The Men's Style Guide to White Pants

Unless you're an aspiring Mike Azzaro, white pants are probably a style minefield for you like it is for almost every other average man. It's an intimidating fashion choice, to be sure: its simple whiteness contrasts sharply with the dark denims and inky slacks that are de jeur today. Once you learn how to pair it with the right items, however, every guy who passes you will wonder why he didn't think of wearing white pants sooner.

Casual Cool
One thing you have to know about white pants is that they strike a balance between strict formal and comfortable casual. It's dressy enough for Sunday brunch with your in-laws, but not so fussy that it's inappropriate for just lounging around at home. Consistency is a big part of men's fashion, so the best course of action is to pair your white pants with other items that are in a similar position, somewhere in the middle of the formality scale.

Like its polar opposite black, white is a very useful color in fashion, men's fashion, in particular, because it's a very 'absolute' color. It provides an excellent point of contrast for a big chunk of the color spectrum. However, the lightness of white can also be to your disadvantage because there's none of the grounded sobriety that black gives.

Basic Contrasts
The technical side of fashion would consider white to be the absence of all color, an ideal tabula rasa of hue and shade. One good way to set up some basic contrast in an outfit with white pants is to inject some soft, bright colors in there to set off the rigid starkness of your blanc bottoms.

Starting with a pair of premium white denims, top it with a polo or rugby shirt that has a light, cheery pastel color like sky blue or pale pink as its base color. Finish off the preppy look with a pair of contrasting canvas boat shoes in navy, or penny loafers in a light brown and with no socks. You could go the way of traditional Ivy League fashion and don a knit over your top, but leaving things as is makes you seem less pretentious.

Heat-Proof Fashion
The warmer months are the perfect time to bring out your white pants, as the extra heat of summer makes lighter colored clothing more acceptable for men. A pair of white pants in linen should help you get through the warmer weeks stylishly and without getting stifled. As with any linen item, though, see to it that your pants are flat front and cut slim so that you don't end up channeling any grandpa vibes.

Contrast is again the key to making the look work. Since the jeans have been replaced by linen, a more formal fabric, follow through with the formality by buttoning up a full-on shirt in a contrasting color. Although black and navy are the staples, other colors like olive or burgundy can work just as well if they're in a deep enough shade. Lace-ups, preferably ones in suede or nubuck, should complete the more formal look.

White-Hot Style
Perhaps the most challenging style to pull off is one that involves layers, and that goes for any color of pants. For a white pair, though, the balancing act is a tad trickier because the contrast has to be present for your shirt, your pants and your layering piece to boot.

Try a navy or a white pinstripe blazer to go with a pair of white pants in cotton or linen. Aim for a darker color like midnight blue or black for your shirt, or go with a completely different base color altogether like red or green with a contrast collar. The end result must have contrast across all three pieces so that each one is visibly distinct.

Compared to other colors of pants, white probably takes the most practice to master for even the most fashion-conscious of males. Keep the basic rules of contrasts and color, though, and you'll likely end up satisfying the codes of style in the process.

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