How to wear neutral colours and not look boring

Style Inspiration: How to wear neutral colours and not look boring

Angela Goh

08 May 2016

mis à jour le 8 May 2016 à 00:00

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Mixing darks with lights
There is something refreshing and undeniably professional about a contrasting ensemble. Veronika Ilinskaya pulls off this look with a long billowing cream-coloured coat, dark high-waisted trousers and nude pumps.
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Shades and layers
Here, Lena Lademann manages to look the epitome of chic in a beige jacket, blue denim jeans and grey scarf. Along with a black bag and sassy pair of sunglasses, she impressively layers various neutral shades to make her outfit look effortless.
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Contrasting statement
Ophelie Guillermand combines a soft, dove grey turtleneck and navy wool coat with black leather pants to create the perfect contrasting ensemble. The colours are easy to match, and look arresting to the eye.
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Creams and whites
Sweet and simple neutrals like white and cream can brighten up anyone's day. The soft colours exude a gentle and innocent look that is perfect for daytime excursions.
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Loud colours and neutral accessories
Neutral accessories pair very well with louder colours. In the example here, we have a dress in solid scarlet looking exceptionally stunning with a tan bag.
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Neutrals with denim
Olivia Palermo flaunts a beige fur coat with a pair of navy ripped jeans - the look is chic and simple, casual yet contemporary. Perfect for a day out shopping in the city.
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Neutrals with denim
It's always easy to match a neutral handbag to an outfit. Here, this understated accessory looks right at home when paired with blue jeans.
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Pale, pale, pale
Ever-stylish Chiara Ferragni combines pale colours to further emphasise her chalky complexion. A daring statement, yet pulled off with a great amount of confidence.
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Browns and beiges
Miroslava Duma looks professional and confident in a camel-coloured coat and dark taupe suit. There isn't a rule against pairing darker neutrals together.
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Interesting accessory
Pernille Teisbaek's rainbow tassel-adorned Chloe bag adds some fun and cheer to her otherwise neutral outer ensemble.
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Add a pop of colour
Helena Bordon lets a dash of bright yellow enhance her neutral ensemble. The skirt provides a fairly exciting addition to the overall look without steering too far from the spectrum that Bordon is sporting.

From creating contrasting ensembles to mixing loud colours with softer shades, we'll inspire you to make a wardrobe out of neutral colours.

Neutral colours can look impressive when layered correctly and paired with the right spectrum of colours. Neutrals sometimes get a bad rep for appearing “boring”, but the reality is that they are in fact flexible and trend-proof, proving to be acceptable during any number of occasions - from the professional workplace to a casual brunch outing.

Neutrals achieve a played-down look. Unlike warmer tones or cooler hues, they are subtle and pleasing to the eye more often than not. This makes them easy to be mixed, matched and even layered with even more neutrals or louder colours like bright reds and electric blues.

Let the street style goddesses show you exactly how to wear neutral colours - head up to the gallery above for some fun inspiration. You’ll be a master at layering on some monochrome tones, soft greys, sandy beiges and chalky creams in no time.

Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

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