This ensemble was inspired by an outfit I wore last week. I combined tomato red lace pants (the ones I wore at Christmas) with an old tomato red blouse. The reds look different in the photos, but in person they are a good match. I added a coral jacket, coral scarf, pearls, and blush shoes and bag. The coral is tonal with the reds and the blush is tonal with the coral. I didn’t need a coat or boots that day because I was shopping with a client in a heated mall. I took the scarf off later.
Here are the exact items from my wardrobe.
I find tonal looks with non-neutrals interesting, unique and soothing. They look very different to tonal outfits created with neutrals like black, grey, navy, tan and white.
Think of any NON-neutral that you can use to create a tonal combination from head to toe. Tonal colours are similar, but not exactly matching, low contrast to one another, and work in harmony. Choose a pastel, bright, jewel tone, earth tone, or mid-tone. Stick to solids and false plains if you can.
I’ve created three versions to get you started. The red/coral/blush rendition on the left approximates my own outfit. The middle rendition combines shades of lilac and lavender. You could throw in a muddy shade of pink there too. The rendition on the right combines cobalt with navy.
If you get stuck on tonal shoes, choose metallic or white for lighter colours, and black or grey for darker colours.
