Be Fearless with Clothing Color Combinations for Winter

Fashionable clothing color combinations aren’t usually seen in the fall and winter. They usually means “frump city” with browns, grays, navies, plums, and a plethora of black. Every September through February, we strap on the seriousness by sliding all those colorful dresses and summer silks to the back of the closet. Not this year… and especially, not for the holidays.

We know you probably have the same skirts, sweaters, tops, and pants that are “holiday picture ready” year after year, and I’m willing to bet some, if not all, are red and green.

This season, every color is everywhere. Pastels, pinks, blues, and yellows – a whole palette of unheard-of shades for winter weather. Some surprising clothing color combinations include coral with Dijon-mustard, turquoise with cobalt blue, and raspberry with stop sign red.

From belts to bags, shoes to shirts, resistance is futile. The right clothing color combinations update you and your wardrobe in a snap and here’s how.

When “THAT’S an interesting choice” becomes a compliment

This season, some designers might have gone a little far in the so-wrong-it’s-right kinda’ way. Pinky taupe with mustard and yellow, cobalt and orange, and lavender and leaf green? Whoa! Once your eye, that was looking for the typical chocolate brown, the burgundy, and the forest green colors that appear every September, grows accustomed to mint green and violet (and it finally will the 10th time you walk into Neiman’s), your beloved black will seem a bit dated, old, and sad. Which leads to the understanding that…

Not All Neutrals Are Equal

There’s more to camel than meets the eye. It ranges from a creamy coffee color to the subtlest of pinky taupes. Think pink starts with Easter? Not this year as powdery pinks are a gorgeous way to break up navy or black. But why stop there? If gray is your be-all-and-end-all, try silver for a change which also happens to look great with camel. The freshest neutral, however, is khaki, which works with just about everything. The lesson this fall is to switch up your dressing game and treat neutrals as a color and color as neutrals.

Clothing Color Combinations: Shades of the 70s

You know it well. You lived it as a teen or young adult… Mustard, ochre, brown, orange, and avocado green were splashed all over this fall season’s runways. But, if you’re scarred by flashbacks of raking the carpet in your childhood bedroom, you might want to avoid adopting the full-on 70s palette. However, brown is always the perfect option for boots and bags, allowing the warmth of the details to shine more than black does. Browns make perfect coats and trenches, too. Especially when paired with a red scarf or bag, while ochre offers an edgier alternative.

Head-to-Toe Color

That aqua-green coat-and-bag combination might look captivating on 6-foot models, but you and I both know this really works only on runways, and possibly, Dancing With the Stars. But, that doesn’t mean you have to skip this idea. By the time we’re “women of a certain age,” there’s plenty of navy, gray, brown, camel, and black in our closets. Break out of your “uniform” and pick any other color. Start by pairing a top and a bottom in that same color – it’s both elongating and slimming – then layer on the color with your accessories. Want to go for lilac? Work it in unexpected ways like shoes, belts, bags, and big statement jewelry.

That ICK Factor

Your whole life you’ve known for certain that red and pink clashed, and that peach and mint were for the “retired to Florida” set. This season, you’re not so sure. When in doubt, or perplexed about a shade that should look good on you but doesn’t, consider the material it’s made from. Cashmere, velvet, chiffon, and duchesse satin add subtle depth and warmth to paler tones that might wash out your face. Conversely, rich leather and heavy brocade can make even the sweetest pastels look alluring. Today’s clothing color combinations untamed can re-energize far more than just your style.

Is all this making you mourn for black?

It will never be entirely over for black, even though midnight and navy are giving it a run for its money. Today, there’s a clothing clash in our color combinations, and so, enter the riches eggplants, luscious fuchsias, and bottle greens to the competition. A sophisticated sapphire lace dress is as sexy as black, less obvious than red, and more opulent and surprising than either of them.

Here’s how to SHOP the Looks…