Favorite Summer Outfit Color Combinations + Some New Ones to Try for Fall
Chockfull of outfit ideas for late summer/early fall
I used to wear a lot of black clothes from head to toe - it was my armor, my camouflage, my happy place. The rest of my wardrobe was padded out with grey (dark and light), a little bit of brown and I’d add a pop of color with some blue items (mostly in the form of denim).
Every now and then, I’d get an impulse to add more color to my mostly dark wardrobe. In the past, this desire for more color was mostly driven by trends that I’d see on social media, but none ever really stuck.
However, as a part of my commitment to a no buy year back in 2023, and now my low buy year, I limit the amount of time that I spend on social media - I’m a firm believer that you can’t miss what you don’t know about. And it’s been a tremendous help in figuring out what I really like to wear in terms of silhouettes and colors.
Oddly enough, it was the acquisition of a red leather jacket back in September of 2023 that prompted my no buy year, and my color journey. The search for “something red” initially started because of social media - red was EVERYWHERE that fall and I had FOMO.
I have pink undertones in my skin and I always felt like wearing red close to my face made my skin look redder, but what I didn’t understand at the time was that there are different shades of a color and you just need to find the right one. As a (self-diagnosed) “winter”, I now know that deeper shades of red look best on me.
During my no buy year, I didn’t buy any clothes, shoes, handbags or accessories. Over the course of the year, I started to notice how much dark clothing I had and I think that affected my mood in a negative way, especially when the no buy year got difficult. As a result, I made a decision during my low buy year (where I committed to only purchasing 25* items this year) that I would not buy any black clothing within those purchases, unless it was something truly amazing that I loved. And, after completing almost 8 months, I have remained true to this pledge.
* In my most recent low buy update (July), I share the 20/25 purchases that I’ve made so far this year.
Does this mean I’ve been wearing fewer black outfits lately?
While I’ve definitely worn black clothing items this summer, I feel like they’ve played more of a supporting role vs. the main character. I naturally default to black clothing when I’m deciding on an outfit or looking for something new - I like how it looks on me, I like how I feel when I wear it, but deciding to not purchase any black items during my low buy year has taken away my safety net and allowed me to fully embrace lighter colors this summer.
I’m sure that as the weather gets colder, my outfits will get darker but I’m looking forward to incorporating these lighter elements into my fall outfits!
Looking back at the outfits that I’ve really enjoyed wearing this summer, I’ve noticed recurring color patterns, and in the process of analyzing those outfits, I’ve discovered some new ones that I want to experiment with.
From top to bottom, these are the colors combinations that I have loved wearing this summer:
cream/brown/black
pink/green/brown
brown/cream/blue
When I got the idea for this newsletter, I was only planning to write about the color combinations that I actually wore, but the more that I looked at the above color palette, the more I kept seeing other color combinations that I’d like to experiment with (left to right):
cream/pink/brown
brown/green/cream
black/brown/blue
As a result, this newsletter will be divided into 2 main sections:
Favorite color combinations that I wore this summer
New color combinations that I want to style for late summer/early fall
* The following compilations are actual examples of outfits that I’ve worn, plus some other ways that I can enjoy these color combinations, using items that I already own. I’ve also included a few items that I don’t own but that are wishlist items (a couple are from my SS ‘25 wishlist).
1. Favorite color combinations that I wore this summer
At some point during my teens, I read (or heard) that you shouldn’t wear black and brown together. And the same for black and navy. For many years, I lived by that rule and now I can’t believe all of the great outfits I missed out on over the years 😡.
But I’m happy to make up for lost time now!
I think I initially discovered my love of this color combination back in late winter/early spring with the addition of brown ballet flats to my wardrobe (low buy purchase #11). I don’t own a lot of brown clothing, having culled a lot of it out of my wardrobe when I began my grey hair transition - I thought that the warm tones of brown clothing would clash too much with the cool tones of my hair. I’ve since learned that it’s more about the shade of brown that I wear close to my face that matters. And since I allow my hair to get a little brassy (I don’t use purple shampoo), the resulting warmth works with brown clothes.
I’m slowly incorporating brown back into my wardrobe, mostly through footwear up to this point but I did recently buy a brown silk bandana (low buy purchase #20).
I’m looking forward to trying this color combo in the fall with my black cashmere sweater / cream jeans / brown ballet flats or my black & cream checkered blazer / cream t-shirt / black jeans:
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve owned any pink clothing items. The last 2 things that I remember are a long pink maxi dress and a shiny pleated midi skirt that I thrifted.
