How To: Stay Manly While Wearing Traditionally Feminine Colors

You've been eyeing that pale pink dress shirt in the mall. Or perhaps it was an effortlessly au courant purple polo. Maybe it was a baby blue t-shirt.

Whatever it was, you want to wear it. But you want to retain your manliness, rather than serving it up on a silver platter as a sacrificial offering to the style Gods.

No problem.

While these colors are seen as more feminine than masculine, you can wear them without being labeled as a woman. Just follow these simple guidelines:

1. Limit potentially feminine-looking garments to one per outfit, unless you're a stylist/actor/metro/etc.
2. Balance out such outfits with garments with masculine elements.
   

Let's put theory into practice:

Situation: You want to add a chalk stripe pale pink sport shirt into your wardrobe.

Three possible solutions:

• Tone the shirt down with a sweater or pants in another, more manly, color such as grey.
• Add an overtly masculine garment, such as a tie, vest, or dress pants.
• Focus attention elsewhere with a unique accessory, such as an oversized belt buckle.
  

Before I close out this post, I'd like to share a couple of common sense guidelines that will serve you well when taking a walk on the wild side.

1. If you're planning to wear a potentially questionable color, make sure you pick a shade that works well with your skin tone. People will notice how radiant you look, not how pink your shirt is.
2. Finish your outfit off with a whopping dose of confidence! I can't say this enough, and this advice applies whether you're wearing a pastel purple shirt, a traditional suit, or manly military garb. If you don't feel good about what you're wearing, it'll show. Even if it's the most stylish and expensive outfit in the store. And conversely, the easiest (and might I say cheapest!) way to elevate a cheapchic outfit is to hold your head up high and walk, speak, and act with confidence.