Men How To: Tonal Dressing

In the past, you may have avoided wearing the same colour across your full outfit. Black on black on black = funeral. But tonal dressing is on the rise and is the latest fashion faux pas we love to break. It opens up the door to statement outfits without needing much effort. Also – black on black on black is a GREAT outfit choice for every occasion, FYI.

Whilst you might think that wearing an outfit out the house that is all the same colour sounds ridiculous, we’re here to prove that this look can very much make you combine items together you wouldn’t have dreamt of before. With a bit of confidence, tonal dressing will become your newest favourite trend.

What colour?

With winter here, you might want to opt for a darker palette to start. Dark hues such as blues, greys or blacks are the perfect tones for the colder months. Sure, this isn’t the jolliest outfit you’ll ever wear, but it will leave you looking smart and interesting this season. Combine a black jacket with a black t-shirt and jeans to achieve the easiest tonal dressing outfit available. This is a suave look that’s easy to pull off.

Save your brighter colours for spring and summer. But to be honest, even then we wouldn’t recommend going too bright. Tonal dressing works best when you commit to a subtle shade, like grey; you don’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons.

Remember: the number one rule is the keep your colour scheme consistent.

Shades

If all your shades are perfectly matching then things will end up resembling a uniform, which isn’t what we want. Don’t worry about different shades, and instead concentrate on having the same colour. If your jeans are a darker blue than your shirt, and your shoes are a bit lighter, it doesn’t matter at all; in fact, it looks better! Two or more items of your outfit being a similar but-not-quite-matching shade is a fantastic look so embrace it.

Multi-textures

Not sticking to one material will stop your outfit from appearing very one-dimensional. Basically, what I’m telling you is to not go double denim if you’re tonal dressing. But really, you shouldn’t be going double denim at all – stop it.

Keep things exciting by mixing a knit jumper or roller neck with jeans, all hailing the same tone; this is a perfect time out to try with tonal dressing as knitwear is a suitable and in choice.

A Final Note

Tonal dressing is simple, easy to dress and a great way of standing out this year. It looks clean and stylish once you’ve gotten things figured out. Our final tips are to keep things simple and try tonal dressing with black to start with, moving on to dark hues that provide a subtle finish.

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