With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I think most bloggers feel obligated to write about red. While I do feel a slight obligation, I find the typical Valentine's Day fashion posts to be trite. However, I do think Valentine's Day does offer an opportunity to talk about the color red in a way that can be of value long after the box of chocolates have been eaten and sexy lingerie has been worn.
How to wear red
I have already written a post on how to wear red in terms of how to choose the right shade of red and the best times to wear it. You can get caught up with that post here. I have also given advice on how to wear red shoes, how to wear red in fresh ways, and have certainly peppered in how to wear red advice in countless posts. This Valentine's Day, I have decided to talk about what colors to wear with red.
Five colors that go with red
It's hard not to be drawn to red. It's a color that grabs the attention, for better or for worse. While it's not true that red cars get more speeding tickets, red is a color that is not only attention grabbing, it's a shade that doesn't leave the eyes long after we have stopped looking at it and can actually effect how we see other colors after viewing red too long. Red is powerful, intense, bold, strong and a color that often provokes feelings of confidence in others. Therefore, it makes sense why many people are drawn to it.
But what to do with it once you get it home? Have you resorted to just wearing red with black? Have you been disappointed to find that the red pair of shoes or the bold red jacket just didn't get worn as much as you thought they would? Did you assume that red piece would easily add a pop to your wardrobe only to realize that it's much harder to work with? In today's post, I am have put together some outfits combining red to give you some colors to consider wearing with it.
Outfit #1- Red and camel
Red and camel combined is possibly my favorite way to wear red. I love the way camel softens the boldness of red and creates a more sophisticated way to wear the color. Typically, warmer shades of red work best with the yellow base of camel colors.
In the outfit above, I styled these red pants from Topshop with a camel sweater from Vince. I finished the outfit with a cognac crossbody bag from Madwell, a pair of leopard pumps from Calvin Klein and hoop earrings from Laura Lombardi.
Outfit #2- Red and olive
Red and olive is another favorite color combination of mine. Shades of olive includes army green and deep shades of yellow based olive drab tones. What you want to avoid are true green shades that will make the outfit look too Christmas-specific. Shades of olive allows you to wear red with green in a sophisticated way. I vividly remember a pair of olive pants that I wore with an ivory sweater and red shoes. The outfit was amazing.
In the outfit above, I styled this olive Banana Republic dress with a red blazer from J. Crew. I finished the look softly with a pair of nude suede pumps from Marc Fisher, an olive bag from Urban Originals and an additional pop of red in this pendant from Alex and Ani.
Outfit #3- Red and hot pink
Combining red with hot pink isn't for everyone and it takes some skill to get it right in a way where the shades don't clash. It also takes a certain personality type to wear a color combination this bold.
Shades of red that work with hot pink are typically blue-based as opposed to being warm or yellow based. Imagine a shade of red like a Coca-Cola label, if you will. To make the color combining easier, I started this outfit with a red and hot pink sweater from Madeleine Thompson. I styled the sweater with a pair of skinny jeans from Rag & Bone and a bright pink coat from J. Crew. I finished the look with silver loafer flats from AGL and red bag from Dooney & Bourke.
Bonus color combo: If you are looking for another color to wear with cool reds, try silver.
Outfit #4- Red and navy
Combining red and navy might seem like a no-brainer to some, but I have come to learn that I should never take for granted that everyone knows what others would consider obvious. There is a chance that someone somewhere has the perfect navy piece that would work with the red in their closet.
Personally, I love red with navy but, not to sound unpatriotic, I try to avoid wearing it any way that would make me look like a human American flag. This is always the risk when wearing red and navy. Of course, if dressing patriotically is your jam, that's fine.
I styled this red blouse from BOSS Hugo Boss with a navy wrap pencil skirt from Halogen. To give this look a soft finish, I added a pair of cognac pumps from Charles by Charles David and navy bag from Tory Burch and earrings from Ann Taylor.
Outfit #5- Red with orange
Another daring color combination that takes some skill is red and orange. Like with the pink and red pink combination, the undertone of red is important to consider. Unlike combining pink and red, the red combined with orange looks best when the red is warm or yellow based.
In the outfit above, I styled this red dress from BOSS Hugo Boss with a pair of orange block heel pumps from Marc Fisher and bag from Longchamp. I finished the outfit with a Fairchild Baldwin necklace in shades of orange.
Red with black is a worthy combination and one that can look chic, sophisticated and modern. However, if you are looking for alternative colors to wear with red, I hope these suggestions help you expand your wardrobe.
