YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How do you style two-color prints?

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How do you style two-color prints? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 11 Apr 2026 03:51:46 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Sal on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints/page/2#post-2003794 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 21:43:23 +0000 Sal 2003794@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Haha I thought it was her reply rather than yours - oops sorry about that.    Stagiaire Fash on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints/page/2#post-2003790 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 21:29:35 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2003790@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sal, I felt bad recently when I called you Jenni NZ, or maybe I called her your name. I forget which, but anyway, I feel relieved that you've now called me Sarah. Sal on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints/page/2#post-2003777 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 20:14:01 +0000 Sal 2003777@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sarah - it is white and the blue is very crisp, almost with a perwinkle tint to it.  It would work with the right pink, coral or red pants, or possibly the right camel.......but I don't have pants in any of those colours.  I do wear jeans a lot but not in summer.  I rarely wear a tank top with jeans because if it is hot enough to go sleeveless I don't want to wear jeans!! Your last line made me laugh out loud.  Good observation though - that if jeans are worn infrequently then you should not have many tops that only work with jeans........ Stagiaire Fash on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints/page/2#post-2003690 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 10:29:22 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2003690@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div>Carla, I was being a little flip when I said you could use the whole color wheel with a 2-color print, but you showed it's true. Wow! Using your example of a blue & green piece, blue and green match, yellow is adjacent to green, orange is complementary to blue, red is complementary to green, purple is adjacent to blue, and we're back where we started. </div><div> </div><div>Sal, is that white in the boho blouse? If it's beige, you could wear it with khaki. Either way, I bet it'd work with red. But maybe that's just because I like red--I think it'd work with all those things you posted. You mention wearing lots of things with jeans. For the longest time, that was a trap I fell into. I'd buy tops thinking that it was ok not to have something to wear them with in mind, because I could always wear them with jeans. Probably would've been OK, except I hardly wear jeans! They weren't quite orphans, but daddy almost never came to visit. </div> Sal on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints/page/2#post-2003652 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 03:43:40 +0000 Sal 2003652@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ For me, I think tops are easier to incorporate (as I often wear them with jeans)... and a dress can work well with neutral footwear. I have enjoyed this thread as it made me realise why a couple of pieces were passed on a little prematurely - a black and cobalt top - I liked it but only with black and then it became too dark a look for me, and a coral and white blouse - I struggled to find things to wear with it. I have attached my two colour items in the finds below.  The black and white is not a problem, nor are the dresses.  The cardigan is new and not worn as yet.  The blue and white boho blouse I only wear with white jeans......I don't like it with black nor blue jeans and don't have anything else to wear it with. Jules on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003537 Sun, 17 Feb 2019 18:20:09 +0000 Jules 2003537@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I’m wondering if maybe part of the issue is contrast level or pattern size? In thinking about my own two-colour patterns, they are mostly fairly high contrast (yellow dots on navy skirt, blue and white graphic pants) and interestingly, I usually wear them away from my face. In tops and scarves I prefer multicolour patterns, or textured tops that function like same-colour patterns in a way (eyelet or other detailing). I have fine features and medium contrast colouring so very graphic prints, much as I love them, tend to overwhelm me. For my ‘crazy pants’ with graphic patterns, I typically style with a plain top in a neutral included in the pattern, generally navy or white. These are usually summer items and I think bare ankle and simple neutral sandals or flats help as well... And I also agree that classic Breton stripe is an exception somehow! I think for me it is a way to wear solid white, which can also be too much around my face. My white tops tend to be textured in some way, like burnout cotton, eyelet, sheer peasant tops with detailing... so the Breton stripes may ironically have the same function of toning down the white? Angie on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003509 Sun, 17 Feb 2019 16:15:59 +0000 Angie 2003509@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ SarahD8, it's fascinating. I usually add a third non-neutral with my red specs, and possibly a fourth with a non-neutral  bag - maybe that helps?  