My mom used to tell me that when she was pregnant with me, there were three peculiar things that she noticed about her — 1.) she loved bright colors, 2) she kept her feet clean all the time, she would never go barefoot, and 3) she hated to take a shower.
When I grew up I am those three things. I love, love bright colors. I keep my feet clean all the time. (If you invite me to your home and ask me to remove my shoes by the door without giving me some house slippers to slip on, that´s a surefire way to make me uncomfortable in your home. But don´t worry, I always come with a pair of socks.)
And taking a shower is not my favorite thing to do. (I do take regular shower all in the name of hygiene. 😉
But yes, I LOVE vivid colors. Bright patterns and striking bold colors. I`m never the black and white girl, or someone who sticks with all-neutrals. But I do use neutrals such as white and nude to allow my colors to stand-out.
So I can never be that typical minimalist whose walls are bare of colored paintings, or whose wardrobe lacks larger-than-life bright patterns and colors. I really must have those touches of colors around my home and in my wardrobe. That also means finding ways to incorporate colors for my fall and winter wardrobe when black and dark colors are more convenient.
As always I find my creative inspirations from the runway. I don´t care much about trends but I`m a sucker for creativity. Here are the 11 ways to creatively inject bright colors to our fall wardrobe.
Table of Contents
1. The Bright Tonal
I`m not a fan of layering different pieces of the same color and going matchy-matchy from head-to-toe, it tend to be boring, but there are two things that will make me reconsider — 1) head-to-toe tonal will lengthen my petite silhouette and 2) I can inject pattern through the boots such as shown in the photo.
It especially strike me that animal print boots will make a huge difference in such an outfit. Since I adore animal print, this is a no-brainer.
Also, throwing together pieces in exactly the same color requires no time for deliberation. This should work in busy mornings.
2. The Blue Knit Skirt
Get the Look: Skirt (as seen on model) / Top / Shoes
I had a skirt similar to this blue knit midi the model is wearing, but during my move from Bangkok to Germany I couldn´t pack my entire wardrobe. I had to leave behind most of my clothes including that skirt. I gave it to my friend.
When all the dusts from my move had settled, I deeply regretted letting go of that skirt. It flattered my hips and derriere nicely and I got many a compliment every time I wore it, but most importantly, that skirt suits the weather here much better than in Bangkok.
I´ve bought a couple of knitted skirts here since my move but they´re inferior to that skirt I let go. Sigh!
I`m still on the hunt for the perfect one but this runway look really inspires me to find my perfect figure-hugging (but not to clingy) knitted midi skirt. I have many red sweaters and pullovers in my closet that are just waiting for the perfect skirt.
3. The Teddy Bear Coat
This is a perfect example on how to wear neutral in fall without going too muted. The boxy sweater in white is accented with just enough huge colored stars to keep it striking. The rich brown thigh-high boots injected more color to the look. Stunning!
4. Edgy in Plaid.
Plaid can be edgy too. Try matching two plaid separates; they need not match exactly but it´s important that they have a common color — which, in this runway look above is yellow — to keep the entire look polished. Busy but polished. Make the most of those dark, vertical lines through your scarf and deep V-neckline.
5. The Powerful Bright.
I wasn´t aware that bright red is my number one favorite color until I started paying attention to my Instagram photos. The common denominator in my outfits is red. All the while I thought blue is my most favorite color, but I have way more red in wardrobe than blue.
This must explain why I am automatically drawn to striking red. For me, every powerful woman should should own a powerful red piece in her closet.
6. Cozy Yet Sexy.
Get the Look: Sweater / Skirt / Kitten Heels
Teaming feminine and sexy skirts with a cozy knit sweater is my go-to style for fall and winter. I`m currently digging slouchy knits and all sorts of attention-grabbing sleeves such as balloon, bell and bat wings to wear with midi skirts. My only requirement? The skirt has to hug around the hips and down to the second hip for this combination to work.
Try this violet on purple combination finished with some pink kitten heels.
7. That Bright Balloon Pant.
While my obsession for balloon sleeves is still high, I`m starting to warm up to the idea of balloon pants. The silhouette of the stems for this orange pant is an exact mirror of my favorite balloon sleeves on knitted sweaters. This is such a fabulous look that will surely work for long-legged women.
But for a petite like I am, regardless of how much I love the leopard print boots, I will have to settle for a pair in a shade of orange, only darker. I must avoid cutting my legs. I always need that extra half an inch.
8. A Pop of Bright.
Get the Look: Coat / Jumpsuit / Boots
The idea of this outfit can be recreated in many ways — adding a pop of bright to a dark and basic piece.
Here we see how a pop of yellow over a dark gray overall immediately creates that happy feeling, even if a the back of your mind you see the actual environment – gloomy, dark, wet and cold.
But hey, who cares about that gloomy background if you´re able to inject happiness through your peek of bright color?
This will also work for bright pink and black, as well as bright orange and navy blue.
9. A Mix of Earthy Hues.
Get the Look: Coat / Skirt
Although this outfit looks bright, it´s actually a mix of earthy hues. Take a look around your surrounding, especially in fall, and see which colors you can play up together. When you´re out walking, pickup three to five fallen leaves, notice their colors and prints, then look around your wardrobe and see if you can recreate them.
You can never go wrong with listening to mother nature!
