For black-and-white portraits, tonal contrast matters more than the actual color. Since digital cameras capture color first, the final brightness of clothing in B&W depends largely on how you convert the image. With most converters, different color channels can be adjusted, so distinct colors can often be made lighter or darker as needed.

Clothing colors that are clearly separate from skin tone are usually easier to control. Blue and green can be helpful because they are separate from typical skin-tone ranges and often have their own adjustment sliders in B&W conversion. A shirt that ends up slightly darker than the subject’s skin can help the face stand out.

Patterns are usually the bigger concern. In portraits, plain clothing is often preferred because strong patterns can distract from the subject. Simple, non-busy fabrics tend to work best.

So, for B&W portraits: prioritize tonal separation from skin, choose colors you can manipulate cleanly in conversion, and avoid distracting patterns unless they are intentionally part of the look.