Coloured trousers - gentlemen, let's brighten up for spring and summer

The shops are full of colourful trousers - jeans, chinos, even formal wear. How will the mature man of style, used to khaki and navy blue chinos, approach this development?

Brightly-coloured trews have, for some, had unfortunate associations in the past - raucous 'hooray henries' getting plastered on champers at Henley and throwing each other in the river, undeserving bankers spending our money at Ascot, or buying £2000 bottles of wine in pricey London restaurants. And see the wonderful site that pokes gentle fun at red trousers here.

But it's no longer like that. Men are more comfortable about dressing stylishly and are less self-conscious about using colour - look at the popularity of bright blue suits over the past year. Even Grey Fox has got into the act. In 18 months I've bought a pair of pink jeans, two pairs of bright blue chinos (see above) and have been sorely tempted by bright red  and soft yellow - but one has to stop somewhere. Apart from comments by two teenage girls on a bus (it transpired that they liked bright blue chinos, so I was being laughed with, not at - I hope), I've survived unscathed and with a thirst for more.

Salvatore Ferragamo

For spring and summer, coloured trousers work well with a jacket, blazer or sweater - select a neutral colour that will highlight the brightness of the trousers. By all means select a brightly-coloured top, but be wary, unless you're feeling very outgoing. Complementary or clashing colours look cheerful on a sunny day and brighten up a dull one. 

I'd love to wear red chinos with a vivid blue cotton or linen jacket and bright green polo shirt, and one day I might have the courage to do so. But don't be constrained by my tastes, experiment for yourselves and let me know how you get on. Here are some ideas.

I haven't picked out any suppliers of coloured trousers - you don't need to go far to find them this year. See the Grey Fox Pinterest board for more coloured trouser ideas.

E. Tautz

Hackett

Rake

Viyella

Hackett

Image origin unknown