Wearing colored pants: It can be easy being green

I do admit that wearing darker-hued trousers leaves a man with much less trouble in picking a shirt and jacket to go with it. Now colored pants--much so bright ones--can be a little challenging at times. But then it's nice to wear some color, even on occasion.

Take, for instance, green. Just what do you wear it with? Here are a few ideas that I've pulled off myself, extracted from my lookbook archives.

Bright green
I don't know what shade of green this is but pairing it with a white shirt is your safest bet. White belt, why not? The bold color just screams casual, so loafers are in order. A dark blue jacket probably wouldn't hurt but if you're feeling a little adventurous, why not put on a madras jacket like this one? Even if it's a patterned jacket, it still works because the dominant color is blue. Besides, it's also anchored on the little blue, red and white details on my loafers.

If a buttoned shirt and a jacket sounds too restrictive for you, by all means go full casual with a white tee. You also might want to throw in a little vest like this navy and white number below. The draped design likewise maintains that casual vibe. Loafers are the same as above.

The color may be casual but you can also try dressing it up a bit. I did just that by putting on a double-breasted pinstripe jacket (in blue) sans the tie. I had to stop myself short of wearing a tie because a DB jacket alone is already way too formal for our predominantly casual office, but that doesn't mean you can't wear one. And instead of loafers, I experimented with lace-ups in brown leather.

Mint green jeans
Because they're jeans, they're much easier to pull off. Buttoned shirt, polo shirt, t-shirt, it doesn't matter what you wear them with because pullovers, sweaters, hoodies, and even tank tops all work, too. With this shade I've tried pink, brown, blue, and gray tops and footwear that ranged from white loafers to striped light brown espadrilles and silver sneakers.

Black will obviously work, too, along with some pastel or light blue. Some shades of red just might work as well.

Got more ideas? Share them here!