Earth tones are abundantly available at retail. They’ve been the on-trend colour palette for many seasons, and are still going strong. Many looks showcase earth tones from head to toe, but you don’t need to wear them that way if it’s not your cup of tea. Earth tones are versatile and can be remixed in lots of interesting ways. Here are four ways to make earth tones look less earthy.

1. Add Blue and White

Cool shades of blue and white temper the warmth of earthy shades like cinnamon, mustard, brown and toffee. Here, the blue and white striped top does just that. White footwear picks up the white of the top, and adds a crisp touch. The blue looks much like a slate grey, which shows that dark grey and white can work well with earth tones. If you like to wear earth tones but not near your face, this is one way to go. Adding silver jewellery and hardware cools the earthy palette too.

Add Blue and White

2. Remix with Brights

This is how I wear my own mustard pants (although I like to wear them with navy too). I add colours like fuchsia, shocking pink, tomato red and Dutch orange to the mix. I repeat the brights somewhere else in the outfit so that it looks pulled together. For example, I’d add a solid tomato red, orange, or fuchsia bag and scarf, and throw in some cream boots. The light boots match my hair and white pearls, which further pulls the look together. When I take off my coat, scarf and bag indoors, I’m left with a bright top and mustard pants, which looks good to my eye too.

Remix with Brights

3. Add a Black or White Support Act

Wearing earth-toned bottoms with a black top and shoes is a very easy way to add a harder edge to an earthy palette. The model shows that perfectly here. Bonus that the black slides bookend the model’s hair. Substituting the black with a white top and shoes works as well. Throw in a bag to match.

Add a Black or White Support Act

4. Unexpected Rainbow

This look is unique, yet classic in silhouette. An earthy toffee pencil skirt is matched with an equally earthy mustard twinset. The gold ballet flats complement the warm palette. The addition of the rainbow embroidery on the skirt across all sorts of colours is unexpected, and tempers the earthiness of the rest of the look. You could add an earth-toned bag, a gold bag, or choose a colour in the pattern to repeat. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.

Unexpected Rainbow