Age doesn't matter.

How to Brighten Your Outfit and Your Day with Color

May 29, 2020 / / 6 comments
When you don’t have many occasions to dress for and your days are mostly casual, color can give your outfits variety, keeping them interesting and lively. Age doesn’t matter. All you have to do is choose your favorite colors that look good on you.  That’s an easy way to brighten your outfit and your day — with color!
Every season, I like to see what colors are trending by checking out the Pantone Institute’s color report. Pantone distills the colors most seen on the runways at the designer shows, makes a list of them and interprets the moods that the colors elicit.
Pantone gives the trending colors their own names and specific shades. That’s helpful if you’re shopping and want to look for the shades of the moment. You can see the exact shades of their Spring/Summer 2020 colors HERE.
But I think it makes it much easier to put together outfits out of what we have to just think of the trending colors in general terms. So I looked at the Pantone colors for Spring and Summer 2020 and listed them below using the names we usually call them by.
Spring summer colors blue Etsy
Pantone Classic Blue poster from WhiteWallStudios at Etsy
And the classic blue in this spring/summer 2020 palette is Pantone’s named color of the year. So besides being a basic classic color that never goes out of style, this color is still going to keep you looking modern throughout the rest of this year — a good buy if you don’t already have it!

Here’s how to brighten your outfit and your day with color:

Following are the season’s trending colors and ways to combine them.

Spring summer colors red Eloquii
Drama Sleeve Blouse from Eloquiibrightens your outfit and your day

Bright Red

Red goes with:

  • black
  • white
  • gray
  • beige
  • blue
  • purple or lilac
  • pink
  • orange
  • caramel
  • brown
  • green such as khaki or olive
  • other shades of red
  • gold
Spring summer colors orange SS
Roma Ribbed Tee from Sort Surroundings

Orange

Try combining it with:

  • Other shades of orange
  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Olive
  • Merlot
  • Purple
  • Lavender
  • Teal
  • Green
  • Classic blue or cobalt
  • Neutrals such as black, white, brown or beige
Spring summer colors saffron outfit SS
Carmelina Tunic in saffron (orange-yellow) from Soft Surroundings with chocolate brown skinnies

Orange-Yellow

Try it with:

  • browns and tans
  • orange
  • deep purple
  • burgundy
  • canary or soft yellow
  • blues (including bright blue and the three blues in the Pantone palette: faded denim, classic blue and navy blue.)

Soft Yellow

Shore Thing Stripe Kaftan from Free Peopleshows how you can brighten your outfit and your day with color

Yellow goes great with nearly every other color:

  • white
  • orange
  • green
  • pink
  • light purple
  • light blue, royal blue, navy blue
  • brown
  • gray
  • black
Geometric Tie-Dye Print Maxi Dress
Geometric Tie-Dye Print Maxi Dress from Chico’s

Classic Blue

It goes well with a variety of colors, especially:

  • bright whites
  • yellows
  • greens
  • orange
  • terra-cotta or cinnamon
  • soft pastels
  • other shades of blue
  • gray
  • copper and gold
Spring summer colors aqua SS
3/4 Sleeve Shapely Surplice Top from Soft Surroundings

Aqua Green

Try it with:

  • red
  • pink
  • lilac
  • aqua blue
  • orange-yellow (see above)
  • neutrals such as denim, navy, light taupe, gray, white, etc.
Spring summer colors olive Sundance
Aria Cardigan from Sundance 

Olive Green

Wear with:

  • different shades of green
  • orange-yellow (see above)
  • a deep pink
  • neutral colors.

Olive works as a neutral itself, so it can go with almost everything. For lots more ideas on what to pair with olive, see my post “What Colors Go Best With Olive for the Most Beautiful Outfits?” HERE.

Spring summer colors faded denim SS
Calissa Tee in Faded Denim from Soft Surroundings with white skinnies

Light Denim

Denim or chambray blue is a neutral that can actually go with any color you have! Some colors to combine it with are:

  • orange
  • maroon
  • wine
  • brown
  • tan
  • gray
  • cream or white
Spring summer colors teal Etsy
Harem Jumpsuit by BaliPrima at Etsy

Teal Blue

Wear with:

  • maroon
  • bright yellows
  • greens
  • light purples
  • dark blues
  • other shades of blue
  • white or cream
  • neutrals such as gray or black
  • silver, gold or bronze
Spring summer colors coral pink Johnny Was
Basic 3/4 Sleeve Tee from Johnny Waswill brighten up your outfit and your day

Coral Pink

Goes well with:

  • white
  • taupe
  • cognac
  • gray
  • black
  • teal and ivory
  • navy accessorized with metallics
  • gold, silver or bronze
Image For Embroidery-Trimmed Maxi Dress from JJill
Embroidery-Trimmed Maxi Dress in navy/cinnamon from J.Jill with a cinnamon coverup

Cinnamon

Pair it with:

  • burnt orange
  • maroon
  • red orange
  • chili pepper
  • white, off-white or cream
  • baby blue or navy blue
  • olive
Spring summer colors purple SS
Siesta Key Top from Soft Surroundings

Deep Purple

Wear it with:

  • other shades of purple such as lilac or eggplant
  • blue
  • teal
  • coral
  • shades of white

Neutrals

Neutrals are the basic backbone of your outfits and wardrobe because they go with just about everything. This season’s top neutral colors are listed below with a few color combination suggestions.

Ellie Embroidered Utility Pants from Anthropologiein tan

Khaki Tan

Looks great with:

  • white linen
  • chambray
  • turquoise
  • green
  • yellow
Verika Cropped Kimono from Anthropologie brightens up your outfit over a white top and  jeans

Navy Blue

Color Tip:  Combine navy with black. Wear your best color on top, next to your face.

It also pairs well with:

  • reds
  • orange
  • orange yellow
  • deep pink
  • fuschia
  • magenta
  • eggplant
  • periwinkle
  • light blues
  • pine green
  • olive green
  • gray
  • black
  • white
  • neons
  • and more!
Super Stretch Ankle Pants from Soft Surroundings with a kimono that will definitely brighten up your outfit and your day!

White

Of course, this color goes with everything. But it is especially good with:

  • blues such as navy and turquoise
  • red
  • black
Spring summer colors ash Sundance
Everyday Elegance Trousers in Ash Gray from Sundance

Gray

Blend gray with silver to get a metallic look. It also looks good with:

  • pastels
  • black and white
Spring summer colors coral-turq SS
Adalyn Dress from Soft Surroundings

Was this helpful to you in making your everyday outfits more interesting and your life a little brighter? Please let me know. Leave a reply below!

Like this post? You might also like to read “How to Look at Spring Colors in a Summery Kind of Way”. And you can find even more posts in my Color Series HERE.

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This post is linked up with Fabulous Fridays’ Link Party at Confessions of a Montreal Styling Diva by Lucy Bertoldi.

Related posts:

Style Tip of the Day: How to Use Certain Trending Colors Default ThumbnailColor Style Tips: How to Wear Shades of White Now and Into Fall Style Tip of the Day: Color Palette for Outstanding Southwestern Style

Color Combos, Color Series, Style Tips

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