At the beginning of summer, I was feeling the wardrobe doldrums (general apathy about dressing in the heat), as well as low buy doldrums. But all I really needed was a few oversized shirts to make things feel a little more bearable. I was especially surprised by a pink/white striped shirt (low buy purchase #17) that I found and while I didn’t think I would like it, I ended up loving it.
Shortly after this, I found a gorgeous blush pink organza and lace top (low buy purchase #19) that feels so romantic, and the perfect thing to pair with my green utility pants (low buy purchase #18) and brown ballet flats for some nice juxtaposition.
I don’t have as many examples of this color combination since I have so few pieces, but I look forward to adding a few more if the right pieces come along. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy these together for the rest of the summer. For fall, I will wear the blush pink as a layering item with some darker clothes. I’ll probably store the bright pink shirt away until spring rolls back around.
This is another color combination that I’ve been enjoying a lot this summer. I think that the addition of some cream and brown items in my wardrobe this year have made a huge different to the overall vibe of my closet - there’s a lightness (literally and figuratively) that I feel when I get dressed in the morning, even if I’m rewearing the same outfit combinations over and over!
I fully expect some of the above combinations to move over into my fall outfit rotation, but I’m also excited about a few other brown/cream/blue outfit combinations too:
2. New color combinations that I want to style for late summer/early fall
This one feels a little light for fall, but maybe something a little unexpected will be perfect when the days get cold and dreary! I also wanted to show off this quilt coat that I made in 2021 - it’s probably the item that I’ve made that I’m most proud of. It’s reversible (solid cream on the inside and collarless) and I think it would look great cinched with a chunky brown belt!
I plan to bring this chiffon and lace top into the colder months to serve as a dressy item but also to wear during the day with a top layered underneath, or with a sweater layered over (imagine that hem peaking out under a sweater).
I think that out of all of the color combos in this newsletter, this might be my favorite one. There’s something that I find so harmonious about the colors and I think it’s because it feels so earthy. I’m reminded of white flowering trees in the spring, or looking up at the trees on a cloudy day.
Going back to my desire to add more brown to my wardrobe, I love the idea of a brown trench coat, so I’ve added one to compliment these outfits. I still love the shape of the Holin Coat from Studio Nicholson so I’ll be keeping one on my wishlist for fall, and searching for it in the secondhand market.
I got this blue striped shirt (low buy purchase #16) back at the beginning of summer, on the same day that I found the pink/white striped shirt, and it’s probably my most worn item this summer - I wear it repeatedly with black running shorts and suede sneakers during the day, and with my white poplin skirt and brown ballet flats to go out to dinner (I actually think that a colorful striped shirt might be the secret to my summer wardrobe - sun protection, light and airy and I love the casual chic vibe of them)!
So, it only makes sense that it’ll move over to my fall capsule wardrobe. I’m excited about all of the ways I can recreate this color combo when I’ve pulled everything out of storage.
Color Combination Inspiration from Elsewhere
I’ve been intrigued by some other color combinations that I’ve seen in some newsletters that I subscribe to, and I wanted to share those with you, and also have a them in a place where I can refer back to them.
First up is a silver/cobalt blue color combo, inspired by one of Sheila’s recent newsletters in which she wears the combo. At the time, I had just decided to order a silver leather wrap skirt from The Real Real that I’d been lusting over for a few weeks that was on a steep discount - I knew that if it sold, I’d be sad about it which is usually my litmus test.
When I saw this combo on Sheila, the wheels started turning, but I don’t own any cobalt blue, so I’ll keep my eyes open for it at the thrift/consignment shop but I’m excited to style the silver skirt with other shades of blue in the meantime.
Up next is the color combination of chartreuse/burgundy, inspired by Danielle’s recent newsletter. I don’t actually own any chartreuse or maroon items but I do appreciate how they look together. I have considered getting something maroon in the past because I think I would really like the depth and richness of the color near my face. I’m not sure that I would buy a chartreuse item but if I did, I think I’d do it in an accessory, shoes or maybe a skirt.
One more color combo that I’d like to try is grey/mustard/cream, which was inspired by my sofa and a throw pillow that sits atop of it:
I also don’t own any mustard yellow, but I’m loving the idea of a cozy grey wool sweater paired with a mustard yellow knit skirt and cream ballet flats and matching handbag( #3 in above image).
I’d love to hear which outfit color combos you’ve been enjoying this summer and which ones you’re looking forward to for the fall.
This is such a fun way of thinking about your wardrobe! I might need to go through mine and see if there are any trends. I especially love that you were inspired to make new combos by shuffling the combos you already had.
Oh, man this is good. Now I’m ready to go play in my closet to see what I can put together!