Purple is the color of passion,
Purple is the color of love,
Purple is the color I dream of.
Purple is the color of glad,
Purple is what you look like when you're mad.
Purple is the color of laughs,
Purple might be the subject of gaffes.
Purple is the color of me,
Purple is the best of the world you see.
Ever since the times of Ancient Greek when Tyrian Purple was only available to the Elites, the colour purple has been associated with nobility, royalty and sophistication.
In the time of Newton purple was not even on the colour wheel, however things have changed a little since then and a purple is now defined as any non-spectral colour between red and violet.
While there are many shades of purple that are used in art and fashion, only a few shades strike me as especially appealing to the eye: Amaranth Deep Purple, Mulberry, Heliotrope (slightly pinkish shade), Palatinate Purple (colour of Durham University), Tyrian Purple, Han Purple and my very favourite, Royal Purple (colour of the European Aristocracy during the Middle Ages)
Probably the reason why most guys avoid wearing purple is because matching it is not as easy or at least not as evident as with other colours. Consulting a colour wheel, which I always advise when in doubt, reveals that purple's complementary colour is yellow, its neighbors are bluish and reddish purples, its adjacent complementary colours are yellow-greens and orange-yellows while the triad that contains purple also contains orange and green.
In the case of purple, black is an even more suited colour (well technically non-colour) than usual to match with.
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| Amaury Nolasco of Prison Break in a very simple and classic yet stylish outfit, featuring purple matched with black. Source: splendicity.com |
My personal favourits are gold and purple together (one should be subdued while the other dominant) and sometimes blue and purple. Remember always to try avoiding strident nuances if your intention is not to look like a circus clown.
As is my custom, I have put together a collage of some of the interesting purple pieces I have found around the internet. Please feel free to comment and add links to any other purple items you find to be to your liking.
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| Starting from the left we have a superb Ralph Lauren Cable-Knit Sweater, the ever so stylish Chuck Bass of GG, and a shiny purple Horn Dimora followed by a pair of nice purple mocassins from The Sartorialist. The Purple Watch from the top middle can be purchased here, while the Navy Purple Repp Cufflinks here. Following these two is a Hype Coach Purple jacket and a pair of Carolina Amato Driving Gloves. |
