As the world is becoming more and more of a bigger and at the same time smaller place, African prints are becoming increasingly popular. And that's very exciting to see. Of course, Africa is a pretty big place and prints and their significances vary from place to place and from culture to culture, but it is nevertheless great to see the African prints are making the rounds around the world and are being adapted and incorporated in the new global culture.
African prints come in so many styles that some men who want to wear them might seem overwhelmed by the vast palette of prints. Even more so, men who enjoy African prints and want to adapt a runway look, might have a hard time deciding on how exactly to wear an African print, as these are so busy and generally feature many colors, which might at first seem confusing.
There are a few rules or guidelines one can consider when wearing an African print. Following these guidelines, a man can be sure that he, as well as the print will look great and that their look is most likely to be memorable.
African prints are usually very strong visually, as, at often times, they contain several colors and consist of many interesting lines, dots and color areas. Generally, to balance out a very busy print, you can always pair it with a solid neutral. This should definitely work and is a safe bet. For those who don't know, in fashion, neutrals are a series of colors that can be matched to any other color and, obviously, to each other. These colors are beige, black, white, gray, dark blue, khaki, ivory, tan, brown, dark blue, etc. If you wear a garment in one of these colors, you can pair it with any other color, print or pattern.
Of course, the rule goes the other way around as well. If you wear a print that features only neutral colors, you can pair it with a solid non-neutral piece.
A very easy way to really take an African print to the next level is to wear it with a color (a non-neutral color) that is the same as one of the colors that appear in the print. For example, if you wear a shirt that has an African shirt that is purple, blue and green, you can wear a pair of pants that are exactly the shade of the purple of the shirt (or the blue or the green). For a more subtle effect, you can not only replicate the color, but wear it in a different shade than the one that appears in the print. So, for example, a purple, blue and green shirt can be paired with a pair of very light or very dark purple) or blue or green) pants.
If you are going to make a statement by wearing a very bold African print, why not go all the way and go really bold? One way of sporting an African print like no other is to wear it from head to toe! However, when you are wearing one print from head to toe (regardless of whether it is an African print or another kind of print) the clothes should fit very well. If your clothes are not tailored to perfection, you will probably look like you forgot to change your pajamas when you got out of bed.
When you are wearing a print, you can definitely mix it up by wearing it with another print. Mixing prints might be hard, but following one rule of thumb can make it a lot easier. The main rule when it comes to mixing prints is to make sure that the two (or three) prints that you are wearing are of different sizes. For example, thick stripes should be worn with thin ones, or with small dots, or with anything else that is basically the opposite. Because African prints are so colorful and busy, you can actually wear prints that feature elements of the same type, such as lines that have the same thickness and pair two prints that are highly different in terms of their chromatic palette.
Generally, mixing prints that contrast will look great. For example, a print that features cool colors such as blue, purple and green can be worn with a print that features warm colors such as red, orange and yellow. It's all up to you and your taste.
A simple and effective way of rocking an African print is to break it. For example, you can wear the same print twice (let's say once on your tie and once on your pants or shoes) and break it with solid neutral (or non-neutral) pieces. To really affirm the break, we recommend wearing breaking the print with a neutral, as neutrals are the best thing to wear if you want to accentuate your print.
As you can see, there are many ways in which a man can wear an African print and look sartorially impeccable. It's great that African prints are being revived so that the whole world can enjoy them. Following these tips will ensure you that you will have a great experience sporting an African print and that you will look phenomenal.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
Choosing the best colors for your skin toneHow to wear a colorful suitHow to mix patterns and printsHow to mix colors like a proP.S. How do you wear an African print? What type of print do you like? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, don't forget to subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!
