stylish woman with boots and hand bag

Red and Yellow, and pink and green, purple and orange and blue – I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, I can sing a rainbow too. . . but can you wear one?

Whether or not you knew the song reference, you do know that you want to wear more colors, even if you start out with neutrals.

There’s nothing wrong with neutral outfits, just ask the French. They’re known for their fashionable neutral simplicity.

Ready to learn more about making your closet work for you? Read below.

What are Neutral Colors?

Neutral colors are base tones. You think about the most common colors found in nature. Sure, nature has some really bright colors, but they’re not the ones you see consistently, year round.

Neutrals are. The classic neutrals include

  • Beige (sand, stone)
  • Brown (trees, dirt, leaves)
  • Blues (ocean, water, sky)
  • Black (darkness)
  • Grey (stones, rain clouds)
  • White (clouds, bright light, cotton)

Some people would argue that you need to include greens, for plants, and oranges/reds for clay soil and rocks. That’s not incorrect, but they’re not the six basic colors.

If you want to include greens and orangey/reds, you need to choose natural tones with low saturation. For example, terracotta could be considered a neutral, but neon orange would not.

The general rule about wearing neutrals is that you can combine them, but not everyone matches perfectly to another.

That’s where we get into warm/cool color groups.

Warm vs. Cool Neutral Colors

Think back to the color wheel that was on the wall of your elementary school art room. What are the three primary colors?

Red, yellow, and blue. To understand warm vs cool colors, you need to think about tones of red and blue.

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If you want to think of it in terms of actual warmth/cold, consider fire and water. Fire is hot and red/orange, while water is cold or at least neutral, and usually blue.

What makes a color warm/cool is the amount of red or blue pigment it has in it. Grey, for example, has blue in it, but not red. That makes grey a cool color.

Brown has more red than blue, which is how it gets its earthy tone. It’s a warm color.

White and black are considered true neutrals, but if you want to get picky about it, they’re on the cooler side.

If you plan on mixing neutrals, stick with combining cool colors with cool colors, and warm with warm. That will keep you on the right fashion path.

Does It Matter Which Warmth I Wear?

Yes and no. On the one hand, colors are just colors, and you should wear whatever makes you happy.

But on the other hand, there are physical attributes about your skin that decide which colors you look best in.

To figure out if you should wear more warm or cool colors, take a look at the inside of your wrist, in bright natural light.

If the veins under your skin appear blue to you – then you’re a cool color person. If you’re very pale, they may appear close to purple – which means the same thing.

If they appear green that means you have more yellow in your skin and should stick to warm colors.

Just as a biological reminder, your blood is blue when it’s unoxygenated, so that’s the reason it looks that way under your skin.

If you can’t make a decision one way or another in natural light, try a different light. If it keeps going back and forth, you may have neutral tones – which is rare, but lucky. If your skin is truly neutral, you can wear whatever you want.

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In fact, your skin will appear cooler when you wear cool tones and warmer when you wear warm ones. You’re like a fashion chameleon.

Skin Tones and Jewelry

Did you know that your skin tone can determine what your favorite metal of jewelry is? Or at least, it can determine which looks better on you.

Since gold has a strong yellow base, it’s a warm color. It looks better on warm skin tones. Silver has more blue in it, so it’s a cool tone.

You can obviously wear whichever metal you want, but if you’re looking for something (like a noticeable necklace) that’s going to frame your face, try going with your color tone.

Things like nato style watches don’t matter as much since they’re not up against your face.

Tones and Makeup

Your skin color tone will even determine your makeup color. You want something labeled “cool” for cool tones, and “warm” for warm tones. It’ll keep you from looking washed out, and match your skin more naturally.

Creating Neutral Outfits

Now that you know which neutral tones look better on you, let’s talk about how to put them together. There are three main neutral outfit combinations.

You have the

  • All neutrals
  • All neutral with accent color
  • Crazy colors with a calming neutral

All neutral outfits, as they sound, are a mix of the neutrals that look good together (warm or cool tones). Some people are vehemently against mixing brown and black, but since black is neutral, that’s your personal decision.

Either color tone can use white in their outfits, but warmer colors look better in off-white tones, that have yellow bases. Aim for creams instead of bright, printer paper white, and you’ll get a nice glow.

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Accent Color Outfit

An accent color outfit is one that’s almost all neutral, but has one piece that “pops” you could wear a brown blouse and brown boots, but have a bright red skirt. When you combine neutrals and one accent, you get a low-key look, that’s still the best of both (color and neutral) worlds.

Crazy Colors/Calming Neutral

Finally, if you want to wear something wild but are a little scared by the technicolor of it all, throw on a neutral layering piece. This could be a cardigan or a jacket, or even a pair of shoes.

The neutral will play down the colors of your outfit, but you’ll still be able to show your wild side.

If you’re color-shy but want to work it into your wardrobe, go for bright versions of neutrals (like royal blue) or jewel tones. They’re still earth-based, but they’re a step towards more color and patterns.

Neutral Outfits in Any Season

Once you’ve figured out how to put together neutral outfits, it doesn’t matter what it’s like outside or where you’re going. You have the pieces and the related colors, you just need to combine them in a reasonable way.

Whatever you wear, even if you’re not quite sure about it, wear it loud and proud. Confidence is the #1 thing that makes an outfit work, period.

Think you’ve mastered the neutral mixing and are ready to add patterns? Get your boho on, here.