
overcoats, as well. A brief word here about hats, neither red or blue is an
exceptionally common color for classic hats in menswear, however, you will
probably find a few more blue felt hats out there than you will red ones. More
often, you're going to see blue and red as colors on hatbands
such as often the case with straw boaters. Finally, today, let's cover shoes.
Simply put, you're not going to find too many men's shoes in classic styles that
incorporate both red and blue together. Even something like a spectator shoe in
dark blue and burgundy leather would be too bold for most men. With that said,
each color on its own does have a slightly wider array of options in
classic footwear. Neither color is terrifically versatile
in shoes but you can find darker oxblood shades in various styles, as well as blue
suede shoes or even some blue leathers if you're feeling a bit bolder. As you
can see then, there are several ways to pair blue and red together in menswear
ranging from the subtle to the bold. Blue is the classic and versatile menswear
staple that will almost always provide a base and depending on how bold you'd
like your outfit to look, you can choose how much red to incorporate and wear. In
today's video, as you can plainly see, my outfit incorporates quite a bit of blue
and red. The base color from which I'm working here is the suit in a medium
blue shade. The other principal blue element is my shirt, which is pastel blue
and also features French cuffs. In those French cuffs I've got our platinum
plated sterling silver eagle claw cufflinks with red carnelian as the
stone. Also from Fort Belvedere are my tie,
which is in a ruby red shade featuring blue and slightly orange Macclesfield
neats, and my boutonniere, which is a small red carnation, and my Fort
Belvedere pocket square is a silk wool blend in a wine red color, though you
can't really see it in the current configuration. The pocket square also has
accent colors of blue, green, yellow, and orange in a medallion design. My socks
are our shadow striped models in navy blue and red, coincidentally today. The
suspenders I'm wearing also happen to be blue although they are the only pair of
non Black Tie suspenders that I currently own. And to round
the outfit today are my shoes which are whole cut Oxfords from Ace Marks. They're
in an oxblood red color with a hand-painted patina. And, of course, you
can find all of the Fort Belvedere accessories I'm wearing today, including
the tie pocket square, boutonniere cufflinks, and socks, in the Fort
Belvedere shop here.