Best Colors for Your Skin Tone: Men’s Skin Tone Color Finder

The best clothing colors for your skin tone depend mostly on your undertone. Men with cool undertones look best in blue-based colors like navy, charcoal, burgundy and emerald, men with warm undertones in earth tones like olive, camel, rust and cream, and men with neutral undertones in muted shades of both. Skin depth (light, medium or deep) then decides how much contrast looks natural. Pick yours in the color finder above to see your best colors, the ones to be careful with and outfit ideas.

Best colors for men by skin undertone

Navy suits almost every man, which is one reason it is the most common suit and blazer color. See what to wear with a navy blazer for combinations.

How to find your skin undertone

Your undertone is the color under the surface of your skin, and it stays the same when you tan. Three quick tests in daylight will tell you:

• Vein test: look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. Blue or purple veins point to a cool undertone, green veins to a warm one, and a mix to neutral.
• Metal test: hold silver and gold next to your face. If silver looks better, you are probably cool; if gold looks better, warm; if both work, neutral.
• Sun test: if you burn easily and turn pink, you are likely cool. If you tan easily and rarely burn, you are likely warm.

The photo option in the finder reads the color of your cheek in your browser. Indoor light and camera filters shift skin color, so use it as a starting point and confirm it with these tests.

Colors by skin depth: light, medium and deep

Skin depth sets how much contrast between your clothes and your skin looks natural.

• Light skin: low to medium contrast works best. Choose navy over black, soft white or light blue shirts with mid-tone jackets, and avoid pale yellow, which washes light skin out.
• Medium skin: carries most colors and medium to high contrast, like a navy jacket with a white shirt.
• Deep skin: carries strong color and high contrast. Crisp white, cobalt, emerald, yellow and pastels look vivid. Browns and khakis close to your skin tone can blend in, so pair them with a bright or white shirt.

Where color matters most

Color matters most near your face: shirts, knits, ties, scarves and jackets. Pants and shoes sit far from your face, so you can wear them in any color that suits the outfit. If a color you love is wrong for your undertone, wear it below the waist, as chinos or a belt, or under a jacket in a better color. To match ties to your shirt and suit, use the tie color matcher, and for shirt colors with a specific item see what to wear with khaki pants and what shirt goes with grey pants.

Skin Tone Color FAQs

What colors look good on everyone?

Navy, mid grey, burgundy, teal and soft white look good on almost every skin tone. They are neither too warm nor too cool, which is why they are the safest colors for suits, blazers and dress shirts.

What colors suit men with olive skin?

Olive skin usually has a neutral to warm undertone with a green cast. Earth tones like olive, khaki, rust and brown suit it, along with navy, burgundy and cream. Very pale pastels and bright orange can make olive skin look sallow.

What colors look best on dark skin?

Dark skin carries strong, saturated colors and high contrast: crisp white, cobalt blue, emerald, yellow, burgundy and pastels like lavender and light pink all look vivid. Browns close to the skin tone need a brighter shirt to stand out.

What colors should pale men avoid?

Pale men should be careful with colors close to their skin, like beige and pale yellow, and with very strong contrast, like head-to-toe black. Navy, grey, light blue and soft pink usually look better.

Does skin undertone change when you tan?

No, a tan changes how deep your skin looks, not its undertone. A tan can let you wear more contrast and brighter colors in summer, but the colors that suit your undertone stay the same.