Is Colourful Rainwear Only a Women's Thing?
Colours don't rob you of masculinity. You will find some of the most admired male dressers ruling the fashion world with coloured coats, brighter fabrics, and dazzling threads. In old times, when certain dyes like blue and purple were not easy to acquire, wearing brightly coloured clothes was considered a sign of wealth and power, which is equivalent to wearing a Rolex watch or Dior bag.
Before we speculate further and imagine everyone was wearing navy blue centuries ago, just check out the "Last Supper" painting by Leonardo da Vinci and you will find the answer. In fact, muted and dull colour in a male wardrobe is a 20th century thing, which is mostly a reflection of the rise of corporate culture and industrialization, where a mass number of people's labourers were given uniforms, which gave birth to a homogenous fashion.
The reality is that we have entered a new era of working life in which remote working and freelancing have become the new norm. This lets our style aspiration diverge from corporate conformity and move towards individuality. When it comes to creating individuality, colours play a primary role.
To answer the question, no, colourful fashion is not only a women's thing. There is also colourful rainwear available for men, and people will rather appreciate it. Thankfully, we don’t live in a world anymore where everything has an assigned gender.
The secret to wearing boldly coloured rainwear and outfits
When you finally decide to push your fashion boundaries, then you should do it with proper consideration and structure. You should give it as much thought as any other outfit, or maybe even more, as your rainwear will be visible to everyone rather than your outfit.
Pay more attention to the colours around it.
The secret here is to pay attention to the colours you are wearing around the bolder ones if you want to pull off a bold look. Instead of focusing on making your colour stand out, pay attention to the colours you will be wearing to neutralise or contrast the bold colour. A bold, neutral pattern always works in such cases. For instance, if you plan to wear a yellow checkered raincoat, then wear light blue trousers, a white or peach-coloured shirt, and beige shoes to neutralise it.
Factors to consider while buying a colorful raincoat
Going for a unisex tone
Neutral tones like khaki, beige, or black are great choices of colours for rainwear if you want to play it safe. These tones are neither too bright nor too damp. They can also go well with the cloudy weather of the monsoon. The best part is that you can pair them with your other outfits. A khaki raincoat, for example, can look great with dark blue skinny jeans and wellington boots.
Go the bold and bright route.
Brightly coloured rainwear always looks stylish and gives off a fashionable vibe. When you wear bold colours, people often assume you are a person of fashion or at least know fashion. Some of the best choices are the classic sunny yellow, crimson red, baby pink, orange, dark green, or ocean blue. These bright colours form a great contrast in the grey weather, making you more noticeable, which is not only good for fashion but also for personal safety as well.
If you want to totally steer away from black and go all bold, try out patterned raincoats with coloured trousers and boots.
If you want to play it safe
If it’s your first time going for coloured rainwear but you're too afraid to overdo it, then you may try a raincoat with a coloured lining. Rainwear linings keep you warm while protecting you from the elements. Go for a neutral-coloured raincoat with a boldly printed lining. You will mostly find Burberry raincoats in such patterns.
Learn about colour matching.
To integrate bolder tones and colours into your wardrobe, keep these following guidelines in mind:
Try to wear dark neutrals like black, charcoal grey, or navy blue with your boldly coloured rainwear, as the darker tone will absorb the bolder hues.
You can also wear a single-coloured jacket, making it the focal point of your outfit, and frame it around neutral colours.
Instead of offsetting bolder hues with darker tones, you can wear lighter neutrals like light grey, blue, and oatmeal to complement brighter tones. The softer contrast allows the colours to blend together rather than poking you in the eyes.
Irrespective of the colour of rainwear, it’s the longevity that matters. That said, you must know how to handle common rainwear issues with ease.
Common rainwear issues and how to fix them
1 Durability
A "durable water-repellent" (DWR) coating is applied to a semi-permeable membrane that allows the jacket or trousers to evacuate body heat and sweat to achieve water resistance. You can walk in the rain without getting wet thanks to the coating, at least while the jacket is still relatively new. The DWR coating on your rain gear will eventually wear off due to frequent downpours, pack straps rubbing on your shoulders, and cleaning at home. Don't throw out your raincoat and waterproof leggings just yet! You can make them look and function virtually as well as new with very little time and money.
Solution:
The dryer cycle is a terrific way to restore your jacket's DWR coating when staying in the condo on a ski vacation, but it's not so practical while you're out in the wilderness hiking or paddling a canoe. Although it is recommended that you don't squish your jacket too much when packing it, this is sometimes difficult to do on journeys when space is at a premium.
One should always use a high-performance technical cleaner while washing a jacket. The DWR protection on your jacket will not be removed by using high-performance technical cleaner since it is not a detergent. To keep your jacket dry, it is advised that you treat it with a substance that will recoat it with a fresh DWR coating if you use it often in the rain.
2 Fitting
While a good raincoat will keep you dry in the areas it protects, you still risk getting wet in the areas it does not cover if you don't pay attention to the length while making your purchase.
Solution:
Having a smidgen of extra length in the back is preferable whenever possible, but particularly so while doing activities like stooping, gardening, carrying children, or fastening safety restraints. When possible, it's preferable to have a smidgen more length in the back. The longer the item, the more protected you will be from the rain, but the more difficult it will be to move about in, increasing the risk of injury if you happen to slip and fall. To restate, the solution to this problem will depend on your intended method of coat use.
3 Defects
Even though a coat claims to be waterproof up to 20,000 millimetres of rainfall, it is possible for it to still leak if the seams have not been sealed in some manner. Sewn seams are an area of vulnerability where water will find a way to get through, leaving you wet even if the cloth has extremely high specifications; therefore, be careful when you sew seams.
Solution
Because of this, it is essential to ensure that all seams are waterproof by applying specialized tape to the inside of the seams after they have been sewn. If your raincoat does not have properly sealed seams, it is not completely waterproof, and even amid a heavy rainstorm, you run the risk of becoming wet through the seams.
End Thoughts
To conclude, we can say that while colourful rainwear for women, it doesn't have to be. There are a variety of styles available for men as well, and they should also make an effort to express themselves through their rainwear choices. Whether you choose a classic neutral tone or something more eccentric like reds and blues, don't forget to add some colour when the next rainy day arrives, and make sure you use the tips shared above to keep your rainwear perfect for a long time.
