It seems crazy to think about spring in the dead of winter. But anything to help us get through the cold. And with the warmer weather comes a more colorful wardrobe to match the brighter days and more optimistic mood. We’ll run through the best spring colors for men to include in their wardrobe, as well as potential outfit ideas.
Although you should incorporate color into your winter attire, the spring season gives you the chance to get even bolder with your look. This doesn’t mean you should start wearing a bunch of bright clothes, however. It’s important to know which colors work best for the season, how to combine different colors, and to make sure your look remains balanced.
Focus on including the spring colors for men below. While some of these colors look good on most men, we’ll explore which tones match your skin color best. We’ll also give you some visual ideas on which pieces work best for each color.
- Navy blue
- Medium red
- Yellow
- Green
- Multi-colored patterns
Navy blue
This color looks good on almost everyone, although those with very pale skin should avoid very dark navy blue (stick with something a shade or two lighter). If you like wearing black in the winter, switching over to navy blue for the warmer weather helps match the season a little better, especially during warmer days.
For spring, you should use navy as a foundation to contrast bolder colors. Navy chinos and shorts with a bright shirt, or a navy polo shirt with bolder shorts or pants are solid looks for the spring. Navy canvas sneakers can add an interesting bit of subtle style too.
Plain navy or navy patterned button downs are a solid choice too. A navy blazer can add polish to your spring looks while allowing you to add a little more color via your pants or shirt (but not both).
Medium red
Medium red looks good on almost everyone and matches the vibe of the spring season, as this color gives off a confident, vibrant, passionate attitude. Some studies show that women find red most attractive on men.
Red works well as the main color in your outfit with your shirts and pants. For the spring, it’s best to pair a red shirt with either navy or light khaki / off-white chinos and pants, or your favorite pair of jeans.
Medium red pants can work, but they are also very bold. Some of you can pull this off. Others may want to stick to a more muted tone of red for pants. For shorts, the same rules do not apply, as there is much less fabric to overwhelm with a bright medium red – you’re safe with whatever tone of red you like best.
Red accessories, like a nylon watch strap, tie, or a pocket square, can liven up an outfit with a dash of color in an unexpected place. Give these a try if your outfit consists of all neutral colors. A navy blazer, grey pants, and white shirt combo would benefit from a red-tone pocket square, and a grey polo with navy shorts would be a good place to add a red nylon watch strap.
Yellow
Bright, energetic, and optimistic, yellow is arguably the most “spring” of these colors. And most everyone can find a tone of yellow that matches their skin color and works well for the season.
If you have darker skin, most tones of yellow will work, except for pastel yellow – it can look ok but doesn’t complement the tone as well as the other shades of yellow.
For those with more yellow toned skin, pale yellow or pastel yellow works better than bright or mustard yellow (which can wash out this skin color). And for pale tones, most shades of yellow work, but watch out for pale yellow colors that could match your skin color too closely.
Incorporate this color in your shirts. T-shirts, button-downs, polo shirts, patterns, and/or as a layer under a jacket. Yellow tops pair best with grey, navy, white (a little harder to pull off but can look great), and light or dark denim bottoms. Make sure to keep the rest of your outfit neutral, you don’t want to look like a Lakers cheerleader.
Yellow shorts and pants can work too, but those pieces can overwhelm an outfit if executed poorly. Same with yellow accessories like shoes. These can all work, but be careful because it can get too loud too quickly.
Green
Green signifies growth and abundance, two qualities that come to mind for the spring season. Like yellow, every skin tone has a shade of green that matches it well.
If you have darker skin, bright or deeper shades of green tend to pop against your tone, while lighter or paler shades tend to fall a little flat. For those with yellow skin tones, more muted tones like sage and olive green work well. And for pale skin, bright green stands out nicely.
Green works best as a solid color t-shirt or polo shirt, or as a patterned button-down (green gingham is perfect for spring), or as a sport coat.
Muted tones like olive and sage green, while great for the fall, work well as colors for pants and shorts in the spring. It’s great to change up from the typical khaki pants / shorts with these shades of green to add a touch of subtle color, especially with a white, grey, or navy top.
Multi-colored patterns
Here’s where you can get really bold. Multi-color checks, madras, spring plaids, and stripes can give your outfit the bold statement piece perfect for spring. These patterns are a great way to add variety to the spring colors for men we have already mentioned.
As with any colorful piece, keep the rest of your outfit simple and neutral. Too loud and colorful draws attention in the wrong way.
While these pieces favor casual settings, you can throw a bold multi-color shirt under a plain navy blazer with some grey or khaki chinos for a dressy but fun look.
As always, try different spring colors for men and see what works.
