Step Out of Your Color Comfort Zone with These 5 Essential Tips (Plus Our Handy Color Cheat Sheet!)

There’s nothing like wearing color to affect your mood in a totally positive way. But most of us fall back on fail-safe neutrals because we don’t how to pull off a hot pink sweater at the office or what color shoes to wear with a bright yellow party dress. Want to wear bold and bright looks with complete confidence? We do! We do! Wearing color is so fresh and fun—let’s fashion forward together.

1. Know that Opposites Attract

While color clashing is a trick that the style pros can pull off, we’re going to start with a handy guide on which colors pair best with our bold summer favorites: red, pink, yellow, orange, and blue. Did you know? Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors. The high contrast creates a vibrant look that makes a big impact.

2. Steal Ideas from Prints

Since the pros have it down, it’s smart to get ideas about color pairing from your favorite prints. It might be unexpected to mix yellow, brown, teal, and pink but it just WORKS. On the borrowing note, look to the runway, your Insta feed, and even your favorite brands (we’re looking at you J.Crew catalog) for even more inspiration on colors that go together.

3. Try Tonal Dressing

If color clashing feels a step too far for you, stay within one color family and experiment with matching colors. Did you take our color personality test yet? Find out the color that best suits your style (the boldest and brightest version of it the better) and then mix as many tones as you want in a head-to-toe ensemble.

4. Choose Rainbow Stripes

This is one way to sneak in all the colors without a second thought. Layer a multi-color piece with your go-to neutrals and still get the effect of color on your mood and energy.

5. Wear a Splash of Red

Out of all the colors, this might be the one that people shy away from the most. The feeling that it’s so attention-grabbing and look-at-me can be a little intimidating. And while it can elicit a strong reaction from others, it can also have a powerful effect on your confidence and self-esteem. Plus, looks great on everyone! More on red…later.

Have you taken our color personality test yet? Find out which color you should incorporate into your wardrobe, stat. With thredUP’s amazing low prices and easy-to-use color filters, your closet (and summer) will be bursting with fun. The million dollar question is: Hue are you?

ALSO, you could win good stuff: Once you find out your result, publicly share it from our album on Facebook with our friends! We’ll pick five random winners on Labor Day who shared their results from our Facebook album to win $100 to shop with us.

Want more? Share your results or your colorful outfit publicly on Instagram with #lovelifeincolor, #sweepstakes, and @thredup. Each week, we will pick TWO random winners. One will win $1000 to shop and one runner-up will get $50 to shop. Hop over to this blog post for more details!