Inspiration For Wearing Color

Thoughts on how to break out the more vibrant pieces sitting in your closet, and a case for trying out new colors (in small doses).

Ah color! I have heard fear in fitting rooms when broaching the subject. Many people are faced with the worry that they a) won’t get to wear it as much if its in a color  b) won’t know how to put together an outfit with that color or c) are afraid they look awful in that color! These fears are all things we have thought when looking at the option of buying something that comes in black, white or (insert something with pigment here), then with paralyzing fear have chosen black once again. Don’t worry, I am not going to shame any of you into buying something in color, because frankly we all don’t need every color of the rainbow in our wardrobes and we are not all maximalists.

The colors we do choose to like and wear are all very instinctive, it can be hard to explain why this one specific shade of green is your favorite- it just is! When wearing color or purchasing something in a more vibrant color, I think we have to be intuitive about it or it will never feel right. The biggest part of that regret can be buying something in a color that never felt like “you” in the first place. Sometimes that push to wear color is a shift in our psyche, whether it’s a subliminal marketing push (this year was “red”) or an emotional change. I know that during this time of year I start thinking about color way more, it could be the thought of spring approaching? It’s also that agonizing part of winter where you feel stuck and want to transform yourself a little bit and feel transformed. I even bought a book, “The Dictionary of Color”, take a deeper dive into color combinations and to feel a little more inspired with the colors I already have hanging in my closet.  

So for starters, I pulled out the colors I saw in my wardrobe and thought about how they play with neutrals. Off the bat I love to see how something looks styled with a crew neck t-shirt. A tried and true basic! I like to remind myself of the famous acronym KISS : keep it simple stupid (I say lovingly- it doesn’t need to be complicated or overdone!

The one I’m wearing, and current favorite, is this beefy gray tee from COS

Butter yellow pants with a gray t-shirt! Uncomplicated and it still feels like "me". The chocolate brown brings in a nice amount of contrast to the light shades of gray and yellow. I think if you did a denim or chambray top you could accomplish the same thing.

Side bar from the t-shirt, I love the dark navy and pale yellow

A combination from the "Dictionary of Color Combinations" . I like adding that warm brown belt to bring the silhouette together a little more!

Playing with my ultimate base outfit, a white tee and light wash jeans:

Remember: Keep it simple! I think that this can be a really great way to add color while keeping a really effortless look. Theres nothing too over-done or over-styled about the way I added color here.

and back to the gray t-shirt:

I got this skirt on sale from COS last year, I thought it seemed very 90's with the light sheer fabric. I love how the uber-vibrant blue looks with gray!

A ribbed tank always works too. You may start to see a small color palette growing here with the blue, gray, yellow and brown. Now that I know that all of these colors can play nice with this vibrant (cerulean?!) blue skirt, I have some easy go-to’s for styling it.

The red/orange purse with the blue was a bit of an intuitive pick, but if we’re trying to make sense of it, it does have a red, white, and blue palette that is a pretty classic combination of colors. The outfit silhouette is very reminiscent of this favorite from the Celine 2011 runway .. phoebe always creating something wearable and very chic. The bag is vintage but this one from Etsy would be a nice sub! I also love these little silk bags from A Bronze Age, and the Tory Burch petite version of the Lee Radziwill bag (here on Ebay), which would be a great “day-time version” of this purse.

This is "red, white, and blue" without being so literal. I once had a client who mentioned she loved this color combination but in different tones. I think these vibrant contrast look great and the white blouse is a good palette cleanser. This would be great with a pale blue and earthy red too.

I find that buying an accessory in an “of the moment” color can be a great way to test the waters with it: Do I really like this color on me or am I just seeing it everywhere? I personally love a neck scarf. I don’t know how it started, I might inspired by the collection of 60’s and 70’s fashion photos I have bookmarked, but I think they can be such a great solution to adding color to an outfit. Like this pink floral number, ohh or this quirky fruit print one, a sunny yellow and orange one, and if anything the liberty print anyway scarf from Ann Mashburn (as seen below) is a great cotton bandana-like option. (Disclaimer, I work at Ann Mashburn and these opinions about purchasing are strictly my own!)

Little scarves everywhere!

Another great bit of advice I heard when wearing color, is to remember that if colors can exist in nature together then they’ll complement each other in an outfit as well. In this case, it doesn't;t get more classic than green and brown:

A personal favorite, I really love the more froggy color green, it's just odd enough!

Another natural combination, the green (more subdued) and ivory and touch of yellow..

Keeping the light base and switching from the ivory skirt to the off-white jeans..

a slightly warmer color combination with the caramel brown and cherry red

Inspired from the "Dictionary of Color Combinations"

I think the biggest thing when styling color is to listen to your gut: does this feel like me? The whole process of picking colors you like can be very intuitive, who knows why I like pale yellow, I just do! We like what we like based on instinct, but when it comes to getting dressed it can be difficult to put our instinctive picks into an outfit, it’s why I wanted to talk about color. I hope you felt a little inspired to try new color combinations and if anything, style it with your t-shirt and jeans and go for it!

cheers xx

Taylor