SarahD8 on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003416 Sun, 17 Feb 2019 01:06:18 +0000 SarahD8 2003416@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie, isn't it fascinating how people gave such different experiences with this? I agree that stripes are a different beast but I'm still not sure why. Unfrumped, oh, that's so interesting that one colorway worked and the other didn't. Smart to think it through before cutting tags! unfrumped on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003407 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 23:54:06 +0000 unfrumped 2003407@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have some trouble, too and try to think of that before buying or before cutting tags. Often a “ color “ can skew more than one way so I’ll stretch that. This Boden shirt black / camel dot of course goes with black pants but the dark caramel dot also lets it work with dark russet or burgundy pants, some olive and of course caramel. That’s for “ major pieces” ( pants or jackets). For accessories I would have more options and I like runcarla’s color wheel advice. Whereas I found the burgundy shirt too ticky to style. Angie on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003385 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 23:03:55 +0000 Angie 2003385@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a lot of two-tone prints - many striped! I wear then with jeans - (white of blue) - with a colour in the pattern, with another neutral, with red, as a stand alone dress, OR pattern mix till the cows come home. Never thought of them as restrictive.  SarahD8 on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003365 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 21:40:46 +0000 SarahD8 2003365@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ FashIntern, it totally makes sense to me that b&w pattern could be "its own kind of thing" for you -- I think that's what navy Breton stripes are for me! I think you're saying that "lots of color" is pretty much congruent with "easter egg-y" in your mind. But what I'm talking about trying to avoid/what feels wrong to me is more about how colors relate to each other, their relative proportions, and the sharpness of boundaries between them. Compare the aqua & white top you included in your post with the purse in the find below. They both contain a fairly bright aqua color. But I'd find the print on the top hard to style, personally, whereas the print on the purse would be easy peasy. La Ped, YES, I totally think it has to do with something about a person's coloring or physicality. It's why you're able to find a few carefully chosen items at Boden and I just am not -- even though on the whole my wardrobe/style is much more colorful than yours. Re: ombre, I like it in theory, and I do have an ombre scarf in shades of coral that is super helpful in spring and summer. In practice though ombre pieces are often too boho for me.  bonnie, interesting. I think that when I do choose two-color patterns, they are generally within my palette, yet I still have trouble styling them. Maybe making sure the colors are somehow "central" on my palette would make a difference -- i.e., because I'd be more likely to have items that can pair with them tonally. Runcarla, thanks, that's a good general set of principles! As I'm finding it's all in the execution...     Carla on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003312 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 17:19:24 +0000 Carla 2003312@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Here are some 'recipes' using the colour wheel: Pick a colour between the 2 in the print ex: print has green and blue, add a teal coloured item. Pick a colour adjacent to one of the colours in your print ex: print has green and blue, add a yellow (or purple) coloured item Pick a colour opposite to one of the colours in your print ex: print is blue and green, add a red coloured item. Pick a lighter or darker version of the colours in your print ex: print is blue and green, add pale blue or a light sherbet green Bonnie on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003308 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 16:55:38 +0000 Bonnie 2003308@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Three + color prints = Easy vs. Two color prints = difficult. This is an interesting observation and one I've not considered. Most of my printed items, whether they are two color or multiple color prints, have at least  one of the colors in my palette. I guess sticking to my palette has made matching easier. LaPed on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003300 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 16:27:22 +0000 LaPed 2003300@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yup, I don't know if it's possible for me to feel "overly mod/graphic"... If anything, I should really on that formula of black/white pattern plus pop-of-color even more than I do now. I think it's a Kibbe type/personal coloring thing. Three colours is my magic number for an outfit. More than that starts to feel a bit muddy/low-impact. But for a softer effect, you need that tonal variation. Do you like ombre patterns? Ombres, like fair isles, can be kind of magical for tying together disparate colours. Stagiaire Fash on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003239 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 10:16:29 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2003239@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ha! You are right that black + white together are still just a couple of neutrals. I hadn't thought of it that way. To me, a b/w pattern is its own kind of color. ETA in my head, "reliance on color" and feeling "Easter-eggy" clash terribly. I'd think you could put a pattern under the cardi with your leggings easily. Between matching one of the colors, being adjacent to one on the color wheel (tonally matching), being straight across from one (complimentary) and borrowing from the interior design rules that say a 60 degree triangle connection is ok, there's really not much off limits. SarahD8 on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003184 Sat, 16 Feb 2019 01:22:57 +0000 SarahD8 2003184@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Jenni NZ, I think it does help! It reinforces my sense that two-color prints are likely to be less versatile than some other items in my closet...but maybe that's ok! If I like an item I just need several ways to wear it...not endless ones! Sal, I agree, two-neutral