How to Work Radiant Orchid Into Your Work Wardrobe

Love it or hate it, Radiant Orchid is Pantone’s color of the year for 2014. What does this mean exactly? Well, simply stated, expect to see a lot of this color in the stores this coming spring. If you’re looking to get a head start on this color, tonight’s post in this series is all about how to work Radiant Orchid into your work wardrobe.

When I think of work colors a shade like Radiant Orchid is hardly a color that comes to mind. It’s soft, girly and slightly passive looking– not exactly adjectives used to describe a hard nosed professional woman. However, as a color to work with some of the more popular corporate colors Radiant Orchid can work beautifully if you know how to use it. For spring, expect to see a lot of dresses, skirts and prints using this color. Yet, for winter, when we tend to gravitate towards more neutral, somber shades, especially for work, I see this color more as an accent. Radiant Orchid is a color that can add femininity into your more corporate wardrobe.

Here are ways to work Radiant Orchid into your work wardrobe.

Radiant Orchid is a beautiful accent

Let’s look at the most typical corporate colors that most women wear, colors like black, grey, navy, olive and rich neutrals like plum and burgundy. As an accent Radiant Orchid works with all of them. Adding this color can be a great way to refresh what you already own.

Who can wear Radiant Orchid?

Radiant orchid is a muted purple shade that has a lot of red in it. Near the face, this is a color that works beautifully on people with softer, coloring, who would analyzed as a summer or look better in more hushed tones and pastels. However this does not mean that this color can’t be worn by people who don’t have this coloring. If you’re personal coloring is richer or deeper, for you, this color needs to be anchored by colors with more depth, richness and that are darker. For example, a Radiant Orchid blouse would look beautiful under a dark charcoal suit or black cardigan. If you find this is a color you like but find it just doesn’t suit your coloring, you can always keep it away from your face by wearing the color in a pair of shoes, handbag or belt.

Work outfits using Radiant Orchid

Here are some looks using Radiant Orchid to show how easy it can be to slip this color into what you already own.

Look #1

Seeing that Radiant Orchid is such a versatile pop color that complements any neutral shade, I chose to pop this basic J. Crew navy dress and gray Mango cardigan with a pair of Bandolino pumps in Radiant Orchid. The outfit is finished with a grey tote by Vince Camuto and colorful earrings by Robert Lee Morris.

Look #2

If Radiant Orchid isn’t your most flattering color to wear you can wear it as a print that also has more flattering colors for you to wear in it, like this leopard cardigan by Jones New York. Here I paired the sweater with a classic pair of Elie Tahari pants and finished the look with a pair of gray Modcloth shoes, a pair of gray Charlene K earrings and a Radiant Orchid handbag. Given all the ways Radiant Orchid works with other colors, imagine how many limitless uses a handbag like this would get.Look #3

What am I going to wear to work tomorrow? Look 3

If color combining is difficult for you, just look for styles that have the color combining already figured out for you. Black and Radiant Orchid is an obvious color combination and a dress like this one from Lord & Taylor does all the color combining for you, plus the dress is super slimming. To finish the look, all you need is a pair of black boots, like this pair from Ivanka Trump, a black handbag, like this Furla purse, and a pair of earrings and bracelet to be out the door on time and on trend.

How will I be wearing Radiant Orchid?

When I look at Radiant Orchid I see it strictly as an accent for me. During the colder months, I may enjoy the shade as a handbag, a belt or in a printed scarf. Yet, as I move into the warmer months of 2014, when we’ll really be seeing this color, I will definitely consider a summer dress in this shade.