Our expert answers your most pressing style questions.

We all know those people who come back from a holiday and wear nothing but pastels and crisp white shirts all week in order to shamelessly show off their tan. But not everyone has such a happy relationship with the sun. So this week in our Style Advice column we explore which colours work best, whatever your skin tone.

We also know those people who push the office dress code to the limit. But – how far is too far? This is something else you asked us to discuss this week. Read about all this, plus a neat tip from Mr Tom Hardy on the use of base layers, below.

As usual, keep your questions coming via the usual social channels or email direct to dan.rookwood@mrporter.com.

What are the best complementary colours for each person’s skin tone (fair, olive, dark etc)?

@itstdye, via Instagram

Generally speaking, the darker your skin, the broader the spectrum of colours available to you. Those who are very fair or freckly of skin need to be more careful of certain colours, which can wash them out.

Let’s keep this simple. First of all, look at your forearm and decide which category is the closest fit: pale/fair, medium to olive, or dark.

If you have pale, freckly skin that doesn’t tan easily and red, blonde or light brown hair, then stick to richer, earthier tones such as burgundy, dark green, camel brown as well as all shades of blue. It’s best to avoid pastels, neutrals, and stark black and white – all of which can be draining. A good styling tip is to keep bolder colours to outer layers (jackets, sweaters) with visible neutrals (white, grey, black, navy) worn underneath as T-shirts or shirts. This contrast helps to provide separation between the colour and your skin.

For medium to olive skin that tans well and brown hair, pastels and neutrals look great – which is why people wear them to show off their holiday tan. Just avoid wearing colours that are too close to your skin tone so you don’t look “nude”. (This is one problem with the current “millennial pink” trend – it doesn’t necessarily suit everyone’s skin tone.) Again, having a sliver of white (eg, from a base layer T-shirt peeking through) can help to provide separation between the skin and the coloured garment.

Darker skinned people can wear white and pastels, but also bold, bright colours – though this should be done judiciously. Just because they suit you, doesn’t mean you should wear more than one at any one time. Pick one standout colour and pair it with neutrals.

Recently we have been enjoying some nice weather in England, so I decided to go sockless to work. I work in an office so I wore a white shirt, cropped blue trousers and loafers (sockless). I was immediately called into the manager’s office and told I was dressed inappropriately. I was told the dress code was shirt, trousers and shoes, which I replied was exactly what I was wearing. I was told I had to wear socks and that “we will put this mistake down as a fashion faux pas”. Am I in the wrong or is the company living in the dark ages?

Mr Lewis Wilson, via email

Dress codes are supposed to be helpful. Each office will have one of some sort – and often you only find out what it is when you (or a workmate) fall foul of it. There is no doubt that offices are generally more relaxed than they used to be, but either you work for quite a corporate and conservative company, or your manager isn’t as fashion forward as you are. Or both.

You have not made a fashion faux pas but is going sockless worth the grief from on high? This might even have very little to do with you. For example, perhaps your boss had to reprimand one of your colleagues for wearing something far more inappropriate earlier in the week and feels the need to be even-handed across the board so it doesn’t look personal.

The no-socks trend of recent years is set to continue for the foreseeable future, though I’m personally not a huge fan of going completely sock-free when wearing shoes in any case, for reasons of hygiene – that’s where no-show socks come in.

However, a dress code of shirt, trousers and shoes (and socks!) still gives you plenty of scope to express your sense of personal style, hopefully without getting hauled over the coals. Or you could deliberately push the boundaries of conservatism while staying within official guidelines with a nice print shirt like this one from Folk or an on-trend pink polo from Alex Mill. And you could buy this sock set from London Sock Co. and still make quite the style statement with your ankles. You can always whip them off once school’s out and shamelessly flaunt your naked anklebones in the pub after work.

I often wear fine-gauge knitwear, but I prefer to wear a fresh T-shirt to protect the garment from sweat. However, I am bothered by how the T-shirt causes visible outlines with bulky seams and draping. Any guidance on how to pull-off the pullovers in an easy-to-care-for manner?

Mr Robert Kokkola, via email

OK this is going to sound like a horrible namedrop – with good reason: because it is – but the answer to this question comes via actor Mr Tom Hardy. I interviewed him some years ago and asked if he had any clever style tips. He told me he likes to wear compression base layers under a suit because it makes him feel ready for action. Perhaps this was part of the reason why IRL he recently chased down and apprehended a local thug in his hometown of Richmond. Anyway, the point is, compression base layers are figure hugging and don’t have visible seams. And many of them are breathable and have good ventilation, so you won’t overheat. Stick to neutral colours of grey or white ideally so it’s not obvious you’re wearing performance apparel underneath knitwear. And maybe don’t go taking on any hoodlums. You might snag your pullover.

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