patterns are easier. Love navy and white with coral! FashIntern, yes, what I'm noticing is that people who tend to wear lots of neutrals seem relatively unfazed by two-color patterns -- and their two-color patterns tend to be two neutrals, or at least one neutral. Also easy to deal with for those who like the "column of neutrals with a pop of color" formula that you allude to -- a pattern with two neutrals, or with a neutral and a color, can be a way of adding interest within that formula. But my way of dressing is different -- more reliance on color, less on neutrals. And those two-color prints are hard for me to integrate without feeling overly mod/graphic or easter egg-y. Stagiaire Fash on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003108 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 20:35:43 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2003108@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div>Oh, good point about changing up the value on complementary colors!</div><div>I notice from these responses that black and white pattern, which I had thought was a kind of unique thing for me is nothing of the sort--they seem to be most popular of all! I like to wear mine with a strong solid color. I agree with Jenni NZ that olive is good, but I also like to pair them with red or bright green or bright raspberry. </div> Sal on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003102 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 20:09:37 +0000 Sal 2003102@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don’t think I have many except for black and white/cream or a gingham navy/ white dress. Dresses are simple - I tend to wear with tan or cognac or white accessories. The monochrome I wear with brown, metallic or black usually. In the past I wore a navy and cream skirt with a coral top. And tops with denim. I do agree it can be really tricky. I think you can do it with a neutral but there are nuances to making it work. Jenni NZ on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003087 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 19:49:20 +0000 Jenni NZ 2003087@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Intriguing! I just went and looked in my wardrobe, I don't have a lot, and of the few I do have 3 are black and white dresses so I just wear black footwear with them. Or my black and white heels. With my greeny-grey and white ombré top, I wear the greeny-grey pants and green sandals or white mules or occasionally silver sandals, or the white pants and green sandals or white mules. It still gives me a choice of 2 different bottoms and 3 pairs shoes with the one top. I actually tend to think in outfits, which may partly be why I keep my wardrobe a bit bigger. Everything doesn't have to go with everything else. Outfits rather than capsules is how I roll. Don't think this will help you, sorry! SarahD8 on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003077 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 19:05:16 +0000 SarahD8 2003077@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great discussion here, everyone. Thank you so much! I'm sort of relieved that many others struggle with this. Actually when I was going through finds I had a hard time finding examples...that made me think, oh, maybe other people avoid this sort of garment too! (And then one of the ones I picked wasn't even two-color, good catch, FashIntern!) I've been trying to figure out if these sorts of prints just don't suit me, or if there is something I'm missing about styling them. Reading through this discussion, I think one of the reasons that two-color prints are difficult for me personally is that they tend to have a very defined, graphic effect. And that's not a good fit for my style. (Again, for reasons I don't totally understand, Breton stripes are the exception to this rule.) So, in thinking about how to work with them I need to find ways to tone down that graphic effect. *Along those lines, I really like the idea of adding a tonal variation on one of the colors in the print.  *I like strong color contrasts, so the idea of using a complementary color is initially appealing. But in practice, I think this often enhances the graphic/color-blocky effect to my eye. (Again, that might be just the thing for some people! But it feels wrong for my physicality and/or style.) However, I think I could mitigate this by adding a contrast in value/tone/hue. For example, if I had a sky blue and white dress, don't pair it with peach (which I think would be my first impulse), pair it with rust.  *Similarly, the idea of matchy-with-each-other (but not with the print) accessories seems really logical -- but in practice again it often contributes to that too-graphic feel. So instead, finishing the outfit with mixed neutrals might be a better strategy for me. *I do like the idea of pattern mixing...probably in my closet that means combining with Breton stripes, lol! I do think that I'll probably have to accept that two-color prints are likely to be less versatile for me than multi-color ones. And maybe that's ok! But this gives me some great strategies to start with in thinking through individual items. Thank you so much, all! Christina F. on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003003 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:43:30 +0000 Christina F. 2003003@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ HA. I am not so great at this. I have to say that my default is usually denim or the main neutral from the print, usually black or navy (sometimes white/cream/ivory). They're usually tops, in my case.  