I don’t give it much thought. I try it out and then I either like it or I don’t. If not, I’ll try something else. In addition, the colours alone are not enough, the material should also be taken into consideration. For example, something can work with blue jeans, but not with blue chinos (both blue, but different). The same with black and grey jeans/chino. Fine fabric vs. coarse fabric. Matt vs. glossy (for shoes, for example). So try it out. You have to like it yourself. If you have any doubts, it won’t fit.

There is no unifying color theory. The best strategy is to try things out and see how they look. Try combos that you might not think make sense and it could surprise you.

Also, relying on color theory doesn’t make sense because different materials have different textures / reflect light differently. For example, you could have a pair of trousers that are the identical color to a pair of jeans but the jeans will give a much different look because of the weave, the dying process, and the material.

Tldr: just try a lot of combos and try and sus out what feels most correct for you

Wear what you like..... I'm not a fan of complimentary colours... I just love neutrals+ burgundy and olive.... And I'm happy... Maybe so teal for occasional wear but the thing is that there are countless shades and colours.... While the difference might not be huge but it can make a difference on your looks.

The very basics are going to be that any color can work with a neutral, and complimentary colors look good together

There is some more complicated stuff like tones and such, but honestly it's mostly vibes based. Throw some stuff together, and if you don't like it, change something out.

Street-style blogs helped me understand color and texture combinations. Years ago, it was the Sartorialist that did it for me. Now, with social media, you can search for guys who know what they are doing. If you know it when you see it, follow them and study what they're doing. I think it may eventually train your eye, help you assess your wardrobe, and inform how you shop. You'll eventually buy clothes with a better insight into how they will work with what you already have. It also helps to pinpoint a particular style that you like and build a wardrobe with that aesthetic in mind.

I think the first thing you have to do is figure out what colours fit you; be it cold or warm ones. I'd suggest going to a clothing store that is moderately priced and ask a clerc to help you pick and outfit. S/he will most likely be delighted to help and give you tips.

paletton is a tool u can use to come up with color schemes and see how well the colors work together! You can move the points anywhere you want and even choose if you’re using bright colors, dark colors, pastels, etc.

There’s some Reddit forums on here I started looking at to help my mans learn how to start dressing better, r/malefashionadvice You could also make yourself a Pinterest account and scroll through the men’s fashion to get an idea of what kind of style would fit you.

Fuck colorful, keep wearing black grey n white, ok nvm, i typed the first part without reading the rest but after reading the part you said about depth, fuck YOU instead of colorful, stupid ass thing to say

You could Google a colour wheel to show you which colours are complimentary etc. but really I'd just recommend looking through some fits on r/streetwear (use WDYWT tag) and copying which colour schemes you like

Alright, so I have a lot of information to give, so read through it if you want. Keep in mind I'm not a fashion expert but these are some things that I've seen work out really well. Here are the categories I'll go through: Fitting, colors, pairing. There will be a TL;DR at the end of each category although I recommend reading all of it.

Fitting:

Before you start worrying about colors, one of best (and first) things you can do is find clothes that fit you. You'll look ten times better with clothes that fit. However, keep in mind that this doesn't always mean to pick jeans that are 32/32. You're waist and length size will give you appropriate fitting jeans but you have to think what will look good on your body.

For example, I am a 5' 7" male that weighs 130lbs (with my clothes on and after eating) so I'm a relatively small guy. For me, I pick slim fitting jeans because I'm a slim person. It accents my physical features. Same thing with suit jackets/blazers/sports coats. I pick a more sliming style because it accentuates the way that I already am.

To give a counter, it's why I usually don't wear regular and/or long blazers. My shoulders would look so broad, I'd look like The Talking Heads and their huge suits. However, if you are a very tall guy with very big shoulders, a regular fitting blazer will make you look taller and bigger.

TL;DR For Fitting: Find clothes that fit in size and in your personal image. You'll look a million times more stylish if you're wearing the proper blazer size with the fitting style embracing your features.

Colors:

Okay, so now you're shopping and you've found some clothes that not only fit in size, but in style. But what colors should you get?

