If my blog has given you the confidence to accessorize and add more color to your wardrobe, today, I want to raise the bar a little by talking about how to accessorize with two colors in one outfit. While I have certainly given plenty of examples of looks using multiple accessories colors in the past, I have never done an actual post with my tips on how to do it.
There certainly are many ways to wear more than one colorful accessory in an outfit. There really aren’t any specific formulas, and often it is just a matter of instinct and trial and error. However, going about it this way can be overwhelming to figure out. Therefore, today, what I am going to give are some neat little tips and tricks, that always work for me, to get you started. As they say, you have to crawl before you can walk. As you develop the confidence to wear more colorful accessories with these tips, my guess is that you’ll be able to evolve further and get even more creative in time.
How to Accessorize with Two Colors in One Outfit
Below are five different looks, along with five very easy accessorizing strategies, you can consider the next time you get dressed.
Tip #1- Use green
As I always say, “when in doubt, go green.” Green is undoubtedly the easiest accessorizing color to work with. If you are looking to wear multiple colors in your accessories, have one of the pieces be green and notice how any color you pair with it as a second shade works.
Here, for example, I am accessorizing this black casual Athleta dress and taupe oxfords from Modcloth with a pair of green earrings. I chose to add purple as the secondary accessory shade, using this Michael Kors crossbody bag and lilac Pashmina scarf from Nordstrom. If purple just isn’t your color, don’t worry, it really doesn’t matter what that second color is, it will work with green. Swap out the purple for shades of blue, orange, yellow, pink, and so on. It will work. Green is that easy fail-safe shade that will add interest to an outfit while allowing you to pop in another color.
Tip #2 – Use yellow
If you don’t like green, try yellow as one of your two accessories shades in your outfits. Rarely is yellow a favorite color by many to wear. Few like it and most can’t stand it anywhere near their face. However, as an pop accessory color a lot of people like using it because it doesn’t need to be worn anywhere near the face. In addition to this, it’s also an accessorizing shade that can get a lot of use because it is so versatile, just like green is.
In this outfit, you can see that the yellow handbag from Macy’s complements the burgundy peep-toe booties from Modcloth. However, again, like green, yellow is so versatile that you could swap out the burgundy booties with any color, including, but not limited to, cobalt, green, teal, purple, orange, and more. What also works about this outfit is the accessories get to shine off a sleek outfit consisting of this Karen Millen top, a pair of J. Crew jeans and simple black earrings from Max & Chloe.
Tip #3- Use teal
There are two outfits here because there are two tips I want to share. The first is to use shades of teal as another very universal color to work with. While this particular handbag by Marc Marc Jacobs definitely sits on the bluer and less yellow side of the teal spectrum, generally speaking, teal is another shade that can complement any other accessorizing shade you are working with. Like yellow and green, teal works beautifully with most colors, like pink, purple, green, yellow, burgundy, orange and more.
My next tip for adding two accessory colors to one look is to use prints as a guide for color combining. The prints can be in an entire outfit or with something as simple as a scarf, like how this scarf from Vince Camuto has pops of orange and blue in it. With the scarf, I added the orange belt to the white Reiss shirt, the grey pencil skirt from J. Crew and nude Jessica Simpson pumps. The outfit is finished with simple blue studs from Kate Spade.
In the outfit on the right you can see that the scarf isn’t mandatory when working with colors like teal. Even without the scarf the teal and orange still harmonize beautifully.
Tip #3- Use colorful accessories
In addition to there just being very versatile pop colors that complement a variety of other shades, another tip is to use colorful jewelry and use the colors found in that piece to determine the accessory colors you want to further add. Think of the colorful jewelry as the binding piece that connects the other shades.
An example of this is this tip, using a navy Modcloth popover blouse and white Boden jeans, I added this Stella & Dot necklace that has both shades of pink and blue in it. From there I added the blue ballerina flats from Lauren Ralph Lauren and pink Big Buddha tote. The outfit is finished with a simple gold bangle from Banana Republic.
Tip #5- Accessorizing colorful outfits
In all the outfits so far I have styled the looks using very neutral clothing pieces. However, with the warmer weather approaching you will probably be wearing more color. Adding multiple accessory colors to colorful clothing can be a tricky balance in order to not look like a clown. My very easy tip to keep this from happening is to look for one piece within your accessories that have multiple colors, one of those colors being a shade from the clothing you are wearing.
Take, for example, this coral wrap dress. To create cohesion, I added this Bauble Bar necklace that also has coral in it. What the necklace also has is shades of green and yellow. Through this necklace, similar to the outfit prior, I was able to introduce green and yellow to finish the look using a green Coach handbag and yellow Nine West flats. Keep in mind you are not limited to this strategy with jewelry. You can use this tip with shoes in multiple colors, handbags, scarves, and more. All you have to seek out is a shade in the accessory piece that shows up in the clothing you are wearing to create the connection.
As I said, there are plenty of ways to wear multiple colors when you accessorize, however, for the sake of ease and getting started, I think these are some great starting points, that even I use all the time, to add some fun color and interest to your looks.
