Welcome back to the gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video is all about how to wear yellow in menswear and it's a continuation of our
series on colors.
If you have not already done so, please check out our videos on green, orange, and black
in menswear.
Some men are reluctant to wear yellow in their wardrobe because they think it's too bright
. While I agree, a yellow suit is very extraordinary and flashy, yellow accessories on the other
hand, can bear really well with classic menswear colors.
On top of that, yellow just doesn't come in one shade but in a really wide range of mutard,
darks, all the way to light yellows, medium bright yellows, sunflower yellows, chamois
yellows, you name it.
There's a very broad spectrum often influenced by brown tones, beige tones, and anything
else you could think of.
One shade of yellow I really like is buff, you can also think of butter, maybe ochre,
and even light tones of brown, such as tan, have a form of yellow in them.
Depending on its tone intensity, yellow can be either treated as a neutral or as a strong
accent in your outfit.
In the spring, a pastel yellow is light and airy.
During summer, a silk knit tie in yellow can be a really great accessory versus in the
winter, yellows can be a little more darker, can have more brown tones such as mustard
and you can even wear them as a pair of chinos.
So what colors go well with yellow and how should you combine them?
First of all, the number one classic is to pair it with blue.
Honestly, it’s the easiest way to pair yellow because the colors are opposite on the color
wheel and everything it's opposite from one another always pairs well.
It’s one of my go-to combinations for yellow and because of that, I created a pair of socks
that is shadows tried with navy blue and yellow because it's very easy to combine it, it provides
enough contrast and it’s always dapper.
I also picked up that color combination with my shirt and my tie, as well as my cufflinks.
Generally, if you choose lighter tones, blue and yellow are really great for summer, no
matter if you wear seersucker, maybe fresco, or a light worsted tropical suit, however,
you can also wear it during the colder months of the year.
For example, here I'm pairing it with a cashmere jacket and brown tones.
Chances are, also you probably have a blue suit or a navy blazer in your wardrobe and
so you can easily combine things.
I suggest you think about a knit tie, maybe a regular tie in some form of yellow, a pocket
square, maybe socks, maybe even a light pastel shirt, which is not quite as intense as white
and therefore, pairs really well with sport coat combinations and more casual ensembles.
Probably the item I pair the most with blue is the knit tie.
The second not so obvious candidate is grey and yellow.
Grey can be quite dark and dull but a touch of yellow certainly brightens things up.
A lighter gray, or mid gray suit, work well with a pastel color.
A darker gray flannel suit for example, works well with the orangey mustardy sunflower yellow.
Stay clear of harsh strong neon yellows or very bright yellows because it's just too
clashing with the rest of the gray; or you decide to combine it with another softer tone
such as brown as it's done in my sport coat.
It consists of a light brown mustard yellow and grey.
Overall, if I had to pick just one shade of grey to pair with yellow, it would be the
gray flannel.
Three, one of my favorites to combine is yellow and brown.
They are both warm colors and they simply go together exceptionally well.
For example, in that outfit, I'm wearing a brown jacket with a waistcoat and a mustard
yellow pair of chinos.
Brown is the ideal muted background color for a yellow accent unlike grey, it also allows
to create enough contrast without being too harsh.
Obviously, there are lots of shades of brown that contain yellow and because of that, it's
very easy to combine.
At the same time, brown remains a solid background without disappearing and being overshadowed
by the yellow.
If you just take a second and don't think about the core colors you can see, for example,
this pair of socks from Fort Belvedere, which is kind of a caramel yellow paired with a
burgundy brown and a stripe, and even though you wouldn't think about those naturally as
yellow and brown, you can totally see those tones and it's one of the reasons it works
so well together.
The fourth combination I want to talk about is pairing green with yellow.
As you know, I'm a big fan of green in menswear, simply because it's very versatile and green
is made out of blue and yellow; so pairing yellow with green is always a winner.
It doesn’t matter if you take a darker bottle green such as in this madder silk tie and
paired with a sunflower yellow, or if you go more with a lighter green and yellow, or
maybe a darker olivey green and yellow.
Green is also a popular jacket for tweed coats and therefore, it's very easy to combine it
with yellow.