Adding to some of the other comments, you should definitely find what season you are. I would recommend looking up each season's palette by typing in Google something like "summer color palette for clothes" or something similar with each season. Review each one and find what colors work for you and your skin tone. One time, a fashion expert told me "you don't want to wear anything that makes you look sick." So, for me, being fair skinned and not a tanner, I avoid greens as it can compliment bruises on my arm or minor imperfections.

Once you find out your colors, experiment with which ones you like. Obviously the palette will only give you ideas and each person is different. Find what colors make you look your best. Like, when you're standing in the mirror and think "Damn I look good" keep that color in mind when picking clothes.

Side note: Don't let your season define you. I am a summer and I should be able to wear green but I don't look good in it. Contrasting, I shouldn't be able to really wear straight black but I pull it off. Just know it's okay to break some rules.

TL;DR For Colors: Find several colors you look good in (and you need several to have variety, even if it is different shades of blue or red or whatever) and pick those out when you're shopping. Don't let the seasons color palette rule your life though, use it for ideas and experiment with what looks good on you.

Paring:

Okay, so now you have clothes that fit you AND colors you look good in. Now it's time for the really fun part. Putting your outfits together!

The first thing you need to know about outfit paring is that your outfits are based on standout pieces and muted pieces. In other words, you'll have non-neutral colors and you'll have neutral colors.

If you were to wear a bright pink button down, your pants shouldn't be bright red. They'll conflict with each other because they both aren't neutral colors. However, if you were to wear this same bright pink button down with navy jeans, the navy compliments the pink, not conflicts.

Find the compliments of your standout colors. Navy, khaki, dark khaki, some blues, etc are neutral colors. You can find more neutrals colors by searching Google but those are from the top of my head.

Your standout colors will depend on your season. For me, (again Summer), some of these are pinks, reds, whites, all types of blues, and some yellows and soft grays. For you, you'll have to figure that out.

As shoes go, same concept. It's usually easier to pair shoes when they either a) match your standout piece or b) are neutral. I've worn white shoes that match with my white shirt with navy in between but I've also worn navy shoes that match with navy jeans and a pink shirt. It's just all about the day.

I would recommend accessories, as they are super fun to pair, but if you don't no one will think you're less stylish. They just might think you're more stylish if you do include them. These include ties, watches, arm bands, tie clips, french cuffs (although rare), even arguably dress vests, or suspenders. There are rules to each accessory, but considering this is introduction, I won't go in depth. Just know they are there when you want to experiment. Also just make sure that match your outfit.

TL;DR For Pairing: Remember to balance neutrals and standout pieces. An easy way to pair is from head to toe, having the shirt be a standout, the pants be a neutral, and the shoes either matching the shirt or the neutral. You can't really go wrong with that although I'm sure someone will argue with me. However, have fun with it! It can be boring to always pair the same way. I have a pair of bright red pants that I bring out and my shirt will be black (as my neutral base) along with black shoes. Accessories are an option but not necessary.

Final Thoughts: I Can't Believe You Read All This

Do your own research too. If you're watching a movie and see a stylish man, why is he stylish? Is he your body type? Try to dress like him see how it works out. Also, if you're not sure something will pair, look it up. Going with the pink and navy again, if you're unsure you can search "pink and navy men's outfits" and you'll typically get at least a few pictures and most of the time more.

When you see other stylish men, whether on TV, movies, ads, or in person, consciously think about whether the outfit could work for you, what are they doing right and can you learn from it, etc etc etc.

ALSO! There are tons of fashion rules. A common example is "If you're wearing brown shoes and navy pants, pair them with a brown belt." Or, I've heard "Don't pair navy and black." Things like that. Point is, sometimes they're right and sometimes they're not. If you're ever reading fashion pairing advice you'll get these rules. Just understand they're generalizations and if you keep up with your fashion learning you'll learn how to break them and break them well. I stayed away from navy and black pairings for a long time but I played around with it one day and created a kick-ass outfit.

Also a couple quick tips: Dressing with a blazer will, on average, make you look more fashionable, even if you wear it casually with a t-shirt. There are stylish sneakers out there, but most of the time they are hard to pair and hard to look nice in (unless you're exercising and this is also just in my experience). Consider Cole-Haan casual shoes (if you have the money) or my personal favorite, Converse (as they have a lot of colors and can be very complimentary) or dressier shoes if you don't feel like being casual. Also, be careful with graphic tees. Simple graphic tees can add some interest under a blazer (like a black Nirvana tee under a black blazer) but the "Sleep, Game, Repeat" or other "funny tees" can be worn casually but they are typically not stylish.

