The ideal summer outfit should meet the following criteria: airy, breathable and in the choice of color to match the personal skin undertone. The latter can be easily determined with our guide. Whether warm, cold or neutral skin undertone - we give tips on which clothing colors suit which skin undertone. In addition, we asked our community about their favorite summer outfits and how they harmonize with their personal skin undertone.
How to determine your skin undertone
While your own skin tone can change throughout the year, your skin undertone, on the other hand, always stays the same. But what is it? The skin undertone can be either cool, warm or neutral. By looking at the vein color on the inside of your forearm, you can see the skin undertone. If the veins shine through more bluish/purple, it is a cool undertone. Greenish veins mean warm undertone. If it is unrecognizable what colors the veins have, you most likely have a neutral skin undertone.
Neutral skin undertone outfit inspiration from influencer Josselin Pocheron (@joss_pcn)
If you have a neutral skin undertone, almost any color will suit you and you have free choice in finding the perfect summer outfit. Influencer Josselin Pocheron also has a neutral skin undertone and takes this into account when putting together his outfits. We asked him a few questions about SANVT Essentials:
Josselin is wearing the Perfect T-Shirt in Off White, the Smart Shorts in Navy and the Oxford Shirt in Light Blue.
The interview - SANVT x Josselin
SANVT: “What makes the Perfect T-Shirt so special in your eyes?”
Josselin: “The Perfect T-Shirt is special to me because it combines quality, fit and durability. It's important to me to wear products that have the lowest carbon impact possible.”
SANVT: “Which T-Shirt colors do you prefer and why?”
Josselin: “The Off White T-Shirt is my favorite T-Shirt color for summer as it's warmer than a white T-Shirt, which goes well with my neutral skin undertone.”
SANVT: “With which other essentials would you pair it with (e.g.: Oxford Shirt + Smart Chino or Perfect Sweatshirt + Smart Shorts: to make a complete look)”
Josselin: “I can wear this T-Shirt with many different essentials. I like to wear the Perfect T-Shirt with the Oxford Shirt to break up the formal look of the shirt and have a more casual outfit.”
Warm skin undertone: outfit ideas from influencer Ulrich Minkang (@ulrichminkang)
If you have a warm skin undertone, we recommend neutral colors for your clothes. For example, the colors Off White, Grey Melange, Dust Grey or Dust Blue harmonize with a warmer skin undertone and a usually accompanying darker or olive complexion. We interviewed our brand ambassador Urlich Minkang, who also has a warm skin undertone and takes this into consideration and incorporates it into his summer outfits.
Ulrich is wearing the Perfect T-Shirt in Black, the Smart Chino in Beige and the Perfect Sweatshirt in Grey Melange.
The interview - SANVT x Ulrich
SANVT: "What makes the Perfect T-Shirt so special in your eyes?"
Ulrich: "What makes the Perfect T-shirt so special is that its fabric is comfortable and breathable, so it won't make you suffer from the heat during summer."
SANVT: "Which T-Shirt colors do you prefer and why?"
Ulrich: "The perfect T-Shirt colors for me are off white, green, navy, grey and the classic black and white. Not only for reasons of personal taste, but also because I can combine them with so many different colors."
SANVT: "With which other essentials would you pair it with (e.g.: Oxford Shirt + Smart Chino or Perfect Sweatshirt + Smart Shorts: to make a complete look)"
Ulrich: "I'd pair the T-Shirts with the Smart Chino, the Perfect Sweatpants, but most of all the Smart Shorts. For example, the green Perfect T-Shirt combined with the khaki or beige Smart Shorts."
Cool skin undertone: stick with dark colors
If you have light skin, get burnt easily in summer, and blueish veins, you probably have a cool skin undertone. What does that mean for your preferred clothing colors? We recommend sticking with darker colors, because they contrast with light skin. Clothes in the color Black, Dark Grey Melange, Dark Green or Navy suit well. Brand ambassador Jannik (@jannik_madsen) also has a cool skin undertone. The Perfect T-Shirt in Black is literally perfect for his cool skin undertone.
Jannik is wearing the Perfect T-Shirt in Black.
SANVT summer wardrobe essentials
If you know your personal skin undertone, this knowledge can be really helpful when looking for the perfect color for your wardrobe. Of course your skin might tan a little bit during the summer, however your skin undertone kind of always stays the same. However, on hot summer days the fabric and other details of your clothing are also important.
- Our Perfect T-Shirt has a fabric weight of 180 g/m² and consists of 100% ELS organic cotton, making it extra soft and breathable.
- For even hotter days, you might consider going with our Lightweight T-Shirt - which only has a fabric weight of 160 g/m² - making it far lighter than regular T-Shirts from conventional clothing brands. Check out all T-Shirt for men here.
- When it comes to pants, we recommend a pair of breathable Smart Chinos as well as the short version of this: the Smart Shorts. The super soft satin fabric is made from a mix of stretch cotton (98%) and elastane (2%) - your perfect Summer Essential for every occasion.
- For spontaneous summer nights you can never go wrong with a classic Shirt or Sweatshirt.
All of our Essentials are 100% climate-neutral and are handmade in Europe. Learn more about this here.
Need more styling inspiration? Check out our blog post on sustainable summer clothes.