Dressing for work doesn’t mean that you have to wear the typical muted color palette that comes to mind when you think corporate environment. Enter one of my favorite trends: color blocking. Color blocking is simply when you wear multiple solid colors together in an outfit. You start with two colors, typically in shades that are bold and bright. You can build upon that and add more color with your accessories. Check out two looks I recently wore to work. The first is combining bluish/teal with fuscia. Those colors are very bright (the picture tones it down a bit) so I chose to keep the accessories neutral. The second look is bringing together cobalt blue and black. The black is an easy way to cheat on this look because black goes well with so many colors. I chose to add more dimension to my outfit by wearing a geometric black and white blouse. (Geometrics – another one of my favorite trends!) Now that you have an idea of what you can do with color blocking, while keeping it professional, you should give it a try. There are so many color combinations you can do – many that you would think clash but in reality look great and so stylish. Orange & pink, purple & pink, purple & red, purple & green, the list is endless. The trick is to stay within the same color-type. A burnt orange and a baby pink won’t work, but if they are both bright, then it looks great. Here are color-type suggestions:
- Bold
- Primary colors
- Bright neons
- Pastels
Go into your closet and play around with what you have. You may be able to create a couple of new outfits you wouldn’t have considered.
Sometimes its the two colors you don’t think go together that create the interesting color blocking look. Shirt & Skirt: Banana Republic, Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft, Shoes: Cole Hahn
Black is an easy add to any other color to create an office appropriate colorblocking look.
Add a pattern to create more dimension. Blazer: Theory, Shirt: Banana Republic, Skirt: Ann Taylor Loft, Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft, Shoes: Isaac Mizrahi
Hi, great tips, and I like the second outfit with the blue skirt in particular. I inserted a back-link to this article in my last blog post. Feel free to ckeck it out! It’s in French so I tell you a few words about the topic: it’s about how to incorporate some colorful pieces to your business wardrobe. Looking forward to reading more from you!
Deadlines&Dresses