Again, this is all my opinion and I'm definitely not a professional. I'm sure other people will point out how much of a professional I'm not lol.

I really hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions! :)

No worries man! Well, the first thing I’d ask you is how you like to dress. For example, I wear a tie pretty much every day. Part of that is my profession, but I also like ties, button-up shirts, and dress shoes. What do you actually enjoy wearing? Confidence will make anything look a hell of a lot better.

As far as colors are concerned, it’s again important to know your preference. Some people wear muted colors because that’s genuinely what they like, not just because it’s easy. And some people wear some crazy color combos and make it work fantastically well. It’s just a question of knowing how to pull it off.

r/malefashionadvice was my go to years ago. I hope that sub is still good. Check out their wiki for a good starting point.

Find social accounts of people who have a fashion sense that suits your taste, then take inspiration and find similar clothes to make those outfits.

Being creative is hard for me, so I just copy the things I really like that I see on other people, after a while you start mixing and matching what you've learnt and can start putting your own twist on things.

If you're into manga, there's a manga called "If You're Gonna Dress Up, Do It Like This" which is specifically about men finding their way through fashion with tips.

There's also a version for women.

Uh, well, do you self-identity as a dude or a lady? Wouldn’t make much sense for me to give you advice on men’s clothing if you’re not dressing that way!

Also man, if you want, feel free to send me a message and I’m happy to give you some one-on-one advice on this subject.

This would be infinitely more useful if you labeled all of the colors. Almost everyone who will want to use this is colorblind

I love this.

r/coolguides

So when I wear my grey-green-dark blue combo, am I stylistically oblivious, or am I making a statement.

Pro tip: observe sports teams and their uniforms.

They have dedicated stylists/designers who spent a ridiculous amount of time and money to come up with visually pleasing combinations of colors. You can tone their colors using whatever clothes you have and it will still look good.

Every year the same color matching guide i love it

Meh. For me it's black, white, gray, charcoal, off white. Done

This guide is so cap. I see some color combos that are going to make you look like you dressed as a kid and grew up in the same clothes

All fun until you're colorblind like me.

As you say... the yellow looks like a spring yellow and the red looks cooltoned. Winter  red maby? Cool or bright winter ? So you are possibly a winter.

I look at palettes and practice. 

I've been very bad at this kind of thing before, but now I think I'm pretty good at it actually. It can be difficult sometimes, often I need som palettes to compare against, but sometimes I feel like I can see what kind of color it is

I like to use the color wheel personally, but I also like to base colors of off other things like what I wear or even idk Pokémon

Opposite colors on the color wheel can work in pair. Otherwise, once again on a color wheel, you can pick up to three colors close together, to make a pretty gradient. Another technique is to work in HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness). Take a base color, then change its component slightly. For example, take orange, and change a bit its hue toward red, and reduce its lightness to make it darker. For natural looking color, you often want to go less saturated as you go darker, and avoid extremes like pure red or pure black.

A different solution is to take inspiration from people's color palette. Take a look at https://coolors.co/ Or you can checkout the instagram for direct inspiration https://www.instagram.com/rl.fashionadvice/?hl=fr

In rocket league, it's easy to find great two colors combination. You can put neutral colors in there too, such as black white and grey. Three colors combination are harder to get right. More than three colors is not reasonable, except for rainbow cars.

PS: I personally take inspiration on things around me to learn what works together. For example, I remember learning that purple and yellow is cool, because of Pokemon starter decks which had a combination of psy and electric types. I understood later they were opposite colors on the hue wheel.

I just wing it ok

Your eyes?

My eyes

They're all either cool toned or complementary, so they look really nice together imo!

is dark the same as deep, true the same as cool?

This is attractively presented but not accurate or useful. Ai/super photoshopped photos do weird things to natural human coloring. Plus the bottom 3 blues in the far right column are all the same blue which doesn’t make much sense.

That explains a lot. I need these type photos for all of the colors.