How to Wear Lavender: A Guy’s Guide to Wearing The Light Purple Shade

How to Wear Lavender: A Guy’s Guide to Wearing The Light Purple Shade

We’ve fallen hard for this light purple hue
how to wear lavender, a men's style guide

By Team SG | Last Updated: Mar 15 2024 | 4 min read

Prime your closet for more color with this #SGapproved series of men’s style guides. The team at SG HQ is breaking down how to wear stylish hues (like how to wear lavender!) with easy color combinations and outfit ideas.

Catch up on every color guide, including: bright blueamberarmy greenslate greyorangetealkhaki, red, evergreen, whitecobalt bluemint greenorange sorbetyellow, and navy.

For too long, lavender has been denied a rightful spot in men’s closets.

We’ve got it on good authority, though, that this light purple shade is about to dethrone millennial pink as the new hot hue for men and women alike, so get ready to start seeing it everywhere. Yes, including your own closet.

Below, learn how to wear lavender in your outfits:

Lavender pairing color guide, three pairings are: lavender with tangerine orange, lavender with lemon yellow, and lavender with khaki

What colors go with lavender

Here’s the deal: Lavender is the palest version of violet, which is a deep purple. Which means, lavender is a light purple.

It tends to have more pink undertones than blue, but like the flower fields where it got its name, lavender-the-color has many different variations. Sometimes it’s pale enough to look nearly white, while other times it looks more lilac-y.

For these reasons, and depending on the mix of hues, lavender can fall into the blue, purple, and sometimes even grey corners of the color wheel. When shopping for lavender clothes online, be sure to tick the ‘purple’ box when filtering by color, as that’s where you’ll find items in the hue.

Lavender plays nicely with lots of colors including neutrals like grey and navy, reds, oranges, and pinks (yes, really), brighter blues, and other pastels.

How to wear lavender

Lavender was practically made to be worn in warm weather, making spring the perfect time to start strategizing which pieces to add to your wardrobe. Solids, prints, and patterns are all good bets. Lavender gingham? Yes, please.

Men’s lavender outfit inspiration

tomamadeus instagram image
image: @tomamadeus

SG Says: Sneak lavender into your favorite casual outfit by scoring a plaid style with the color in it, though it doesn’t need to be the hero hue of the pattern, if that feels like “too much.”

Looking for more subtle ways to mix lavender into your look? Keep an eye out for bandanas, “fun” socks, and even friendship bracelets that incorporate the color.

SG Says: Chance the Rapper shows that you can dress lavender down and look super-stylish doing it.

Consider a pocket tee just like his, or a polo shirt in the lilac color.

relaxed fit abc warpstreme pants outfit
outfit details here

SG Says: What to wear with lavender shoes? Anything you want! But navy pants and off-white layers on top are a good place to start.

When to wear lavender

Not sure how to work lavender into an outfit? Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you were planning on wearing white or off-white, you could probably sub in lavender without a hitch.

Meaning? The white dress shirt you were going to wear with a khaki-colored suit could easily be swapped for a lavender one. Or maybe you were going to top of those navy shorts with a white pocket tee? Why not reach for a lavender style instead?

Personally, we love seeing guys in lavender. Positive masculinity is a guy sporting pastels with confidence!

You can wear a lavender dress shirt with a classic grey wool suit or a khaki-colored chino suit in the summer, but perfect pairings aren’t limited to neutrals.

Lavender looks great against a buttery yellow or as a backdrop for a deeper purple or blue. If you’re looking to really mix things up, try lavender with orange. It’s bright, but so stylish!

Shop men’s lavender style

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Ready to add some more color to your wardrobe?

If you’re ready to level up your color game, but dread the thought of shopping for new clothes…let Team SG shop for you!

Sign up for the #SGapproved Wardrobe Report for 9 exclusive outfits sent straight to your inbox each month for less than a dollar an outfit. Looking for more personalized style support? Get a unique shopping plan created just for you.

From the collective hive mind of the team at Style Girlfriend.