Remember all that color wheel mumbo jumbo your elementary school art teacher forced you to memorize? Yeah, neither do we. But as we’ve grown into fashion-forward young ladies, we’ve definitely realized there are just some colors that shouldn’t be mixed together. That being said, we are prone to breaking the so-called rules of fashion. So we’ve put together 5 outfits below using some of the trickiest color combos. Prepare to pull off these controversial pairings with ease.
1. Blue + orange
Worn together, bright blues and oranges have a tendency to be jarring. That’s why you should stick with rust tints and dark blue/navy hues if you want to make these two match up. We added a navy blazer to this dark blue gingham button-down and pumpkin-y midi skirt. Finish off your ensemble with appropriately luxe accessories—a gold watch and leopard flats, in this case.
2. Red + green
Is it Christmas already? Not quite. But there are ways to wear this combo without looking like one of Santa’s elves. A deep maroon turtleneck and jewel-toned skinny jeans shake off the holiday connotations brought forth by brighter reds and greens. Nude accessories accent this outfit without overwhelming the already vivacious color palette.
3. Brown + black
We’ve all heard this rule: you can’t mix brown and black! Well, you don’t know what you’re missing because these neutrals actually look great together. We like to pair our camel and cognac browns—rather than warmer chocolate shades—with black on the regular. Throw a fuzzy sweater on with your fave black leggings and sneaks if you’re willing to take the risk.
4. Yellow + pretty much any other color
Think back to a time when you wore yellow. What other colors did you pair it with? Likely black, gray or white, right? That’s because yellow is virtually impossible to wear with non-neutrals. Walking a fine line, we put this bright yellow sweatshirt with denim jeans and purple—erring more so on the side of magenta than grape—accessories. You might have to get used to it, but you definitely won’t look like a bumblebee.
5. Monochromatic
As strange as it sounds, monochromatic outfits are kind of controversial. Wearing just one color is a process, but it leads to amazingly sleek and sophisticated results. We went with a simple blush dress and let the accessories do the talking here. Sure, it’s a bit Elle Woods, but whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed.
How would you style these tricky color combos, collegiettes?