It’s quite tricky to pull off a monotone outfit without ending up looking like a crazy lady sans the 20 cats. The trick to creating the perfect monotone outfit is ironically to not make it completely monotone.
There has to be a perfect ratio of the main color to the neutralizing colors, such as white, black, beige, gold, or silver. The trick is to create the illusion that only one tone has been used.
Not quite following? Fortunately, we have five samples to get your summer wardrobe color-organized.
1. Mixing Gold With Yellow
We love mixing gold with yellow because it echoes the main color without looking too matchy-matchy. Gold grounds yellow and allows for other neutralizing colors such as white to work itself seamlessly into the outfit.
Anastasia shows that gold and yellow go together
We also love how gold flats were used courageously without affecting the monotone theme. Don’t be afraid to go all out on the accessories.
Shop Russian fashion blogger Anastasia’s look:
Topshop Vivienne Dress by Jones and Jones, £60 / Sam Edelman Ballet Flats, $111 / Medallion Marvel Necklace in Sunray, $34.99 / Valentino Chartreuse & Ivory Leather Studded Shoulder Bag, $ 2,145 / Ann Dexter-Jones Vermeil & White Onyx I.D. Bracelet, $3,680 / Laura Mercier Matte Eye Color in Morning Dew, £19 / Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick, $25
2. Different Shades of Orange
Orange is really versatile because it can go from a range of a light peachy shade to a darker reddish one and still look pulled together as one color family.
Mon Cherries shows why orange is such a versatile color
Experiment with different hues throughout your outfit. Bonus tip: we find that it is easier to work with a darker shade on a dress, going out to lighter shades for accessories.
Shop Mon Cherries of Mon Cherries‘ look:
Lanvin Neoprene Dress, $3,365 / Shourouk Apolonia Necklace, $1,167.92 / KG by Kurt Geiger Bea Patent Orange Heeled Court Shoes, £95 / Daily Look Gold Plated Clutch, $39.99 / Jane Iredale Purepressed Eye Shadow Kit in Daytime, $55 / Clarins Rouge Eclat Lipstick, $27 / Simon Frank 14k Gold Overlay Orange CZ Diamoness Cocktail Ring, $18.99
3. White Is Never Wrong
You can never go wrong with white (and black, at that). We say go crazy with it because there’s seriously little room for mistakes with this color.
Jessica knows that the most common way of monochrome dressing is wearing black or white
Even an added splash of color looks good with it. Perhaps the biggest concern in picking out a white outfit is the fit and the balance of textures and silhouettes.
Shop Jessica of Tuula Vintage‘s look:
Topshop White Cage Cutout Skater Dress by Rare, £45 / Nine West Gelosia in White, £95 / Melissa Odabash Jemima Woven Wide-Brim Hat, £110 / Rebecca Minkoff Mini 5 Zip Bag, $195 / Gorjana Mika Necklace, $60 / Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Pink Vibrations, $25 / Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Blush in Pretty Pink, $26
4. Pink Outfit Idea
Instead of going for the usual bright pinks of spring, we decided to go with a pale pink palette because it ingeniously allows other pastel shades to weave themselves into the color combination beautifully — it’s almost as if you’re pulling a fast one on the monotone trend.
Konstantina shows how to wear a pink monochrome outfit while looking like a grown-up lady
We especially love how you can integrate the cherry pink lipstick trend into the outfit without looking like you emerged from Barbie land.
Shop Konstantina of Serial Klother’s look. Her blog is unfortunately no longer available online:
Topshop Textured Backless Skater Dress by Oh My Love, £39 / Valentino Decolleté Rockstud Sling-Back, $ 796 / Marc Jacobs Eugenie Large Quilted Leather Clutch, £451.73 / Shlomit Ofir Gold and Formica Kites Delicate Bib Necklace, $96 / Tai Dual Pave Stone Open Bracelet, $95 / L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick, $5.99 / Clarins Mineral Mono Eyeshadow, $21
5. Mint Monochromatic Color Scheme
Mint green looks absolutely perfect with a summer tan, so this is our favorite pick for the coming season.
Elaine wows in head-to-toe mint green
It’s also almost impossible to make mistakes with a mint-green-on-mint-green outfit (though we seriously advise our readers to stay away from mint leggings; they’re just not worth it), but still, be wary of overdoing it.
Balance out the colors with silver accessories instead of gold ones.
Shop Elaine of Romantic Fawn’s look. Her blog is unfortunately no longer available online:
Jane Norman High-Neck Necklace Dress, £45 / Contemporary Chic Heel, $34.99 / Miss Selfridge Mint Embellished Clutch, £35 / Skagen Klassik Slimline Silver Watch, £115 / Rebecca Minkoff Skinny Bracelets Set of 3, $98 / Topshop Sheer Lips in Alibi, £8 / Bobbi Brown Nude Eye Palette, $50