There's something about cold-weather dressing that makes us immediately want to retreat to the sanctuary of neutral colours. Black, white and beige are fail-safes after all (and anything that saves us time getting ready in the morning means more time in a cosy bed), but spring is finally upon us, and there's a strong case to be made for refreshing your wardrobe with some colourful brights.
I have always loved experimenting with colour, and although I don't own a little black dress, I do have a red one, a silver one, a yellow one and a camel one that I find just as versatile. I find mood-boosting hues can really put the fun back into dressing up. This season, it would appear designers agree, as along with the frills and florals we expect on the runways in time for spring, there was also a lot of vibrant colour. After the year that gave us Barbie pink and hot red, it's time to explore the rest of what the spectrum has to offer. But, I hear you ask, how do we know which colours to pair with each other? We’re still taught that "red and green should never be seen” and that pink and red clash. Oh, and if anyone knows what is meant by "you can’t wear white after Labor Day,” please let me know.
In order to take the guesswork out of getting ready, and to provide you with some new-season inspo, I searched through the spring/summer collections for the exciting new fashion colour combinations for 2023 that you can easily shop now, and have tried on all of my favourites to test their wearability. So get ready for brights, pastels and unexpected pairings that just might make you think twice before you put together another all-black outfit.
1. ORANGE AND CAMEL
Style Notes: It just wouldn't feel like the beginning of spring/summer without a punchy citrus bright, and this year undoubtedly belongs to orange. Green and yellow will play a strong role (more on that later), but when it comes to the best vibrant shade to announce the start of the sunny season ahead, orange reigns supreme, appearing in no less than 130 S/S 23 shows. But what exactly do you wear with orange? An obvious pairing would be black (after all, we wear black with everything), but according to the runway, the best way to lift such a bold colour is with a soft neutral like camel. The results are a surprisingly understated, polished combo that is perfect for the office and an easy intro to colour for monochrome lovers.
SHOP ORANGE AND CAMEL:
Knitted vests are a staple in my transitional wardrobe.
Perfect with boots now and sandals in summer.
The full suit is amazing, but if head-to-toe orange isn't your thing, break up into separates and wear with a camel jumper.
The kind of investment buy you'll wear for years to come.
2. ORANGE AND WHITE
Style Notes: When I said that orange was everywhere, I meant it, and a high-summer alternative to the orange/camel combo is warm cream and bright white. This fresher palette will come into its own during the hottest months when dark colours feel too heavy, but the easiest way to wear it now is simply swapping out black accessories for white.
SHOP ORANGE AND WHITE:
Easily the best maxi dress on the high street right now.
A cooler alternative to classic black.
Brighten grey days with a dose of zesty orange.
Fashion insiders have spoken, and they're moving on to barrel jeans. You heard it here first.
3. YELLOW AND SAGE GREEN
Style Notes: If you watched the Dries Van Noten runway show or just follow Tracee Ellis Ross on Instagram, you will have already seen this dreamy colour pairing and likely not forgotten it. My first thoughts are just how smart and refined sage green makes buttery yellow look, and if you're used to relying on a white shirt and black trousers, look no further for the spring alternative. If you're thinking that finding green anything will prove difficult, trust me—even the high street is catering to the many shades of spring greens that will be coming your way in the next few months, and if sage isn't available, take pointers from Tibi's dark teal and yellow and Coach's forest green and mustard.
SHOP YELLOW AND SAGE GREEN:
A surprisingly versatile, easy-to-wear shirt that's far more interesting than white.
Relaxed tailoring, the perfect shade of sage green, and they're sustainable? These tick every box.
How cute would this mini look with a pair of trainers?
The only blazer you need in your wardrobe.
4. GREEN AND PURPLE
Style Notes: And so we come to a bright shade of apple green, notoriously one of the "trickier" colours to style in this list. After Daniel Lee came up with the "Bottega green" that covered everything from bags to boot soles in 2021, I immediately rushed out and bought a zingy bright-green shirt, panicked, and ended up only wearing it with blue jeans and black boots. That is, until now. Green and purple might not seem like an obvious choice, but on closer inspection, it does make sense. Elie Saab's floral corsages are a reminder of how good lavender and green look, and if we introduce burgundy as a dark, slightly redder hued shade of purple, it helps to ground such a statement, acid colour, making it feel dressier and little more grown-up.
SHOP GREEN AND PURPLE:
This dress would be perfect for a spring wedding, but can also be easily dressed down.
I'm so glad Arket brought out its bestselling buckle bag in this pretty purple shade.
Sure, you can pair it with denim, but you can also wear with matching trousers to make the strongest statement.
Check off moss green, lime, and purple all in one chic knit.
5. YELLOW AND GREY
Style Notes: If you're determined to avoid going back to black at all costs, grey is the next best thing for smartening up paintbox brights, and as it turns out, grey and canary yellow is one of the dominant fashion colour combinations for 2023. While Burberry opted for light, pearl greys to keep its palette fresh and seasonal, I find charcoal grey just as striking, and the contrast helps to make the yellow the star of the show. As we've all got a pair of grey trousers in our wardrobes somewhere, just flip the look on its head and pair with a yellow knit or bright, sunshine accessories.
SHOP YELLOW AND GREY:
Cosy, understated cool.
The epitome of dopamine dressing.
The perfect slouchy puddle pants to wear with sneakers.
An It bag in the year's newest It colour.
6. PINK AND BROWN
Style Notes: Yes, that's right. It's sticking around for another season, and try as I might to fight against it, I have given in to the power of pink. Although last year's Barbiecore phenomenon was a heady mashup of fuchsia, Y2K maximalism and the hyper-feminine, this year pink has toned down and dressed up, and deep, chocolate brown is the perfect companion to sugary sweet pink's new look. I love brown tailoring (see Peter Do's supersized suiting as the perfect example), and an unexpected pop of pink adds the dose of fun the look needs to make sure it doesn't take itself too seriously. If you still find incorporating Pepto Bismol pink into your wardrobe a bit of a stretch, my favourite look from the Tod's collection was a refined, blush maxi dress with a cocoa brown car coat, proof that pink's range is more versatile than you might think.
SHOP PINK AND BROWN:
A wear-with-everything knit that you'll never regret adding to your basket.
The ideal pop of candy pink.
Get ready; it's nearly trench-coat season.
If anything could persuade you to try pink, it's got to be this high-necked dress.
7. PINK AND RED
Style Notes: It's only fitting that a pairing between 2022's biggest colours would happen in 2023, and indeed mixing pink with red is having a moment. From cherry reds and magenta to deep scarlets and bubblegum, what was once considered a fashion faux pas is now the look du jour, and honestly, it feels near on impossible to be under the weather in a look this bright. From Del Core's rainbow runway to Janka Polliani's red suit and pink corsage pairing, all signs tell us that this might combination be the bold new evening look we didn't know we needed. Sorry, LBD.
SHOP PINK AND RED:
A strong case for the takeover of the LRD.
Looking for party/wedding guest/event shoes that are a guaranteed talking point? You just found them.
Bottega looks good in any colour.
Omnes just made colour-clash styling that much easier.
This story was originally published at an earlier time and has since been updated.
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