There’s nothing more spring than pastels, and honestly, any man can pull them off. However, even if you prefer darker colors, we promise you can pull pastels off this season. You might be hesitant, but that’s understandable — it’s a palette usually reserved for Easter eggs and little girls. But remember, it’s all about context. So this spring, you should try pastels, or if you have, try them in new ways. Wondering how? We’ll break it all down for you.
What Are Pastel Colors?
All men can pull off pastels because of the word’s definition. All pastels are, wait for it, lighter versions of the colors you wear all the time anyway. That’s it. Pink is just red with added white, so if pastel pink makes you nervous, go for a sun-faded light red. When you see different pastels in one context, that’s how you get the Easter egg effect. Don’t do that — unless you want to, of course.
Can Men Wear Pastels?
Yes, men can absolutely wear pastels. And now that you know the definition, perhaps many of you already do and don’t realize it. If you’ve ever worn a light blue dress shirt instead of a white one, that’s technically a pastel. Whether you like springtime or preppy looks, or not, there are ways to incorporate these light shades into your outfits. If you’re still doubtful, read on. It’s always good to have more sartorial options.
Paired with Earth Tones
Here’s one of the easiest ways to wear pastels (and spring colors in general) without looking like a hydrangea garden. Pair them with earth tones. In fact, earth tones paired with pastels are in now. This is something you can do in autumn, spring, or even summer, depending on how you style the combination. Pastel blue looks fantastic with grays and browns, and pink pairs naturally with forest greens. If you’re pastel-shy, this is a fantastic way to go; consider academic browns and workwear greens.
As a Neutral With Subtle Contrasts
This approach is another soft launch into the pastel world, one that’s warm-weather specific. Anytime you want to wear white, cream, or light gray, go for a pastel instead. Of course, you have to go for an extra light pastel. Consider pink so muted that you only see the pink hue in certain lights, extra light blue, or sun-faded green. Then, pair it with a light neutral like gray or tan. See this gent’s pink shirt, khaki shorts, and white
Unabashedly Seasonal
If you want to dive right into this cheery color palette, pair pastels with other colors that are equally spring-oriented. Dress shirts should have the top button and the one below that undone and paired with light neutrals or nautical belts. Shorts are never a bad idea, nor are boat shoes or canvas
Warm-Weather Cocktail Attire
Heading to a spring garden party or a Maytime event at a hip lounge? Then, feel free to incorporate pastels into your cocktail attire. Remember, cocktail attire is similar to business professional but with bolder colors and patterns. There’s nothing more seasonal than that. If you can’t get yourself to wear a regular-fit mint- or carnation-hued suit, start with a dress shirt or tie.
Warm Weather Professional
Believe it or not, you can wear pastels with your business professional attire, depending on the context. Actually, you can even mix pastels as long as you temper it with formal neutrals. Perhaps, if your industry is strict, avoid doing this at a major board meeting. However, at a daytime networking event or a creative-leaning office. Consider a dark pastel blue tie, a light pastel blue vest, and a dress shirt in pastel pistachio. Pair it with a gray suit jacket and navy dress pants — or, heck, go for dark marine blue.
Paired with its Darker Cousin
By pairing a pastel shade with a darker version of that very color, it’s like you’re channeling a stylish bouquet. Perhaps you’ll wear a pastel pink shirt with a magenta cashmere cardigan. Or maybe you wear a light blue dress shirt with a marine blue blazer. And you don’t have to be formal either. What about a light blue utility shirt, henley, or t-shirt with dark blue cargo pants or jeans? What about yellow with dark mustard or pastel green with military green? The options are endless.
Pastels for Spring 2025
Pastels always come back in style during the spring. However, this year, they’re truly exploding. It’s not just in the country clubs but on runways, in offices, and, believe it or not, workwear. You have to love sky-blue cargo pants. Here are the trending shades that certainly won’t go out of style.
Pink or Salmon
Carnation pink and salmon are probably one of the most intimidating pastels for newbies. Even the most fashion-forward can be cautious around pink. However, you can go for it hard, wearing it with other pastels or light neutrals. Or you can temper it, as earlier advised. Think about it; green and pink occur together in nature, so why not wear carnation pink with workwear green? It’s fun but not loud and perfect for spring.
Sky Blue
Sky blue and the classic Oxford cotton button-down shirt are back in full force. This means it’s time to bust out that pastel blue OCBD or get one if you don’t have one. It’s one of the easiest pastel colors to wear, anyway. It looks great with jeans, dress pants, black, brown, red, anything really. It’s the pastel that goes with any personal style.
Lavender
Lavender is a fantastic color for spring, and men are warming up to it. It’s a beautiful shade on dress shirts, T-shirts, and even accessories. However, an excellent way to wear it is as a top layer. Wear an open dress shirt or button-down with a T-shirt and jeans. People won’t notice the purple shade as much as they’ll notice you look normal, not necessarily seasonal, but somehow stylish.
Mint
Just as dark olive can be worn like navy, mint green can be worn like pastel blue. It’s far more neutral and simply isn’t as intimidating as many think. Try pairing it with dark greens to make it pop. Otherwise, you can wear it with dark neutrals to style it like you would white or light blue — though it’s more unique than either. Besides, St. Patrick’s Day is in March, which is technically spring.
Peach and Pastel Oranges
Peach and pastel oranges can take you from spring into summer. They’re fun yet versatile in that sense. In the spring, wear them with verdant shades like green and other pastels. Consider creams, light tans, and even other shades of pink or orange. In the summer, you can wear it with clean white, summer yellows, and deep reds.
Yellow and Pastel Tans
Yellow and tan are in the same family. However, the best practice here is wearing light tans as an anchoring neutral and yellow as an accent or a subtle statement. I know spring tan is light in shade, but think of it as a musical low note and yellow as a high note. Wear a yellow dress shirt with a tan vest over it. Or wear a light tan blazer as a seasonal alternative to gray or navy.
Aqua
Another spring-into-summer shade, aqua’s rise in popularity happened hand-in-hand with mint green. Greens, in general, are quite popular this year. Aqua is undeniably bright, one of the more electric pastels. Still, it looks fantastic with browns or grays. Or, you can really make a statement and wear an aqua shirt with a bright blue pair of pants.
Go for Some Pastels This Year
There you go. Not only do you know the best pastels to go for, but you also know how to wear them. Remember, it isn’t just about looking like a box of literal pastels. You can do that if you like; it’s certainly appropriate for spring. However, the truth is that any man can wear pastels, so give it a shot.
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