How To Wear White | White Outfit Inspiration For Men

How To Wear White | White Outfit Inspiration For Men

Men are wary of wearing a whole lot of white. It’s not really a go-to colour in winter. And, in summer, white (too often) attracts a brass-buttoned blazer in navy and breton stripe tee (not to mention boat shoes). And suddenly we’re all a bunch of cloned southern Frenchmen on a yacht. Ahoy, sailor!

Meanwhile, white is a disaster to keep clean. Red wine stains, food stains, dirt-from-our-hands stains, you know the drill. So, why are we dedicating a whole feature to wearing white? Well, white – when done right – looks fantastic and a real style accent for 2016. From the runway to the street, read on for 5 simple and stylish ways on how to wear white.

#1 It’s A White-Wash

WhiteAllover

All-white looks dominated the runway in Europe this season, even for the winter shows. It’s menswear’s way of brightening up the cooler months, and bringing a little light-heartedness to it all – rain, hail, or snow. All-over, tonal white has some style rules, however.

To avoid looking like a medic, play with different shades of white – from crisp and stark white, to ivory or off-white and even beige and cream. Then, add more depth to the head-to-toe white, wearing varied textures with different materials, the matte rubber of a raincoat over a the furriness of a sweater and the ridge-like stripes of a cord trouser. See what we did there?

#2 Tailored Back

Lightlytailored

Tailoring need not be stuffy and heavy, thanks to light, white jackets and pants. A cotton or linen blazer with well-cut chinos is tailoring-reworked, with denim shirting and western-style push tabs under the white. Meanwhile, white shirting, slightly ruffled at the neck and sleeves, goes well with pleated trousers in light cotton – sans belt. Beige separates take away any hint cheesy, nautical vibes, which are too predictable where white pants are concerned.

Add some interest to white separates with silver jewellery – bracelets, rings and leather cuffs – and some beads for an injection of colour. Finally, metal wire frames are huge this season. As are vintage leather belts – worn a little messily, in stark contrast to the purity of the white trouser.

#3 Better With Leather

Sharp-Shirting

A pristine white shirt looks better with leather. A key style item this season, the romanticism of rock-n-roll (all that velvet, long hair and floral silk) is reworked with dapper, crisp white shirting. There are two simple ways to approach the look.

The first involves a cropped biker jacket – with minimal hardware, over skinny jeans – belted, and that all-important white shirt, its straight-point collar buttoned fully to the neck with a front placket adding a touch of formal. Elsewhere, opt for a smaller-collared shirt, left untucked, over more trouser-ish denim or pants and a slouchier, longer fit leather jacket, the coolness oozing down to the footwear – Chelsea boots or sneakers, depending on the occasion.

#4 (Not So) Sharp Shirting

NotSharpShirt

In an act of sacrilege, street wear hooligans have kidnapped the religiously, fancy white shirt, and done what they want with it. This looks like short-sleeve, long-line shirt cuts with mandarin collars for the more style adventurous, rocking the half-tuck over another shirt – with longer sleeves for a double-up layered look.

Elsewhere, a crisp white dinner shirt need not be reserved for a formal affair. Layer it under a casual jacket – think camo print parka, denim shirt jacket or velvet bomber – and keep the cuffs open and sprawled. It’s against all the rules, but formalities are designed to be played with in the street.

#5 Weekend Prep

WeekendFresh

The weekend is here and your Sunday driving outfit – car top down and shades on – is ready for you, in white. The signature preppy chino in white gets a reworking with the season’s favourite suede bomber – changing up the colour to an emerald green instead of typical brown. Add a timepiece (something metallic and ostentatious, but in a good way) and pop that collar, for a bit of style nonchalance, just like the Italians do it.

The white polo is a no-brainer addition to classy casual wear, matched with a windowpane check trousers, and tassel loafer (suede, again), this time with a denim overshirt for an edgier prep look: something reverently Nineties collegiate, that’s anything but jock. More cool-guy punk.

#6 Street Chic

StreetChic

Kept stark white and crisp, a basic t-shirt is the perfect layering piece – under a military bomber in sporty nylon, and slim-fit jeans, cuffed at the ankle. Low-cut leather sneakers – in white, base-out the minimalism. Be sure to keep your kicks super-clean, never diminishing their bright power.

For a day-to-night, wintry outfit, try chinos and a leather derby under a waffle knit and a round-shouldered blazer – both in white. Just add an off-white roll-neck – under the sweater instead of scarf, and a beanie for more warmth. Plus, the ensemble is a clash of Euro-meets-New York, with tailoring and urban touches. Simply loose the beanie, when indoors. But beware the beanie-hair.

Now go forth and experience how to wear white the right way.