To wear a monochrome outfit without looking like a walking crayon, start with a one-color pastel look, choose contrasting textures and fabrics, pick makeup that matches the clothes for a head-to-toe look, strive for balance in the outfit, and begin with dark neutrals such as black, navy, gray, and brown. Additionally, picking one color and sticking with it is key to achieving a successful monochrome look.
It’s time to try something besides monochrome black. It’s time to try something other than black. Period. You may love an all-black look, but there are other colors in the spectrum that you should try once, in and awhile. Furthermore, summer is the perfect time to try a bold one-color look. It may sound intimidating if you wear black 6 days out of 7, but it’s not like we’re suggesting you wear prints from head to toe. (Although if you want to do that, Juliette Lewis can show you how it’s done.) If you follow a few simple tips, you’ll see that wearing all blue, orange, or whatever color you go for is just as easy as black.
Follow these styling ideas to pull off a monochrome look without looking like a massive M&M:
1. Start off with a one-color pastel look
Most people wouldn’t feel comfortable going from wearing all black to all-electric blue. Start off with another neutral look (i.e., navy, white, or camel), then try out pastels before you move on to brights and neons.
2. Choose contrasting accessories
You need to have some sort of contrasting color in your outfit, even if it is just a small detail. Elle Fanning’s sandals break up her pajama separates while Beyonce’s clutch and shoes stop her yellow suit from looking OTT.
3. Break up the look with a pattern
If you think wearing a solid block of bright color is too much, split it up with a print. Select a patterned skirt with the same hues as your top, or vice versa. Adding a printed accessory can work just as well.
4. Do not try to coordinate your makeup look
If you start coordinating your lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, and nail polish with your clothes, you start going into costume territory. You can get away with using a similar tone on one of your features like Solange did with her copper eyeshadow, but you need to break up the one-color look. Solange’s turquoise nail polish does a great job here.
5. It’s okay to try different tones
It can be difficult to find the exact Pantone color match if you’re buying from different stores, so don’t stress out about getting your shades identical. If your outfit has similar tones, it will still work.
6 Keep your silhouette streamlined
If you want to avoid looking like an Easter Egg, choose simple silhouettes. You can’t go wrong with classics like skinny pants or a trench coat. It’s best to avoid anything too frilly or voluminous, especially if you’re wearing a pastel.
7. Think about what color flatters your complexion
It can be tempting to want to wear your favorite color head to toe, but your fave color may not be the most flattering on you. Think about what shade works with your hair and skin tone. If you’re unsure, think about what makeup colors suit you and base your outfit on those shades.
8. Play around with different textures
Textures add interest to your look and are great if you’re still worried about looking like a massive crayon. Think about metallics, colored denim, leather, lace suede, and sheer options.
