Color me…colorful

Designers have been showing some pretty fantastic color combinations in the Pre-Fall collections–lots of deep turquoises, burnt oranges, and emerald greens. Even with my predilection for gray, I’ve been searching my closet for colorful pieces I might not normally put together.

Fendi, Jason Wu

The colors at Diane von Furstenburg made me swoon. Images via Style.com

The trick is to wear colors that are in the the same tonal range (how light or dark a color is based on how much gray is added), but not necessarily the same hue (no matchy-matchy). Though even that so-called rule can be broken.

Any of the colors in the same row will work well together because they’re the same tone.

The easy way

The easiest way to experiment with unexpected color combinations is to start with a deep, cool color like midnight blue, forest green, or dark purple, and add an item or two in a brighter, warm color in the same tone. I took inspiration from this simple look from Ports 1961 and really liked the way the colors worked together:

Sorry for the lack of facial expression–darn camera only let me take one picture before it ran out of batteries.

This would work with dark green pants and a fuschia blouse with gray gloves, a purple blouse with orange pants and beige gloves, or any number of combinations. Have fun and experiment!

Tips

>Stay away from pastels unless you actually want to look like an Easter egg. Deep jewel tones have the most impact.

>Beware of wearing bright, warm colors (ie fuschia and bright yellow) without a dark hue in the mix–it can look a little teen movie-ish. Ground the look with at least one piece in a darker color.

>If wearing multiple colors is too much for you, try wearing a bright color with a neutral flesh tone like peach, taupe, or caramel.