4 Uplifting Color Pairings to Add to Your Styling Playbook

Ever since Ingrid Fetell Lee taught us that color can elicit joy, we’ve been thinking about what it would look like to leverage that notion stylewise. Adding a bright sweater to your regular rotation of neutral staples is a good place to start—but how do you style multiple colors in one look in a way that feels considered? Ahead, a few combinations that make us—and, hopefully, you—happy.

For a high-impact outfit that turns heads, try pairing two complementary colors. Here, a cobalt-blue shirtdress provides a striking backdrop for gold jewelry and makes that cabana-stripe tote seem even sunnier in comparison.

The Barbie press tour might be over, but bright pink remains just as relevant as ever. The key to pulling it off? Don’t make it compete. This G. Label skirt is particularly striking styled with a neutral top and metallic accents, like an asymmetrical shoulder bag and mesh flats.

Some might assume that a bright, busy dress like this one requires every other part of the look—makeup, bag, shoes—to be neutral. Not the case. Red and orange are tertiary colors, so adding a bold lip and heels creates even more visual harmony.

Turning the saturation up (to a rich, jewel-toned red) or down (to a demure petal pink) on a single color yields a cohesive look that doesn’t feel one-note. This strategy works across the color wheel, so if you’re not into brights, try playing around with more muted pairings, like navy and light blue or sand and ochre.