Q&A: What to Wear With Purple
June 26th, 2007
Q: I fell in love with a pair of shorts at Forever 21. The only problem is that they are PURPLE! Don’t get me wrong, purple is one of my favorite colors, but I have absolutely no idea what to wear with these shorts besides white and/or black. Tips, please?
A:
Here’s three tips for creating an outfit around the color purple:
(1) Create a Monochromatic Color Combination:
Pair your purple shorts with a top that’s another shade of purple for a monochromatic look. Mix a dark shade of purple with lilac, for instance.
(2) Go for a Duochromatic Color Combination:
Mix purple with a different hue, say a splash of yellow-orange or a blue-green, for variety. But don’t mix the two in equal proportions–make one the dominant color and the other the subordinate color with a 75-25 proportion.
(3) Add Neutrals:
Purple combines well with shades of grey, beige, and brown. Taupe, in particular, will pair well with purple.
Our favorite color combinations with purple? Purple + Grey, Purple + Cerulean Blue, Purple + Brown, and Purple + Orange.
Have a great tip about how to wear purple? Share it with us in the comments.
Pictured: Velvet Torch V-Neck Slipdress | $50 at Nordstrom.
Style question? We’ve got answers. E-mail us at tips at omiru dot com, or leave us a comment with your question.
10 Comments
1. Laura | June 26th, 2007 at 10:46 am
I know what you mean, i love getting fun colors that POP, but then they’re harder to match things with. i just bought this awesome pair of bright green skinny’s, could not for the life of me find anything that looked good with them. i checked out bluefly.com and then searched by colors and found this mix of ivory/brown top that ended up looking fab. i found the color sort feature helpful, maybe try checking it out…
2. Trisha | June 26th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Totally–and thanks for sharing the color sort tip with the Omiru community
I use the color sort feature at Bluefly all the time…I also sort at other sites (e.g. Nordstrom and Shopbop) using the color as a search term.
3. miss g | June 26th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
hi, what is the ‘in’ summer nail colors for me, an asian with medium to a little dark (not yellow @all despite being asian) skin tone.
Also, what ‘in’ nail color goes well wit a turquoise top & dark jeans outfit? thx ;D
4. Meg | June 26th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I love purple! It’s my favorite color. I’ve worn it with gray, white, blue (especially aquamarine), Barbie pink, and recently yellow (which really pops).
My tips:
Try bright colors with it first if it is a rich medium or dark purple. Have fun and make the colors pop. If you’re going with more of a violet, go with gray or white, or another light, neutral color that won’t overpower it.
5. Gen | June 26th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
=O this was my e-mail! awesome. Anyways, thanks for all the tips! I must try that color sort feature at Bluefly!
6. Mimi | June 26th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I might consider wearing purple. I never thought beyond pairing it with black or white, but it would look nice with beige linen for summer. Even chocolate brown for fall.
7. Trisha | June 27th, 2007 at 2:50 am
Great tips about what colors to wear with different shades of purple, Meg!
8. Meg | June 27th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Thanks Trisha! Like I said, it’s my favorite color. As a result, I’ve done a lot of experimentation trying to figure out more ways to wear it. It can be a very powerful color without being harsh and in your face. Maybe that’s why it’s the color of royalty. Each season I keep crossing my fingers and hoping that it’s going to be the “in” color so I can grab some more.
9. Rose | April 25th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Omg this is so helpful!!! I just got an awesome pair of shorts for my birthday, but I had no clue what to wear them with! I ended up pairing the shorts which were a lilac color with a really dark shade of purple.
10. chelle | September 20th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Hi, i bought a fab short silk purple dress this week and was wondering what colour shoes to wear with it??