Color can seem to be such a mystery when it comes to clothing.

There are some people out there who seem to have it all together, who seem to be dressed perfectly all of the time - and then there are the rest of the people, the ones who can’t seem to figure out what shirt goes with what pair of pants.

 It doesn’t help that adult clothing is much more complicated than children’s clothing.  Remember how the entire Garanimals clothing line for kids contained nothing but color-coordinated pieces - and how any pair of pants would match literally any shirt?  This certainly isn’t the case for men’s clothing…

So, to help out with that, to make color-coordinating easier for men’s clothing - here are some suggestions on how best to match colors when putting outfits together.

 Now, these aren’t ‘rules,’ as there can be many variations on how color is put together; however, following these suggestions can at least get you out the door without looking like a clown:

Avoid Colored Pants -

Colored pants really don’t look good on men. Keep your pants a basic, neutral color—black, or some shade of grey, tan, khaki, or brown will do nicely and will be simple to match. Or, if you are dressing for a casual day, jeans would be great!

Since you have chosen neutrally-colored pants (or jeans), the rest of your outfit will not be difficult to choose as far as colors go.

If your pants are black or grey, stay away from shirts that have any shade of brown in them as these will not pair well. Pants that are tan, khaki or brown or jeans can be paired with just about any color of shirt.

Choosing a shirt -

When choosing a shirt color, though, it is wise to avoid choosing a shirt that is very close to the exact color of your pants or jeans. When you wear a shirt and pant of the same color, it looks like a uniform.

Opting for a pattern on a shirt is fine, just keep to a minimal pattern and make sure that everything else that you choose is neutral.

Socks -

Socks should be close to the color of your pants. As for shoes, avoid brown shoes unless you are dressing casually; business work attire should be accompanied by black shoes.

Here are a few common color pairings that can assist you in putting outfits together:

Use these in conjunction with the suggestions above and you will have no trouble with your color-coordination:

Light colors (pastels) should be paired with dark grey or black pants. Wearing a pastel shirt with, say, tan pants might just make you look like an Easter egg.

Two bright, vivid colors should not be worn at the same time—choose only one. Otherwise, your outfit could induce headaches in passersby.

Wearing different shades of one color from head to toe is a good idea. For example, wearing a pair of navy pants, a light blue button shirt, and a dark blue cardigan would look quite nice.