Sep 08, 2024

How to Wear Colors That Aren’t in Your Season

Your seasonal color palette is your best friend when it comes to choosing clothes and accessories that naturally complement your complexion, hair, and eyes. However, let’s be honest—not every piece you fall in love with in a store will belong to your season.

Maybe you inherited a sentimental piece of jewelry, or you just can’t resist that trending color of the year. The good news? You can absolutely wear colors outside your season with a few strategic tweaks to make them work for you.

1. Keep Non-Season Colors Away From Your Face
2. Incorporate Non-Season Colors in Accessories
3. Adjust With Makeup
4. Use Prints and Patterns
5. Rely on Neutrals
6. Consider the Fabric and Texture
7. Play With Lighting
8. Balance With Jewelry
Discover Your True Seasonal Colors

1. Keep Non-Season Colors Away From Your Face

Colors near your face—like tops, scarves, hats, and earrings—impact how your complexion looks. If you’re wearing a color that doesn’t flatter your undertone, try balancing it out with something in your palette closer to your skin. For example:

Layer a jacket in an unflattering color over a top in one of your best shades.
Use a scarf in your season’s color to frame your face while wearing a non-season sweater.

This simple trick keeps the focus on your natural beauty while still allowing you to wear that off-season piece.

2. Incorporate Non-Season Colors in Accessories

Accessories like handbags, shoes, or belts have minimal impact on how your skin and features look. If you’re drawn to a color outside your season, choose accessories in that shade.

A bold cobalt blue purse or rich caramel boots can add personality to your outfit without clashing with your natural undertone.

3. Adjust With Makeup

A bold lipstick, blush, or eyeshadow in the right shades can offset the effects of an off-season outfit. For instance:

If a cooler-toned top washes you out, use warm-toned makeup like peachy blush or a coral lip to bring balance.
Similarly, cool-toned makeup like berry lips can counteract the effect of a warm-toned shirt.

This approach ensures your skin tone looks vibrant, even when your clothes aren’t doing the work.

4. Use Prints and Patterns

When a color outside your season is part of a print, its impact on your overall look is softened.

Look for patterns that combine the off-season color with shades from your palette. For instance:

A floral dress with bright spring yellows and muted autumn browns could suit both a Spring and an Autumn palette.
Stripes or plaids in multiple shades can make off-season colors more wearable.

5. Rely on Neutrals

Neutral shades like black, white, gray, navy, or beige often blend seamlessly with multiple palettes. Pair non-season colors with your best neutrals to tone down their impact. For example:

If mustard yellow isn’t your color, pair it with crisp white or charcoal gray to soften its intensity.
For a deep winter who struggles with warm colors like camel, balance it with your best jewel tones like sapphire or plum.

6. Consider the Fabric and Texture

The texture and sheen of a fabric can also affect how a color appears.

Matte fabrics, like wool or cotton, are more forgiving with off-season shades, as they soften the color’s intensity. On the other hand, shiny or reflective materials like satin or metallics amplify the color’s impact, which may not work if it’s outside your season.

7. Play With Lighting

Certain colors look better in different lighting conditions. An off-season color that feels harsh in daylight may be more flattering under soft evening lighting. Wear these shades for nighttime events or parties, where the lighting is more forgiving and less focused on your complexion.

8. Balance With Jewelry

The right jewelry can help tie off-season colors back to your season. For example:

If you’re a cool-toned winter wearing warm autumn orange, try adding silver earrings or a necklace to bring cool tones back into your look.
Warm-toned springs can pair off-season icy colors with gold or rose gold jewelry to warm them up.

Discover Your True Seasonal Colors

While these tips can help you wear any color, knowing your season ensures you look your best effortlessly.

With the Vivaldi Color Lab app, you can uncover your exact seasonal palette through personalized AI analysis. From discovering your best shades to learning which colors to avoid, the app empowers you to curate a wardrobe that enhances your natural beauty.

Get your personalized color analysis with Vivaldi Color Lab 🎨

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