During the cold months of the year with a pair of chamois yellow gloves such as these
handsome ones in peccary leather from Fort Belvedere makes for an excellent combination.
Of course, you can also pair a buff yellow tie with a green jacket or suit.
if you want a bow tie, works as well.
The fifth combination is burgundy or maroon paired with yellow.
It's very classic and it has these brown tones and because of that, it likewise works very
well together.
Whether you add some blue to it or you just keep it at that, those burgundy and yellow
tones, it will always look harmonious together.
Burgundy suits are the exception to the rule and most men will not have one in their wardrobe.
The same is true for yellow, however, it's a great color for accessories to pair together
and maybe dress shirts if you choose light pastel tones and in my opinion, it's a very
fall/winter kind of combination and yellow neckwear, or pocket squares, work particularly
well with burgundy vests.
To learn more about odd vests and waistcoats, please check out this in-depth guide here.
Personally, I also think this Fort Belvedere buff bow tie with lots of tones of yellow
and blue pairs exceptionally well with a burgundy brown velvet jacket.
So now that you know what colors go well with yellow, how should you wear it?
First, start with accessories.
Most men will probably start out wearing a tie or a pocket square in yellow because they're
very easy to combine with existing color tones and items in their wardrobe.
Using them in that way also allows you to experiment with them with different outfits
and combinations.
Once we have those two covered, you can maybe add a bow tie, or maybe a pair of socks, or
a pair gloves, also a mustard yellow, and gray cashmere scarf such as this one from
Belvedere.
It’s very easy to combine with other things in your wardrobe.
An important piece of advice, avoid solid yellow silk ties in shiny satin because they
just looked cheap.
In general, the premise for yellow accessories is less is more.
Try to use them sparingly and your overall outfit will be better.
As you can see my outfit, the only visible elements of yellow are my tie and my pocket
square, which is a small percentage of my overall outfit.
Soft pastel yellows and warmer shades that are more muted are much easier to combine
than bolder brighter ones.
If you're not ready yet to get a solid yellow necktie, maybe start with yellow in a stripe,
or yellow in a micro pattern of your tie, maybe just get a pocket square in yellow,
or something in light blue with a yellow edge stitch.
If you want to add yellow in a different more unique way, you can branch out to boutonnieres
such as with a yellow carnation.
It's an inexpensive investment that adds a touch of freshness to your lapel.
If you have lots of brown shoes and you don't want to spend too much money, I suggest to
invest in a yellow pair of shoelaces
Two, once you master the art of using yellow in accessories, you can graduate towards using
it in sport coats.
In the US, many people will be familiar with the yellow blazers from the hall of famers
at the NFL which they call them gold because it's associated with a precious metal.
Now that's a step over the top for everyday wear but when you start out, I suggest to
go with yellow tones such as mustard as elements of your sport coats.
As we discussed before, yellow goes well with blue which is very true for indigo blue denim
jeans, or let's say with a gingham shirt.
Rather than going with a strong sunflowers yellow blazer may be made of linen, opt for
a slightly more tan like sport coat maybe with an over plaid.
When I say yellow, I don't mean lemon yellow, but more a dark mustard yellow.
Personally, I get lots of compliments for my mustard chinos which I had made custom
in Sri Lanka.
They’re so easy to combine with all kinds of winter outfits but I can even wear them
in the summer.
It's definitely a bold choice and not for everyone.
If you're in places like Rome, Naples, or on the East Coast, and Martha's Vineyard,
you can definitely go with brighter yellow colors, maybe even a combination as a go to
hell pants.
To learn more about go to hell pants please check out this guide here.
In my experience, brown jackets, as well as blue jackets, and green, are very easy to
combine with mustard colored chinos.
As a general rule, lighter yellows pair well with lighter blues versus stronger richer
yellows go better with richer deeper blues.
Four, invest in a yellow waistcoat specifically a buff colored one because a buff waistcoat
is wide enough to be worn with morning dress but you can also combine it with all kinds
of tweed jackets and your suits no matter whether they are navy, gray, blue, brown,
or green.
A pastel colored yellow sweater such as a tennis sweater can be very elegant or you
can opt for a cardigan maybe.
Five, think about incorporating yellow into your outerwear.
