Many of my clients express an interest in orange, but are unsure of how to wear the colour. They are particularly concerned about mixing orange with black, or with black and white, because of the colour’s association with Halloween. This is understandable, especially in the US where Halloween is a huge event.
The first thing I say to my clients when this question comes up is mix orange with blue. Ink blue, cobalt, denim blue, chambray and light blue work particularly well with burnt orange, Dutch orange, tangerine and peach as shown below. Wear orange either on the top or bottom and slot in your blue. I’ve shown this palette with solids, but it works equally well with patterns.
Light coloured footwear and handbag are my favourite way to complement this palette. Think shades of white, blush, mushroom tones, metallics and light snakeskin patterns. Earthy tones like cognac and leopard print will also work, as will cooler shades like slate and charcoal grey.
Is wearing orange with black a big no-no for you because of Halloween? Would replacing the black with blue solve the problem?
