The colour combination for this ensemble was inspired by Marissa Webb’s collection for Banana Republic in which she combined vibrant cobalt with a dark shade of olive. If you’re like me and feel that olive washes you out, pairing it with an electric blue injects the life right back into it. This combination makes me re-think olive completely. It had no place in my graphic black & white, ink, pastels, and sour brights wardrobe. But  you cannot see colours in isolation because their integrity changes when they are paired with another, often complementary, colour. 

Think of combining cobalt and olive in any combination at all. I’ll start the ball rolling with three renditions. 

Olive Top & Cobalt Bottoms

Choose a cobalt skirt, pair of trousers or shorts, and pair them with an olive blouse, shirt or T-shirt. Tuck or un-tuck the top depending on proportions. Finish off the look with a cobalt bag and olive footwear. Metallic bag and footwear are another way to go. 

White Top, Cobalt Bottoms & Olive Accessory

Combine a pair of cobalt bottoms with a white top, and either cobalt or metallic footwear. Choose a white top that works with the style of the bottoms. Finish off the outfit with an olive accessory like a scarf, bangle or necklace. 

Cobalt Top & Olive Bottoms

Combine a cobalt top with an olive pair of trousers, harem pants, jeans, cargo pocket pants, upscale track pants, skirt or shorts. Add cobalt or metallic footwear. Black footwear works well with black hair. Finish off the look with a cobalt or metallic bag. Add jewellery, eyewear, headgear and watch as desired.

Another possibility that I didn’t show is a cobalt blue dress with an olive jacket, or olive accessory like a scarf. Complete the look with metallic footwear and bag. I love how the vibrant cobalt adds a fresh and crisp quality to the olive. It looks ultra modern.