I've had a stranger at a bar point at my shirt and say, "Nice shirt, bro," more than once. The first time it happened, I laughed. The second time, I looked around the room and genuinely considered whether I was at a bar with a dress code I hadn't been informed about.
There wasn't. We'd all gone to the same three stores at Phoenix Mall and made the same three decisions. Again.
Everyone Looks Like Everyone
Here's the thing about men's fashion in India right now. Walk into any mall, any high street, any store that sells clothes to men between the ages of 25 and 40, and you will find roughly the same two options.
Option one: beige. Or something beige-adjacent. At most, you’ll find a muted olive that is technically green but spiritually beige.
Inoffensive, safe, and the equivalent of AI Slop.
Option two: Ranveer Singh. The blinged-out jacket and the printed co-ord set, which cost more than your rent. Incredible on him. Genuinely. But where exactly are you wearing that in Mumbai? The office? No. The movies? Absolutely not. The pub? Maybe, if you want the entire pub to look at you, which, on a Tuesday, you probably don't.
So most men do what men do when the options are bad. They default. Blues, blacks, reds. The same rotation they've been running since college, with the occasional block print to change things up.
The biggest dressing mistake is an ageing cupboard filled with clothes that don’t quite fit right and colours that are all the same.
The Part Nobody Talks About
Getting older changes how you think about colour. At some point, you stop wanting to be invisible and start wanting to grow into yourself, which is an amalgamation of your hopes, ambitions, and experiences.
You stop wanting to look like you stepped out of a lifestyle ad. and feel like a person who made a considered choice when he got dressed this morning.
The problem is that most of us are a little scared to step out of blues and blacks because the unknown colour palette is uncomfortable. Safe became a habit, and habit became the entire wardrobe.
Which, fine. But also: boring. Let’s change that.
Imagine Being This Guy
You're at a work lunch that's drifted into something more relaxed with a few colleagues, a place with good food. You've got on the XYXX Polo in coral pink.
Not because you planned an outfit. Because it was there and it felt right.
Someone across the table says, "That's a good colour on you", the way people say true things without thinking about it first. You say thanks. You move on. But something about the afternoon sits differently.
Or it's a Sunday. You’re running errands; nothing special, the kind of day that you’ll never think about again. You've grabbed the XYXX Oversized T-Shirt in dusty purple off the chair it's been living on all week.
You run into someone you haven't seen in eight months in the line at your local supermarket, and the first thing out of their mouth is "you look different. Like good different, what changed?"
Nothing changed. You just stopped wearing the same four colours on a loop.
Or it's a trip. Could be work, could be personal, who really cares. You've got on the XYXX Supima T-Shirt in plum wine because it was at the top of the bag. You grab it without thinking.
You land, you're in a meeting three hours later, and you look like someone who had a plan. You didn't. You just stopped defaulting to navy.
On the days when the Mumbai heat is doing its absolute worst, there's the XYXX UV Jacket in chrome white. You wouldn’t ever think of wearing layers in Mumbai, but this works because it's perceived as a little unconventional. A little out there. But it’s not. It’s just a jacket for sun protection.
Pair any of this with the XYXX Chino Shorts in moon grey or the XYXX Everyday Shorts, and the whole thing holds together without putting you way out there. These are the kind of combinations that work for multiple settings. They can be casual or semi-casual.
This is the middle ground. The lane between beige and spectacle. It was here the whole time.
The Wardrobe Isn't The Problem. The Menu Is.
You didn't end up in a cupboard full of blues and blacks because you have no taste. You ended up there because every store you walked into for fifteen years handed you blues and blacks and called it safe.
Safe is fine. Safe is also, eventually, the reason a stranger at a bar is wearing your shirt.
Colour doesn't have to be a statement. It doesn't have to be brave or a whole thing. It’s just a reminder that variety is the spice of life.
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FAQs
Why do so many men end up wearing the same colours?
It’s a mix of various factors, but men's clothing lines tend to have more traditional colours.
Are muted colours like coral pink or dusty purple easy to wear for everyday occasions?
Yes. Muted warm tones work across casual, semi-formal, and social settings without requiring a specific occasion to justify them.
What's the difference between the XYXX Chino Shorts and the XYXX Easy Shorts?
The Chino Shorts come in a straight fit, suited to more structured casual settings. The Easy Shorts are built for all-day comfort and breathability, better suited to relaxed daily wear and warmer weather.
Can the XYXX Supima T-Shirt hold up across a full day of travel and meetings?
The Supima T-Shirt is made from a premium cotton that is 4x softer and 2x more durable than regular cotton.
Is the XYXX UV Jacket practical for daily use or only for specific outdoor activities?
It's light enough and compact enough to carry daily. The sun protection is built in, not added on, so it functions as a regular layer with the added benefit of reducing UV exposure during long outdoor stretches.
