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Summer isn’t the season for dull and muted hues. Designers throughout the industry offer collections in various shades of light blues, pinks, oranges, reds and yellows that we can’t help to be tempted by. If you’re going to step out of your navy, black and grey wardrobe, this is the season to show your true colors! Of course, you don’t need to wear pink head-to-toe; a pop of red or baby blue will definitely help you stand out from the crowd. Here are a few ways to embrace your inner colorful self.

Stock Up on Neutrals

This may seem counterintuitive, but you must have a solid base before you venture out into new avenues of the color wheel. Building up a closet of wardrobe essentials such as quality tees, woven shirts and trousers in basic menswear colors will make it easier for you to layer color into your look. While navy, black, grey and white seem the obvious choices here, don’t forget about beige. This hue looks the best under a white shirt (it won’t show those annoying under-layer seams that white T-shirts do).

Choose the Right Colors For You

The fashion world will tell you what it thinks the must-have colors of the season will be, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to what looks good on you. These trends are all very well for the sake of novelty, but the truth is that not all colors suit everybody, and you shouldn’t wear a shade just because it happens to be on the rails at any given time. Instead, figure out a range of colors that work for you, based upon your skin tone, complexion, hair and eye color. If you are pale, light and bright hues will make you look washed out and ghostly (that’s a scary thought)—it’s better to stick to deeper, richer shades. If you’ve got a deep tan or darker skin, you can get away with more vibrant hues. Ultimately, though, another important part of finding the colors that work for you is simply choosing the ones you like.

Know How to Mix and Match

Mixing different shades of the same color makes the impact both subtler and richer. For example, try pairing a blue shirt with washed out light-blue jeans and a navy Harrington jacket, this will look more sophisticated had you try to match every article of clothing to the exact hue. And, one of the sharpest ways to wear color is by creating a contrast between two hues. This contrast doesn’t have to be eye-popping or startling. The important thing is that the eye clearly perceives two colors, and that they balance each other out.