5 Easy Ways to Wear More Colorful Clothes Without Overhauling Your Entire Wardrobe

I’m amazed at my own ability to ignore trends, despite being a fashion editor. We've been seeing more and more colorful clothes on the runways, and yet I still haven't bought into the red trend. I know royal purple is going to miss me altogether, too. The truth is, I know what looks good on me, and what doesn’t, and usually color falls into the latter category. But, there’s been so much talk about color maxxing and whimsical dressing that even I'm feeling inspired to dip my toes in the dye. This summer, I purchased a few butter yellow tops—which would normally be out of character for me—but I must say, they add a certain elegance to my wardrobe that I hadn't expected.

It got me thinking about what other colorful clothes I can welcome into my fall rotation. And by color, I really do mean capital-C color beyond blue jeans and beige coats. I’m talking greens, reds, purples, and pinks—the kind of color spectrum that was all too present during the most recent fashion month. Where color might have felt like an add-on in previous seasons, this year it was front and center at shows like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Valentino, Altuzarra, and Celine. Somehow, they all made color look extremely natural, as though it’s completely common to dress in head-to-toe bright orange.

Forgive me if I’m not so brave. But I am trying, starting with this article. I’ve included style inspiration of little ways I'm wearing more color, even as a minimalist, that I hope you can use too. Below, a number of looks that don't steer too far from a black-and-white comfort zone.

Start with the accessories

Ease into wearing more color by choosing colorful accessories. Think triangle scarves instead of sweaters, or red socks instead of bright pants. They’re easier to add to an existing outfit and don’t serve as the focal point of your look. You can even tie a yellow bandana on your bag and call it a day!

Opt for colors that look good with black

I don’t care if it’s cheating. We’re taking baby steps, and that means choosing the colors that pair nicely with black. That’s blue, butter yellow, moss green, and burgundy, to name a few. You can wear a collared blue shirt underneath a black crewneck or drape a burgundy triangle scarf over your shoulders. Instead of a one-and-done red crewneck, opt for pieces that layer well, like button-downs and unbuttoned cardigans, so they don’t act like a single big color block.

Go the baby route

If royal purple and tomato red are too saturated for you, go the baby route. By that I mean baby blues, baby pinks, lilac, etc. They blend into your wardrobe much more seamlessly and don’t feel like they take up too much visual space. They’re also easier to style with other soft tones like beige, which you probably already own in your closet. If you go this route, then you can even get away with pairing different colors together and still look discreet, as demonstrated above.

Style them with beige and brown instead of black

Dial up the overall brightness of your look, and it’ll instantly become easier to wear more color. Plenty of our favorite shades style better with neutrals like white, cream, beige, and brown than black. Even blue jeans can serve as a calming backdrop to hues like orange and pink. Next time, buy a brown suede leather jacket instead of a glossy black one, or pick out a pair of taupe rather than black pants.

Wear complementary colors

When in doubt, involve science, and by science I mean color theory. Look at the color wheel and see which two colors sit diagonally across from one another, as they are bound to look good together. Green, for example, looks elegant with shades of red, including pink, burgundy, and orange. Then keep the rest of the outfit neutral so as to not go overboard.