Apparently come fall, we can lay to rest the idea that mixing-and-matching every print we own—polka dots with plaids, florals with stripes—is the only way to dress. Instead we should focus our attention on dressing in one color, and one color only.

Chris Benz

Richard Nicoll

In theory, the idea may sound refreshingly simple, but there are definitely some pitfalls to avoid. The first, being caught in a single shade head-to-toe, like say, an eggplant top with an eggplant skirt and shoes. The effect of this, as you can guess, would resemble a certain giant purple dinosaur. Here, three tricks to pairing shades like a pro and avoiding being compared to a well-known cartoon animal:

• Mix up tones within the same color family. Visualize a color spectrum and pick shades at opposite ends, like a baby blue with a cobalt.

• Stick with two or three shades. Anything more gets too complicated and busy.

• Layer on the texture: pair tweeds with sequins, chiffon with leather, and more. This keeps things interesting.

I recommend picking your favorite color, any color, and going wild!

xoxo,

Loren