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Home » Can Accessories Tie Together Clashing Colors?

Can Accessories Tie Together Clashing Colors?

July 4, 2018

Some of us felt pretty uncomfortable with the grey Common Wardrobe paired with warm citrus-hued accent colors. That’s okay – everybody is NOT going to like every color combination in the world!

So I thought that I would try to bring the colors closer together visually by choosing accessories with that goal in mind…

This is the color scheme with which we are working, based on this really cool painting:

1. Wasp & Pear with style guidelines and color palette

While the first wardrobe from this painting – with brown and beige neutrals – looked great with gold jewelry, now that we’ve changed our core neutrals to cool grey, I’m thinking that silver jewelry is the direction to take…

2. grey and citrus accents color palette with accessory palette

It’s always reasonable and smart to have a plan when you’re pulling together accessories. For this particular wardrobe, I’m going to concentrate on silver jewelry, and grey accessories, but keep my eye open for little details that will make the grey feel more “at home” with the warm accent colors. Silver jewelry with an orange stone, for example, might be just the ticket…

3. accessory plan for grey with citrus color palette

To refresh our memories, this is the wardrobe with all of the grey clothes, and that insanely expensive scarf…

4. 12-piece capsule wardrobe in grey with orange, yellow and green

green tee shirt – Eileen Fisher;  jacket – Eileen Fisher; tank top – Eileen Fisher;  silver tank – Me&Thee; grey tee – Eileen Fisher; yellow poncho top – Eileen Fisher; orange pekoe sleeveless silk top – Eileen Fisher;  scarf – Etro; orange tee – Eileen Fisher; shorts – J.Crew; striped pants – Caslon; linen pants – Uniqlo; skirt – Caslon  silk shirt – J.Crew

There’s something pleasing to me about a 12-piece wardrobe with 12 accessories (and an extra scarf, tossed in for the heck of it!)

5. 12-piece accessory wardrobe for grey and citrus colors wardrobe

loafers – Taryn Rose; sandals – K.Jacques St. Tropez; espadrilles – Seavees; tote – MZ Wallace; crossbody bag – Cole Haan; evening bag – Yokoyoko Vintage; earrings – Soluna London; ring – Monica Vinader; bracelet – Anchor & Crew; “diamond” necklace – Myia Bonner; watch – Breda; scarf – Ragdale Reeds by ImageDiary

I think that all of these items, all on one page, look great together:

6. grey with orange, yellow and green capsule wardrobe with accessories

As before, let’s work our way through the wardrobe by assembling some outfits, and then see how well our accessories work with the clothes…

7 grey jacket, tee and pants with accessories

jacket – Eileen Fisher; “diamond” necklace – Myia Bonner; grey tee – Eileen Fisher; ring – Monica Vinader; watch – Breda; striped pants – Caslon; loafers – Taryn Rose; tote – MZ Wallace

8. orange tee with grey shorts and accessories

earrings – Soluna London; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; shorts – J.Crew; evening bag – Yokoyoko Vintage; espadrilles – Seavees

9. orange tunic and grey skirt with accessories

tunic – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Etro; bracelet – Anchor & Crew; skirt – Caslon; crossbody bag – Cole Haan; sandals – K.Jacques St. Tropez

10. yellow and grey tops with grey pants and accessories

yellow poncho top – Eileen Fisher; grey top – Eileen Fisher; bracelet – Anchor & Crew; watch – Breda; linen pants – Uniqlo; crossbody bag – Cole Haan; loafers – Taryn Rose

11. green tee with grey shorts and accessories

tee – Eileen Fisher; “diamond” necklace – Myia Bonner; evening bag – Yokoyoko Vintage; shorts – J.Crew; ring – Monica Vinader; sandals – K.Jacques St. Tropez

12. silver tank, grey skirt and accessories

earrings – Soluna London; tank top – Me&Thee; scarf – ImageDiary; crossbody bag – Cole Haan; skirt – Caslon; espadrilles – Seavees

I’m perfectly willing to admit that you might still not like these accent colors with grey – and you don’t have to! It is nice, however, to consider some “difficult” color schemes from time to time, if only to help you really focus on your own, very personal, likes and dislikes!

I like to think that I, personally, have considered all KINDS of color schemes! And after all of the writing that I’ve done on The Vivienne Files, I’m still committed to wearing almost exclusively black and white.  I think we can say that my preference are pretty clearly-defined and deeply rooted…

love,

Janice

TIE CLASHING COLORS TOGETHER WITH ACCESSORIES

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07.04.18 17 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jazz says

    July 4, 2018 at 3:41 am

    I love this combination of greys and citrus, The greys soften the citrus and add a sense of restfulness whle the citrus adds zest to the grey. The accessories are perfect.

    Reply
  2. Sue says

    July 4, 2018 at 4:48 am

    As I age I’ve pretty much given up on black and white. I also love the grey and citrus. Thanks and happy July 4!

    Reply
  3. Barbara Thompson says

    July 4, 2018 at 7:50 am

    Although this is definitely not the direction I am taking, I can certainly appreciate the beauty of the gentle grey with the lively citrus. On the right person this would be stunning.

