…And oatmeal and caramel, too. The colours you need this season – because neutral is the new black .

In the fantasy football team that is the 21st-century male wardrobe, the camel coat – otherwise known as the polo coat – is something of a benchwarmer. It brings strength in depth to your squad, but you wouldn’t necessarily want to rely on it week in, week out. Instead, you keep it in reserve, giving it the occasional run-out when your first-choice overcoat – in one of the ubiquitous shades of navy blue, charcoal or black – is feeling a bit tired.

This isn’t just the case with overcoats; the same can be said of knitwear. Sweaters and cardigans in what you might call “pale neutrals” – colours with delicious-sounding names such as oatmeal, caramel and cream – are historically far less popular with men than those in colours from the darker end of the spectrum. To give you an example, at MR PORTER, knitwear in navy and black outsells neutrals by a ratio of more than five to one.

It’s as if we see camel and its cousins as a luxury, something to be indulged in only once we’ve stocked our wardrobes with a good selection of other, more sensible colours. But why? Do we men see it as too bold? Perhaps even a little flamboyant? Are we afraid of standing out from the navy-swaddled crowd? Or is it just that we haven’t figured out how to wear it? This gentleman’s guide will go some way to putting that last one right, at least. Here are seven easy ways to work some camel into your look.

Visually, we perceive texture as a series of lights and darks. This tends to be more obvious with neutral colours, which is why cable-knit sweaters in cream or oatmeal seem so much richer and more heavily textured than their darker counterparts. This ribbed funnel-neck sweater is a perfect case in point. Squint and it almost looks like it could have been knitted from two different colours of wool. It’s just one of several textures in this picture, and it contrasts nicely against the smooth waxed cotton of the field jacket and the slight shine of its alligator-leather trim.

Channelling the 1970s and vintage American style, a suede jacket is an obvious choice for any guy who values clothes that are “so in right now”, but to describe this jacket in those terms is to sell it rather short. Cut from a material that only gets better with age, this is something you’ll find yourself coming back to season after season. And it hardly needs dressing up. Just follow this gentleman’s lead and keep the rest of your outfit as simple as possible, using white to provide a little contrast to the deep caramel colour.

An evolution of the original, belted polo coat worn by polo players in the 1920s, the double-breasted camel overcoat is an essential for any man who values classic style and who wishes to lay claim to a complete wardrobe. It’s best worn over a suit and tie, as shown here. The finishing touches – artfully arranged pocket square, tortoiseshell sunglasses – are key to channelling that flamboyant, self-assured look that is now so indelibly associated with the street-style scene at Florence’s Pitti Uomo trade fair.

When dressing head to toe in a single colour, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first is to try to work with a variety of different textures. There’s a lot going on in this picture from that perspective: the softness of the crew-neck sweater, the rougher – and slightly darker – wool of the trousers and the bobbled texture of the overcoat. The other thing to remember is to break up the colour a bit, and the easiest way to do this is with a plain white T-shirt. It’s not just a case of buying any old T-shirt, though. You’ll need one that is slightly long in the body and with a high neckline, so it remains visible from under your sweater.

Camels come in all sorts of varieties. The animals can have one hump or two, the cigarettes can be regular, light or menthol, and the coats can be any number of subtly varying shades. This gentleman has thrown several of them together in one look, to harmonious effect: the rich orange-brown of his overcoat, the reddish ochre of his leather gloves, the sandy beige of his chinos and the pinkish tan of his scarf. While it looks rather bold, this is a low-risk style move. The colours are all from the same earthy palette, so there’s little chance of them clashing. Also note the way he’s worked with a variety of textures: leather, cashmere, wool and cotton twill.

This overcoat, worn by the Milanese fashion consultant Mr Alessandro Squarzi, caused a bit of a debate in the MR PORTER offices. Is it camel? Caramel? Cadbury’s Dairy Milk? One thing we could all agree on was that the ever stylish Mr Squarzi wears it exceptionally well. It’s generously proportioned, but not to the point of drowning him in fabric. The contrast provided by the cream sweater brings out the richness of the coat’s colour, and the faded blue denim gives the look an easy everyman appeal. Bonus points for the silk scarf tucked neatly underneath his sweater.

You might think that the natural partner to this camel coat is a scarf in burgundy, or perhaps in navy blue, and while you wouldn’t be wrong – the colours certainly go well together – you’d be missing a great opportunity to subvert the normal rules of style. By choosing accessories in the same shade as his coat, this gentleman has taken what is usually a supporting colour and turned it into a statement. The details, as usual, add a lot here. A hint of gold watch, or the fingers of a pair of suede gloves emerging from the breast pocket, all contribute to what is a very well put-together look.