Creating great style often means breaking the fashion rules. Colors that clash can be worn together to design vibrant, eye-catching looks. Or, your style can go horribly wrong. If you’re going to try clashing colors, start out with a few tried-and-tested combinations that look amazing when they’re put together properly.
Purple and Yellow
These two colors clash, but you can make them play off each other in a cute way if you have the right shades. When playing purple and yellow together in a single outfit, you want to use a bright, bold yellow. Leave the pastels in the closet, and reach for more golden yellows. This shade looks good with pale purples like lavender, but also pairs with more vibrant purples as well. Deep purple and golden yellow make for a striking combination.
Black and Blue
Mixing black and blue is a well-known fashion no-no, but this tricky pairing can be mastered if you have the right shade of blue. First and foremost, don’t try this with navy. You want your blue to pop against the black to make this clash work beautifully. Try an attention-getting royal blue with a deep, rich black, and you’ll love the effect.
Green and Pink
Try pairing green and pink together, and you might be surprised by how well-suited these two colors are. The trick is to use soft shades of both colors. If you want to create a look that’s a little more vibrant, turn up the pink and leave the green in a more muted, pastel or Earth tone. Deep pink with pale green is a beautiful pair. For tricky color clashes like these, try dressing mainly in one color shade, and use your contrasting color to add a few little pops to the look.
Create a Trio
Want to create a look that’s super colorful and still fashionable? Try mixing together a clashing trio to design a vibrant, bold look. Red, pink and purple mix beautifully together. Make sure you use a vivid shade of red to really pull this look off. Bold red pairs well with pinks and purples in all shades.
Colors That Clash in a Bad Way
There are lots of surprising color combinations that look amazing together, but then there are those shades that should never, ever share an outfit. Some fashion clashes still aren’t accepted by the most savvy style gurus, so try to avoid playing around with these known fashion offenders. Black and brown historically can’t ever be mixed, and the same goes for gray and brown but double.
Wes Craven once said that he chose red and green as the colors of Freddy Krueger’s sweater because they are the two colors that clash the most. And he was right. While it’s fine in December, red and green clash 11 other months out of the year. While you’re at it, avoid mixing red and orange together.
Wear Clashing Colors with Style
It’s okay to clash sometimes. Try some clashing color combinations that definitely work, and then try experimenting with different color shades on your own to see what you can design. Great color clashes can be the key to great style.