For years, the prevailing wisdom held that if you wanted to look sophisticated, you needed to dress like an oligarch’s architect: navy, camel, cream and perhaps a whisper of burgundy if you were feeling particularly wild.
Then came dopamine dressing, which encouraged us all to embrace joy. Some interpreted that as permission to resemble a packet of Fruit Pastilles.
Happily, there is a middle ground.
Colour is back, but it has matured. The trick is not to wear every shade in the paint chart at once. Think less children’s television presenter, more Slim Aarons heroine on holiday.
Start Simple
The easiest route into colour is also the chicest: monochrome.
Head-to-toe tomato red feels bold rather than baffling, while sky blue from blouse to shoe has a wonderfully Riviera optimism about it. Monochrome dressing looks intentional, which is half the battle.
Once you’ve mastered that, try tonal dressing. Think Zimmermann’s rust suit with Gucci’s oxblood pussy-bow blouse and Bottega Veneta’s plum-hued hop bag. Similar shades, just enough contrast. No drama.
Embrace Unexpected Pairings
If neutrals are old faithful, complementary colours are their glamorous, slightly mischievous cousin.
Cornflower blue and tangerine are surprisingly wonderful together. Witness the Temperley lavender dress paired with Louis Vuitton’s vivid orange Alma bag and Christian Louboutin’s ruby-red pumps. Likewise, Gucci’s marigold floral dress becomes infinitely more interesting when teamed with emerald-green sandals and Balenciaga’s orchid-purple Clicca bag.
Tomato red and blossom pink may sound like a particularly optimistic bouquet, but Ralph Lauren Collection’s scarlet blazer worn with Gucci’s blush silk blouse and Erdem’s jade-green floral skirt somehow works beautifully.
But What About The Shoes?
This is where many people lose their nerve.
Fortunately, shoes are surprisingly accommodating. A classic red pump works with almost everything, from khaki and lilac to butter yellow and powder blue. Consider it the style equivalent of somebody who gets along with every guest at the dinner party.
Likewise, nude heels are almost impossible to argue with.
For the more adventurous, embrace the contrast. Orange sandals with pale blue trousers. Emerald shoes with sunshine yellow. Plum slingbacks with rust tailoring.
The key is confidence — and keeping the silhouettes themselves relatively classic.
