This year, colour has finally come to the forefront of men’s fashion. Throughout the spring/summer period men across the globe have embraced bright and bold colours, whilst moving away from the monotony of a typical black, white, navy and grey dominated wardrobe. Autumn/winter seems set to continue with this new modern attitude, as although the nights will start to get colder and darker. The major colour trends for men which look set to take off for autumn/winter 2011; this was a colour none of us expected to make such a splash, as it was definitely not one of the key colours for spring/summer. The colour in question is orange. Before we get into how to wear orange, let’s see where the trend originated from and who the biggest backers were.

As we showcased in our future fashion trend article on bold coloured coats, many designers have been creating bold coloured jackets this year – whether you are talking about orange tailoring at Louis Vuitton, orange casual jackets at Paul Smith, or the beautiful orange Burberry overcoats that are one of the most sought after and highly anticipated pieces of the year.

But that is not all. Just about every designer label and premium fashion house will be offering pieces in orange this year. Below you will find examples from super brands Acne, Bottega Veneta, Balmain, Burberry and D&G – showing you just how popular it is going to be for this season. The colour itself sits somewhere between yellow and red, meaning we have everything from pale orange and nectarine to neon highlighter orange to deeper burnt orange hues.

How to Wear: Orange When it comes to wearing such a bold colour, you have two options; accent or statement. The easiest way to wear orange is by using it as an accent colour. This means incorporating it as a finishing touch to your outfit – think pocket square, tie, watch or socks – that will give your darker autumn/winter colour palette the shot of life it needs. If using as an accent colour, then orange coordinates beautifully with your typical autumn colours – think earth tones such as brown, olive, khaki, burgundy and camel. Due to you using the orange as an accent and in small dosage, it means you can blend it in with these non-neutral colours without it becoming over bearing or in your face.

The key with all these outfits is that orange was used to create a focal point within the outfit and finish off the look. Whether you are opting for an orange scarf, tie, or even a makeshift fabric accessory, the principle is still the same.

Other options would be to utilize a bold orange shirt or t-shirt layered underneath knitwear, jackets or tailoring. This takes into account the basic principles we taught you about neutralizing bold colours, and allows the orange to shine as a real statement piece without becoming garish.

Finally, another option is to look for pieces which incorporate orange detailing. This could mean something as subtle as an orange lining or stitching, or on the other end of the spectrum, orange panels, sleeves or block colours.