What Color Dress Pants Should I Own?
When it comes to dress pants, you can select trousers in a variety of different colors, shades, and styles. However, it can be tough to know what color dress pants you should own, particularly if you are buying your first pair or if you aren’t sure what color is appropriate for an upcoming social occasion. Good news: we’re here to break down the different colors of dress pants and what situations they’re appropriate for. Let’s begin!
Black Dress Pants
Black dress pants are a classic option and for good reason. It’s a neutral color and perfect for any occasion that calls for dress pants in the first place, whether that’s a semi-casual get-together with your friends and family members, a more serious wedding, or the most formal business meeting.
Black dress pants also go well with many upper-wear clothing articles, like suits, jackets, shirts, and so on. You can pair black dress trousers with white shirts or black shirts, but take care to choose the right shade of black that complements your skin tone. Darker black may look better on some individuals, while lighter, ashy black might look better on others.
Regardless, black dress pants are perfect picks if you don’t know what other color you want to wear, or if you want to stay safe and don something inoffensive but classically stylish no matter where you plan to wear them. Check out these Super 100’s Gabardine pants for an example.
Gray Dress Pants
Gray dress pants are another excellent choice. They are neutral, easy to match, and come in a variety of shades that go well with practically any skin tone. However, they have a slight advantage over black; they can be paired with more colors.
Black dress trousers only really go well with more black or white! In contrast, gray dress pants can go well with gray, blue, white, pink, and other light pastel shades. It might be a great choice to pair gray dress pants with long-sleeve shirts, formal shirts, and even suits, depending on the occasion coming up. Berle’s Super 103’s Tasmanian Gabardine Flat Front pants demonstrate this well.
White Dress Pants
What about white? Just like with suits, you can also wear white dress pants and look stylish, especially if you have darker skin. White dress pants go well with a variety of colored shirts, ranging from yellow to blue to green to red to orange and much more. Pastel colors are a great option for white dress pants, especially around the Easter holiday. However, when it comes to dressing them up, just like with black, you’ll likely want to pair your white dress pants with a white or gray jacket, as anything darker will make your pants look relatively out of place or strange compared to the rest of your outfit.
One last thing: white dress pants, while fantastic on certain guys, do come with an extra risk of stains. Be sure to take care of your white dress pants carefully and wash them immediately if you spill sauce or wine on them! Or, carry a stain remover pen with you.
Khakis
Every guy needs a great pair of khakis, like these Charleston Dress Khakis. Khakis are versatile trousers you can wear to work, business meetings, and even certain weddings or other social occasions.
These classic trousers also look great with a variety of dress shirt colors, like blue, red, and much more. Just try not to lean too much into the brown aesthetic when combining khaki dress pants with other articles; this could inadvertently result in your outfit looking too monotone and militant for comfort.
Blue Trousers
Blue dress trousers can look phenomenal as well, particularly when you pair them with a blue blazer or dress jacket in the same shade.
Cream Dress Pants
Lastly, feel free to wear cream-colored dress pants for summer or springtime weddings when you plan to pair them with pastel shades like a pink shirt or a cream-colored suit jacket. These light-colored pants are a little easier to combine with other colors compared to white dress pants, but still give your outfit an overall sunny and carefree spirit.
So, Which Color Dress Pants Should You Own?
As you can see, practically any color of dress pants can work depending on the social occasion in question and your personal aesthetic preferences. When deciding on what color dress pants to add to your wardrobe, think carefully about your day-to-day activities and also where you live. For example, seersucker is a wonderful staple for men living in a place like Charleston, SC, but not so much for those in NYC.
Here at Berle, making trousers is nothing new. As the oldest family-owned trouser manufacturer in the United States still in the hands of the same family, we've been outfitting our customers for more than 70 years. In that time, we feel like we've perfected the art of making and delivering the best pair of trousers available today. If you’re ready to upgrade your wardrobe, shop our Tailored and Casual Collections today. Complimentary hemming is always included with your purchase!