If you look at Pitti uomo you'll see people wearing yellow overcoats and I give it to
you, that's a quite bright endeavor.
In my opinion, a better and easier approach is to incorporate it into your gloves or to
your scarf.
Traditionally, elegant gentlemen would not wear black gloves but they would go with grey
and especially chamois yellow gloves; they did that because it's easy to combine, it
provides a nice contrast, it just always looks dapper, at the same time, while going with
a yellow overcoat may be very peacock like, dandyish, and over the top, having just one
accessory that stands out on your gray or navy overcoat is very subdued and elegant.
If a bold yellow is too much for you, I suggest to go with a tan camel overcoat because likewise,
it combines with all the items you already have in your wardrobe, yet it's lighter than
a dark grey or blue overcoat.
Through the transition season from winter to spring, and summer to fall, I suggest to
go with a trench coat in a typical khaki color which is also a shade of yellow.
Six, Invest in a pastel yellow shirt.
While most men have white shirts, or maybe off-white shirts, a slightly pastel yellow
shirt is excellent to combine with all kinds of casual wardrobes and you can even wear
with a formal suit because of the contrast, it looks almost like you were in a white shirt,
however, wearing a white dress shirt with a tweed coat is too clashing, whereas the
pastel yellow shirt really fits in well.
So what are the things you should avoid with yellow?
First, stay away from really bold yellow dress shirts because they just looked cheap.
If you want a bolder yellow, maybe think about incorporating it as a stripe rather than a
solid shirt.
A pastel shirt can look particularly well if you have a certain tan.
Seven, think about a yellow polo shirt.
Personally, I'm a big fan of strong colors during summer and I like to wear my yellow
polo shirt when I combine it with seersucker and a pair of boat shoes.
Now I give it to you that's not a quiet combination but personally, I think the blue of the seersucker
goes very well with a yellow polo shirt and I simply like it.
Two, avoid to wear a lot of yellow at the same time.
If you have too many tones of yellow, it's just overwhelming and it looks bad.
Ideally, keep it at a max of two visible elements of yellow.
Three, don’t try to combine too many visible yellows that are all kind of off.
If they're in different places such as your socks, and your tie, the yellows can be slightly
different but otherwise, if they're right next to each other, it’s usually more clashing
than complimenting.
In the outfit that I’m wearing right now, the pocket square is a very pale yellow and
it works really well with a jacket however, in other situations, it may be better to go
with a different kind of pocket square.
Four, as I said before, stay clear of shiny yellow ties because it’s over the top.
Usually, satin ties or jacquard ties with bold colors are what I would stay clear off.
Five, don't ignore seasonal conditions.
Like a camel color is typically associated with fall winter weather, versus a light pastel
sport coat is probably more associated with summer.
So as a conclusion, yellow is not just limited to spring/summer outfits but you can wear
them year-round.
If you're new to yellow, start out with accessories and then work your way up.
Try to stay clear of strong bold yellows and rather go with more muted tones or pastel
tones.
In any case, if you don't have anything yellow in your wardrobe right now, definitely incorporate
it because it will brighten up your day and give your outfits more energy and panache.
In today's outfit, I try to combine quite a few different yellows simply to show you
what can be done in a context of yellow in menswear.
So first of all, I have a hundred percent cashmere sport coat which is vintage it has
a bold Prince of Wales check and it incorporates brown tones gray and mustard yellow.
my dress shirt is custom made it's a light blue cotton flannel and pairing it with a
rather bright but somewhat pale yellow silk knit tie from Fort Belvedere which is complemented
by a pocket square out of yellow linen with a mustard yellow contrast x stitch you can
find it in our shop here because I have bold colors and a patterned sport coat my pants
are very subdued and solid Navy I combined them with a brown pair of Norwegian shoes
from Mannina in Florence and the brown is picked up in my sport coat that way is all
tied together the socks on the other hand are a pair of navy and yellow shadow striped
socks and therefore they go well with the pants and they fit the theme of yellow in
menswear I decided not to wear a yellow boutonniere because it would have been simply over the
top the shirts are French cuffs and so I opted for a double-sided octagonal pair of cufflinks
with bold yellow and blue colors now most of the time those won’t be visible but once
you see them you can tell it fits the overall combination if you enjoyed this video please
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