Chapter 5: New Colors
Thoughts on men and fashion - six summer episodes by fashion connoisseur and word acrobat Jeroen van Rooijen.
When it comes to the question of how much color a man has to “endure”, there is no getting around David Hockney, who has been a sore thumb all his life and who, at the age of 82, is still an important guide in aesthetic matters. "I prefer to live my life in color," says Hockney. We should try too.
But if we are realistic, we quickly realize that men and colors are a "difficult relationship". Because not many gentlemen - except for example our loyal customer and style hero Alfredo Häberli - have a sovereign handling of tones that are more colorful than gray. And the older they get, the grayer they become.
However, it was not always the case that men distrust colors – up until 250 years ago men also preferred to wear colour. The more important they were, the more colorfully they dressed. This principle actually corresponds very closely to the maxims of the Instagram age: What counts is the "buzz", the excitement. Maybe that's why we're seeing a renaissance of bold colors in men's clothing? Younger men no longer have any stress with colours, they like them just as intense as they are finely tuned.
What must be for everyone else now: A dash of color in the neutral outfit - or harmonious shades of primary colors. So there is more than just navy - look at the whole palette, with azure and aquamarine, cobalt and indigo, ultramarine or ice blue. The most popular color in the world is also looking good this summer. Japanese indigo blue is gaining popularity – it pairs well with denim, looks natural and ages well. Incidentally, an orange or pink accent goes well with dark blue tones – or a look in warm yellow, because the complementary color often has the strongest effect. Complementary colors are those that are exactly opposite each other on the color wheel.
Underwater worlds - this immensely large part of the world - also offers many new inspirations for colors and details. On the one hand, there are motifs to be discovered as well as color worlds ranging from pale blue to deep green. You can also imagine the men in wine or brick red, cinnabar, ruby and rust red - or with accessories in garnet or coral red. A dash of green goes well with this – khaki and olive are classics – but a masculine wardrobe also tolerates elements in moss, pistachio, avocado or Paul Veronese green. The latter was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance whose special green is still a trademark today – like Yves Klein's blue. We learn: color can also be a sign of identification for a man!
Then a word about the pastels, they are also on the way. Is this only for cute boys? Old braid. For younger men, "sweet" is a compliment that melts in the mouth. Colors that used to make men flinch suddenly look fresh on very masculine men. And it's about more than the polo shirt. Give yourself a jolt!
Next week the sixth and final episode of our summer series looking at the evolution of the male wardrobe. Why we will soon be enjoying listening to new wave music again.
Jeroen van Rooijen is a freelance style critic and co-founder of the Alferano concept store in 2014.