    Reply
  4. Janice Collins Coyle says

    July 4, 2018 at 8:40 am

    Hi Janice. I like your focus on black and white for yourself. I sometimes dream of wearing only navy and ecru/cream. My husband likes color and wears many, so to please him I wear accent colors I like. He always compliments me when I wear light grey – so grey and cream :). So how far do we go to please a partner? Your husband probably loves black and I’m sure you look beautiful with black. Janice Collins Coyle, Washington DC

    Reply
  5. Amie says

    July 4, 2018 at 10:05 am

    I am loving the gray with sherbet citrus! I could wear these, and seeing how these accessories do help pull everything together gives me even more ideas and incentive to try. Thanks for including this post on the accessories.

    Reply
  6. Scottie Kersta-Wilson says

    July 4, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    Thanks as always for highlighting an ImageDiary.com product – looks great with your curated colors and fashions.

    Reply
  7. Kelly says

    July 4, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    I ❤️ gray and wear quite a bit of it, especially in Winter, but I feel like a little black thrown in instead of all the gray might brighten this wardrobe up a bit. I think of gray as a muted color and black as a clearer “color” which would work well with the bright, clear warm colors in the wardrobe.

    Reply
  8. Chris from Indy says

    July 4, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    I’m trying to decide which me I like better – the gray neutrals or the beige neutrals with the citrus!!! Not all of us wear dark neutrals well, so it’s good too see lovely alternatives.

    I’ve taken your advice for linking accessories with metals and accent colored stones with my outfits – works like a charm and I feel so pulled together. A young woman I work with said “I see how you do that with the little blue earrings, the necklace with the blue and the blue shoes, and I like it.”

    Reply
  9. Nancy B. says

    July 5, 2018 at 10:26 am

    This is very helpful for me. I tend towards warm colors but with grey hair and greenish blue eyes grey is an easy neutral for me. My favorite necklace and watch are combinations of white and yellow gold, something I find useful when mixing warm colors with grey.

    Reply
  10. Judy says

    July 5, 2018 at 11:18 am

    When will you do the next post on Blue? I can’t wait for the summer update.

    Reply
  11. sania from zagreb says

    July 5, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    Please, can someone explain to me that “clashing” concept? I am not that knowledgeable regarding colors so I don’t get it. Any clashing can happen to someones seasonal personal coloring. But each season has almost all the colors, just adjusted for the person.
    Any neutral goes with any other color according to Stacey London and I can’t disagree, I loved WNTW. Cool and warm colors complement each other, not clash? IMHO gray and beige are exquisite together.

    Reply
  12. Nancy says

    July 5, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    I loved this before and love it still!!

    Reply
  13. Alison Gunn says

    July 5, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    There are warm and cool greys, though. If you don’t like the clashing cool vs. warm concept, and yet you like the colors, I’d suggest trying these citron and grapefruit shades with a warm grey, which has a yellow undertone, while cool greys have a blue undertone (to answer the person above who wants to know about ‘clashing’ colors/tones/hues). Sure, your eye isn’t going to gravitate to cool with warm; mine doesn’t usually either. But it can really help when you’re shopping to see the difference. I avoid warm greys and yet sometimes end up with them, and when I do, I tend to put ‘warm’ blues with them, rather than cool blues. The key is the undertone of the color you’re assessing, whether it’s got a warm or cool undertone.

    Reply
    • sania from zagreb says

      July 6, 2018 at 12:56 pm

      Thank you, Alison. This is the excellent explanation and very important point!
      Now I can see that other people who can tell undertones, may perceive me as wearing clashing colors. I wasn’t aware of undertones. Btw I am dark autumn – so for me, it is the best to stick with the seasonal palette, since I’m not sure I can see that. But when I’m shopping I do take with me an item to see if the colors go together. I just didn’t perceive that clashing as an issue of cool/warm.
      I guess I instinctively purchase warm greys (if I purchase them) since my coloring is warm.

      Reply
  14. Marie-Thérèse says

    July 5, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    I love these combinations; however, gold works much better for my skin tone, which means I would add a mix of silver/gold/copper accessories near my face. I love silver bracelets and rings. Greys and yellows can be either warm or cool and warm always works best for me.

    Very nice, Janice.

    Cheers, M-T

    Reply
  15. Janet says

    July 6, 2018 at 11:47 am

    Thank you for using unexpected color combinations. Regardless of whether they are my personal preference or not, they always cause me to think, which I appreciate. Some of your most helpful posts have come from analysis of why I did not care for the choices. It has helped me define what I do like and what styles best suit my coloring and body build. There really is no “wrong”. Thank you for your playful and creative approach.

    Reply
  16. Linda in Arkansas says

    July 6, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    I wear both silver and gold jewelry. Depends on the outfit. I like the citrus colors with both beige and gray! I think I lean towards the warm side of things but I have on a royal blue top today with silver jewelry and I think it looks good with my skin tone. I do have blue eyes. These posts certainly get us to look at unusual color palettes in a different way!

    Reply

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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