Sugar Blaze

Top Row: 1. Basura Bags; 2. Emilio Pucci; 3. Unidentified; 4. Betsey Johnson
Bottom Row: 5. Luichiny; 6. Royal Gem Collection; 7. Guess; 8. Lilly Pulitzer

There are some color combinations that are tried and true classics, such as navy with red, white with black, and brown with orange. We all know they work together, and they make getting dressed in a hurry a breeze. However, limiting yourself to a few simple combinations shuts you off from the world of fun there is to be had by mixing unconventionally. Ever uttered the phrase, “Wow, I wish I could pull that off,” after seeing a woman dressed in colors you’ve yet to brave wearing together? That woman is living it up, mixing and blending away, playing dress up in her own closet. I know, because I am her, and I’m going to show you how to rock a rainbow of colors, too.

First, an overview of your most basic options:

• Primary: This would be a blue, yellow, and red combination. It can be done in pure form, but you must take care not to look like a child’s Lego concoction. Subtler versions are easier to pull off and much more common.

• Complementary: These are the combinations you learned about in art class. You were paying attention, right? Colors that are opposite of one another on the color wheel are considered complementary. The basic complementary combinations are blue with orange, red with green, and yellow with violet. Beautiful things can happen when you use these as your starting point and move over just one color, as in the case of pink with green (born of red with green) or blue with red (born of blue with orange).

• Clashing: Most people get nervous venturing into this territory, but personally, I think it’s where many of the best combinations reside. Clashing combinations include violet with blue, blue with green, green with yellow, yellow with orange, orange with red (or pink), and, arguably, red with pink. (I say arguably because pink is technically a shade of red, although most people do consider them separate colors in their own right.) It’s the art of mixing a color with the one next to it in the rainbow.

• Monotone: This involves dressing in all one color, usually in various shades of it, although a select few can pull off an outfit that is entirely one shade of a specific color. Gradients often fit into this category (although some fall under clashing). I tend to explore possibilities in this arena less than I do in others, but when I do have a go at it, it’s usually with the color pink.

• Neutral: This involves dressing in white, gray, and/or black. Contrary to the way we typically use the term, shades of brown and beige are not considered neutral, because brown is an actual color. You’re most likely well aware of how to pair colors with white, gray, and black, so I’m not going to dive any further into this one.

Except in the case of monotone combos, it is usually best to keep pastels with pastels, bolds with bolds, and so forth. A neon top with a pastel bottom won’t work well, even if you mix it according to the color combination styles listed here.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to put knowledge into action. As I mentioned before, many of the best mixes are found with clashing color schemes. I’ve demonstrated a few for you here:

Whenever I find a color combo I’m particularly fond of, I make a point of incorporating that same combination in another order later, such as a green top and yellow bottom one day, a yellow top with a green bottom another day. During the winter months, I warm up thin tops with lightweight jackets, which gives me even more opportunity to play with color.

Inspiration for color mixes is everywhere you look, but to be honest, you often needn’t step outside of your closet to find it. While most people match multi-colored items with neutrals, those pieces are just begging you to have more fun with them. A pink and purple scarf longs for a pink and purple outfit, not a black one. Blue and yellow sandals wish to be worn with blue shorts and a yellow top far more than they wish to be worn with a white dress. By using your own clothing for inspiration, you will not only find wonderful new color combos to wear, but you’ll also find yourself wearing those multi-colored items a lot more than you did before. Too often they’re held captive in closets because their owners don’t know what to do with them. Free the multi-colored pieces, I say!