My metallic shoes come in handy for these situations since they go with anything and everything. nemosmom on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2003001 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:39:51 +0000 nemosmom 2003001@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a great question! I struggle with this too, so I am following. I noticed Brooklyn had a great outfit in her Byzantine theme post yesterday (I can’t link it from my phone) where she had a black and white floral skirt with an olive top, cognac shoes and gold accessories- she looked AMAZING in it and it looked very pulled together despite nothing being matchy... Sara L. on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002953 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 14:30:56 +0000 Sara L. 2002953@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a hard time with 2-color prints as well.  I actually don't have any in my closet right now except for a couple black/white ones that I feel can pair with any color.  I usually end up really bored with 2-color prints because I can only wear them one or two ways (since I'm matchy-matchy) so I pass them on fairly quickly. Anonymous on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002948 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 14:23:01 +0000 Anonymous 2002948@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've done all the above with mine, but neutral (black and white or leopard) prints are easiest for pattern mixing. Or if its a dress its easy! But they feel much more limiting to me than prints with more colors, so won't be adding any more. carter on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002918 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 12:47:01 +0000 carter 2002918@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have such a problem with this too. I have a great blouse that is red with large beige dots. It works great with my beige ankle pants. And that's it. I'm sure I could wear it with black/white/denim bottoms and it wouldn't bother anyone but me. But it would bother me. Even navy/white or black/white prints can feel off to me with other colors. I need to do a better job of remembering this in the dressing room ;-). RobinF on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002917 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 12:45:32 +0000 RobinF 2002917@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I guess I'm pretty matchy. I like prints because then I can tie them to the other pieces I am wearing. In a two-color or multi-color I almost always choose other pieces that have one of those colors. I guess jeans are an exception. Janet on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002915 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 12:37:00 +0000 Janet 2002915@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I’m very much a “keep it simple” person when it comes to patterns — I prefer to wear them with a solid neutral from the pattern. Sometimes a match with the color from the print works for me too. I struggle with prints that contain no black or white with which to ground them, since those are my dominant neutrals — I’ve learned to avoid them. Stagiaire Fash on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002913 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 12:34:31 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2002913@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I can comment on the last one, since I ordered it, didn't like the fabric, and reluctantly returned it. I was planning to wear it as part of my berry/cherry scheme, with shades of pink that tonally match the cherry stripe. It would certainly go well with blue jeans, and if I wore browns, I think it would go well with beige and chocolate brown. I don't have any small pattern pants, but I think it would be fun to play with that idea. Your first example has 3 colors; I'd probably be the contrarian and match the red. Or I might wear it with blue, either one of the blues in the skirt (as pictured) or a pale blue that coordinated/tonally matched. I notice that the stock pix for La Ped's finds use a solid in a coordinating color, and one of them adds a neutral. The classic response, I think, is to go with one of the two colors. That's a sure thing, and I liked white pants for this tunic, but sometimes it can get --yawn--overly predictable. So I've "narrowed" it down to: repeat a color from the pattern, match one directly or tonally, mix with another pattern, wear a contrasting color &/or a neutral. Useful, eh? LaPed on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002904 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 11:14:05 +0000 LaPed 2002904@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm the opposite. It's very rare that I'm attracted to prints with more than two colours! And in general, when I do find a pattern that I love, one of the "colours" is black or white. The main exception to this would be plaids, but even in that case my favs tend to be fairly tonal (think Black Watch), rather than a mix of wildly different colours.  In all honesty, the patterns I choose tend to be so neutral, or else so reflective of the other colours in my wardrobe, that I don't even think about what colours I'm pairing with them. I'm not much of a pattern-mixer, so I generally just grab a solid-coloured item in a seasonally appropriate weight and go. Finds are some of the patterned items in my closet right now. Gigi on "How do you style two-color prints?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-style-two-color-prints#post-2002855 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 05:58:07 +0000 Gigi 2002855@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I hadn't thought much about this before, but you're right, this can be tricky if you are wanting to be original. If you don't want to go with one of the two colors of the print, I can think of a few options: (1) nude, clear, or metallic shoes; (2) an item in a tonal variation of one of the colors (e.g., light blue if the dress has dark blue in it; pink if the dress has red in it); (3) something in a neutral that is very sheer so as not to be too obvious (like a sheer wrap); (4) a completely unrelated color of item that you tie into the outfit via another accessory (e.g., yellow shoes and yellow earrings). For no. 4, you could experiment with using complementary colors, as Alicewonderland mentioned: purple with yellow, orange with blue.