I enjoy wearing black with dark blue, but add a bit of a kick so that the visual effect isn’t quite so dark. Of course, you may prefer to keep the combination dark and that works too. 

Last weekend, I pulled together a smart casual outfit that I thoroughly enjoyed. It combined dark blue cropped straight jeans with a black and cream turtleneck, an ink blue polka dot blazer, a chartreuse coat, citron bag, pom-pom, and cream high-tops. I swapped out the sneakers for cream boots in the evening when we went out to dinner. The chartreuse coat is a roomy cocoon silhouette that works well layered over a blazer. Here are the exact items from my wardrobe.

Combine black and dark blue in any way at all. The kick can be bright or subtle, or leave it out completely. The outfit on the left approximates my own outfit from last week. The kick came through in the cream and yellow additions. The other rendition was inspired by a client. Combine black bottoms with a navy top and black jacket. Add black, silver or pearl grey footwear. Add lots of chunky silver jewellery and a silver or grey bag. The scarf is optional.

Ensemble: Dark With a Colourful Kick