It takes guts to wear red. The color isn't shy and if you prefer to drift through life relatively unnoticed, red probably isn't the best color for you. Red is also tricky in terms of what can be worn with it. Red and green can be too Christmasy, red and yellow sometimes looks like ketchup and mustard, red and navy is gorgeous together, but one bad move and you can quickly look like a sailor...or like the most patriotic person on earth, and the great debate of whether red and purple work together continues to rage on. There really is no right or wrong answer to that one. The fail safe when wearing red of to often pair it with black, but that can get real boring, real fast.
All that said, I decided to look at red and think about all the different ways it can be worn to give you some ideas to consider. The more we can expand our wardrobes the more value it has, so take a look at these ideas below.
Fresh Ways to Wear Red
Outfit #1- Red with chambray
Red and navy is classic and an alternative to this is wearing red with chambray, like I did here with this red blazer from J. Crew and chambray shirt from Madewell. For a smart casual weekend look, I added these skinny jeans, leopard flats, reversible cognac bag (cognac and red? Swoon!), bracelet from Elizabeth and James and drop earrings from Julie Vos.
Outfit #2- Red with blush
Do you have a red dress that you always wear with black? Or maybe you stepped out a bit and tried it with nude shoes. But have you ever considered blush and how tonally beautiful it would be with red? Here, I styled this red dress from Banana Republic with a pair of floral printed heels from Ivanka Trump, a blush bag from Calvin Klein and white bib necklace from Stella & Dot.
Outfit #3- Red with shades of blue
Beyond navy, you can wear just about any shade of blue with red. Here, for example, I styled these red pants from Boden with these printed flats from Modcloth, a soft blue top from J. Crew, mid-blue bag from Treasure & Bond and double hoop earrings from Lord & Taylor. By using a variety of blue shades the outfit looks less nautical and patriotic, should that be something you are trying to avoid.
Outfit #4- Red and olive
Red with most shades of green looks like Christmas, but red with olive works in a total unholiday-like way. I love the combination. Here, I styled these red loafers from Cole Haan with these skinny cargos from J. Crew. With it, I added this ivory tunic from Theory and finished the outfit with a filigree layered pendant from Nordstrom, cuff bracelet and suede handbag from Banana Republic.
Outfit #5- Red with prints
A few months ago, I wrote a post about how two colored prints can be treated like solids and styled with other colors. Using these black and grey printed pants from Banana Republic, I am showing, again, how two colored prints like this can be treated like a solid pair of neutral pants by styling it with this red tunic top from Chico's. The outfit is finished with black flats from Anthropologie, a grey bag from Coach and black statement necklace from Nakamol Design.
Of course, looking good in red is often determined by finding the right shade of red to wear. Learn more about how to wear red here.
