Questions from the Audience - Color

A reader asks, "How can I make a statement in the fall when everyone's wearing brown and black?"

Color and quiet.

When it comes to your outfits, stick to no more than one loud item and keep other pieces subdued. Too often in autumn, we slip into wearing nothing but earth-tones, leaving our looks bland and boring. Sometimes though, the opposite may be true and we overcompensate with bright colors as though it were still summer.

The trick is finding balance. These orange cords are so bold that adding much more color to this outfit would look silly. (left) Instead, neutrals supplement the orange tone, from the camel-colored sweater to the walnut-colored belt and shoes.

(right) Rather than using supplementary tones, these cords would also work nicely with a complimentary navy blue sweater. As navy is also a neutral, it wouldn't compete with the orange for color dominance. In this case, the belt and shoes could be black.