Fashion[Men's looks]: Ofcourse, You CAN Wear Brown with Black

Ever see a man sporting a navy blazer with black pants and wonder if he got dressed in the dark? You might be the one who’s in the dark.

Forget what you’ve always been told about color dos and don’ts, because style experts go by a different set of rules. A lot of combinations guys think are wrong can actually be cool.

For example, take brown and black, another duo that seems like a doozy. “It provides the same slick, urban vibe as all-black with the added layer of ‘I’m so confident I can put my own twist on it,’”

But this doesn’t mean you should choose your outfits blindly. There are some color mistakes that even confidence can’t amend.

Wearing primary saturated colors together—think bright blues, yellows, and reds— doesn’t work very well. The combo can be overwhelming, since the strong colors can overpower each other. So this is a case where you’re a lot better off going with a conventional look, by pairing these bold, bright colors with a neutral. (For example, a bright blue polo with khaki shorts.)

The other cardinal rule for matching clothing? If you’re pairing similar shades, make sure those colors would both appear on the same paint swatch. A casual look like a t-shirt and chinos can be upgraded to something you could wear out to dinner when they’re in the olive green family, for example. “They’re both shades of green with brown undertones, so they match.”

But swap out the tee for one that’s Kelly green and the effect is jarring, since it has blue undertones. If your eye isn’t used to dissecting colors, this is where picturing a paint swatch comes in handy.

With these tips in mind, don’t be afraid to get creative next time you reach in your closet. Try one of these edgy looks to show you don’t give a damn about the rules.

Look 1: Blue on Black

IMAGE BY J.MILLER

Look 2: Shades of Green

IMAGE BY J.MILLER

Look 3: Brown on Black

IMAGE BY J.MILLER