There’s a yellow resurgence under way in menswear as nostalgia for the ’80s reaches fever pitch. Despite being notoriously difficult to wear, yellow blossomed back then thanks in no small part to Level 42’s Mark King ‘yellowing up’ fearlessly. Now a host of big designers from Michael Kors to Jil Sander have sent yellow down the catwalk and it’s generally everywhere.
Keep it casual
For yellow to work best it needs to be worn casually. T-shirts, trainers and jumpers are all acceptable and now, thanks to the resurgence in coloured jeans, you’ll also get away with it on your legs. To smarten things up, go as preppy as possible. Wear a yellow V-neck jumper over a sky blue shirt with beige or navy chinos.
Little and often
Less is always more so if you’re wearing a yellow T-shirt, leave it at that. The same goes with shorts, trousers and trainers. Too much and you could end up looking like a Eurovision backing dancer.
Choose carefully
Yellow will wash out all but the darkest skin tones so if you have pale skin, avoid strong, bright yellows such as sunflower. Instead look for a less intense shade such as sherbet. The extra white will help soften the colour against your skin.
Wear it with what?
Yellow works well with green, blue and white. However, thanks to the collective cricketing and rugby teams of South Africa and Australia, yellow and green is out. Instead, navy blue will tone down the brightness and white will act as a good base layer, ie a shirt or T-shirt worn underneath a yellow jumper.
Go straight
Generally the safest bet is to wear yellow as a top layer, for instance a jacket, and tone it down with plain colours elsewhere.
Go modern
Despite plenty of designers choosing to go for a balls-out approach, Calvin Klein’s contrasting yellow shirt and tie paired with a sombre grey suit is a perfect of example of wearing yellow with credibility.
Go classic
Still in doubt as to the proper course of action? Opt for the preppy look and seek yellow knitwear – the texture of the wool helps to break up the colour, making it look less bright. A pale yellow jumper worn over a blue button down shirt à la Carlton Banks is right on the money.