When treated to a bloke’s day out by Ryman, Bevis met with stylist Abby Button to talk all things colour, texture and style. A resident at Ryman’s Anthony Wilding Village, Bevis welcomed the adventure and enjoyed every minute.
Men can accessorise too!
Abby Button is a stylist and colour expert. She helped Bevis learn which colours suit his skin tone and which styles suit his playful personality. When deciphering his colours, Abby took into consideration Bevis’s skin tone and eye colour before matching him to a range of colours that suit him. Her advice was invaluable – she knew which colours would wash out Bevis’s skin tone making him look tired and she knew which would make him look radiant and cause his eyes to pop.
One of the key takeaways from Bevis’s styling session with Abby was that men can accessorise with ease. In fact, they can continue wearing the accessories they already enjoy like glasses, watches, hats, and the flourish of a pocket square. All that’s required is some time and consideration when purchasing those accessories. So, next time you upgrade to a new Panama hat consider the colour, pattern, and texture of the fabrics used in the making of the hat. Then, pair those elements to your entire outfit. The trick to pulling this off successfully is to pair a colour in your hat to a colour in your outfit. It can be that easy! Is there navy in your shirt? Pop on a navy fedora or a light blue fedora with a navy sash.
“Wearing colour can take a bit of confidence, but with knowledge comes confidence and that’s why it’s important to get your colours done.”
– Abby Button, Stylist.
Once in the menswear department, Abby applied her knowledge of colour, fabric, texture, and clothing cuts to select options that Bevis looked and felt great in. While this is not something that Bevis does often, he was pleasantly surprised at how fun it can be! He had a great time trying on boldly coloured sunglasses, stylish hats, and sharp looking shirts and pants.
“I rather like that to be honest!” – Bevis, Ryman Resident.
Dressing well over 60
Age is no barrier when it comes to looking and feeling great. Fashionable clothing and bright, vibrant colours can lift our mood. So, why not wear them?
Abby listened closely as Bevis described the clothing styles, cuts, colours, and fabrics he enjoys wearing and feels comfortable in. From this starting point, Abby selected clothing pieces that reflected Bevis’s fun-loving personality without making him feel uncomfortable. She expertly combined colour, pattern, and texture to add a new dimension to his sense of style. Courtesy of Abby’s colour theory session with Bevis, he already knew which colours to pick from the clothing racks. This knowledge gave him confidence and saved time which made the shopping session more fun than taxing.
If Abby doesn’t happen to be around when you’re next visiting a clothing store, be sure to ask someone which colour looks good on you. Store staff help people try on clothes every day, so they tend to have a good idea of which colours look good. Who knows, you might find yourself enjoying a new style of clothing because it’s in a colour that suits you. Bevis certainly did! The highlight of the day was watching him swan out of his shopping session feeling and looking amazing.
Dress for you
Wear what you enjoy. Tailored cuts, loud accessories, or comfy and relaxed fabrics. The choice is yours. When these preferred items are selected in colours that you know look great on you, the result is sure to be a hit!
It certainly helps to have an expert on hand when it comes to styling. But anyone can have a go on their own. Simply stand in front of a mirror and hold a couple of different colours up to your face. Swap them back and forward until you can see which looks better. Often this process boils down to a ‘feeling’, so follow your gut and you’ll be right!
While you’re playing with colours, be brave and try on some patterns and textures you might normally disregard. The best way to decide if something looks good on is to wear it in front of a mirror. Not everything will look good on, but that’s the point. The few that look spot on will be great additions to your wardrobe.
Once you have your clothing sorted it’s time to add accessories. Accessories can add colour and interest to any outfit with ease. And the great news continues. Accessories are taking on more creative designs than ever. Sunglasses are shapely and large with bold prints and textures. Bow ties come in fun colours and patterns with textures like linen and straw-based materials taking to the floor. And classic-cut hats are being designed in colourful fabric shades. At one point during Bevis’s session with Abby, store staff queried why we were filming. Bevis, looking very dapper in some brightly coloured accessories, let them know that a new “James bond film is coming up”!
To help you get started, here are some popular complementary colour combinations. Wear your ‘colours’ on the top half of your body, closest to your face and all other colours on the bottom half.
Complementary colours sit on the opposite side of the colour wheel and are guaranteed to match. You can have fun playing with complementary colours in different shades.
Blue – Orange
Yellow – Purple
Green – Red
Analogous colours are different shades of the same colour and usually look great together.
Red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange
Blue, blue-green, green, yellow-green
Purple, purple-red, red, red-orange
If we’ve piqued your interest, don’t hesitate to embark on a bloke’s day out. Matching colour, texture, and pattern is an interesting challenge and trying on brightly coloured accessories guarantees a laugh. Why not grab a couple of mates and make an afternoon of trying something new? Who knows – you might find the perfect hat to add to your collection!
Special thanks to stylist Abby Button, Ballantynes, Bailey Nelson for providing the glasses and Bevis, our resident James Bond.
