Bright Winter outfits
The easiest way to build Bright Winter outfits is to start with black or charcoal and add one pure, vivid color, like bright cobalt, magenta or emerald.
Bright Winter outfit formulas
Office day
A pure white blouse under a charcoal blazer, plus a bright cobalt bag
Casual weekend
Black jeans worn with an icy aqua sweater plus silver grey sneakers
Evening out
A bright emerald dress, black heels, plus a pure white clutch
Summer afternoon
A bright watermelon top over soft white linen pants and deep pewter sandals
Cold weather layering
A bright magenta knit under a deep charcoal coat with an icy lilac scarf
Of all the winter seasons, Bright Winter is the clearest one, which means your clothes flatter you most in pure, saturated and icy shades rather than anything soft or dusty.
- Favorite neutral: Black
- Favorite metals: Polished silver and white gold
- Colors that define you: Bright Magenta, Bright Cobalt and Bright Emerald, along with Bright True Red and Icy Aqua
- Another name: Clear Winter
How to put your outfits together
Your coloring is cool with a lot of contrast. Contrast simply means how far apart your lightest and darkest colors are, and in your case that gap should be obvious. True black and true white both look striking on you instead of draining you, so building on black and white is always a dependable beginning.
A neutral is a calm shade that forms the backbone of an outfit, things such as black, grey, charcoal or white. The palette includes 12 of these, ranging from Pure White and Soft White all the way to Deep Charcoal and Black. Pick 1 or 2 to begin with, then bring in 1 clear color so the whole thing has life.
Soft, earthy shades such as olive and mustard have a habit of turning your skin grey and dull. For that reason, each outfit formula here sticks to clean neutrals and clear colors and skips anything dusty.
| Look | Neutral base | Clear or icy shade | Key pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office day | Charcoal with Pure White | Bright Cobalt | Blazer in charcoal, blouse in pure white, bag in bright cobalt |
| Casual weekend | Black with Silver Grey | Icy Aqua | Jeans in black, sweater in icy aqua, sneakers in silver grey |
| A night out | Black plus Pure White | Bright Emerald | Dress in bright emerald, heels in black, clutch in pure white |
| Warm afternoon | Soft White plus Deep Pewter | Bright Watermelon | Linen pants in soft white, top in bright watermelon, sandals in deep pewter |
| Layering for cold days | Deep Charcoal | Bright Magenta paired with Icy Lilac | Coat in deep charcoal, knit in bright magenta, scarf in icy lilac |
Where to put the bright color
The boldest color belongs near your face, so think tops, knits or scarves. A shirt in bright magenta or cobalt immediately draws attention to your eyes, and that's exactly the goal.
An accent is just a little hit of color that catches the eye, say a bag or a scarf. There are 2 types in your palette. The bright accents, things like Bright True Red or Bright Cobalt, bring energy. The icy ones, like Icy Aqua, Light Mint and Pale Lilac, are pale but still crisp, so they look fresh next to dark neutrals.
If your top stays neutral, let a bag do the color work instead. The office day outfit shows how, with a bright cobalt bag sitting against the charcoal and white pairing.
A bright winter capsule for you
Think of a capsule wardrobe as a compact group of pieces that all work together, so a small number of clothes turns into many outfits. Everything listed here comes directly out of the outfit formulas.
- Base pieces: a charcoal blazer and black jeans
- A coat in charcoal or deep charcoal for chilly days
- A pure white blouse plus soft white linen pants for lightness
- Color near the face: a knit in bright magenta plus a top in bright watermelon
- An icy aqua sweater when you want softer but still clear
- A bright emerald dress for evenings
- Shoes: black heels, silver grey sneakers, deep pewter sandals
- Extras: a bag in bright cobalt, a clutch in pure white and a scarf in icy lilac
Later on you can bring in more shades from the main colors of your palette, for instance Bright Royal Blue, Bright Fuchsia, Bright Violet or Bright Cherry. All of them pair with the same neutrals.
Prints and patterns
The same principle applies to prints as to solid colors. Go for patterns in crisp, distinct shades with strong contrast, like pure white paired with black, or a deep neutral beside a vivid palette color.
Patterns in muted, earthy or washed-out colors hurt your look just as olive and mustard do. They blur the contrast your coloring depends on and can leave your skin looking tired.
Shoes, bags and metals
Choose shoes in your neutrals so they pair with your whole wardrobe. Black, Deep Pewter and Silver Grey each show up in the outfit formulas. Bags are a natural home for an accent, Bright Cobalt for daytime or Pure White for evening. When it comes to jewelry, polished silver and white gold are your best friends. Silver sits cleanly against your skin, whereas yellow gold often turns brassy on you.
What about clothes in skip colors?
The shades to skip are Teal, Soft Rose, Denim, Dusty Apple Green, Mahogany and Soft Coral. You don't have to throw those clothes out. Just wear them lower down, as trousers, skirts or shoes, where they touch your skin far less.
If a favorite top happens to be in one of those shades, wrap a scarf in a palette color around your neck. Pure White, Icy Lilac or Bright Raspberry each put clear color back next to your face.
Questions people often ask
What to wear instead of black for work?
Charcoal, Deep Charcoal and Deep Pewter each carry enough darkness to create the contrast you need. Pair those with Pure White or Icy Cornflower close to your face so the whole look stays crisp.
Staying cool in summer without feeling heavy
On warm days, build from the light neutrals, such as Soft White or Pure White. Then add a single crisp top (Pale Turquoise, Light Mint or Bright Watermelon) and save the dark shades for your shoes, such as Deep Pewter sandals.
What makeup works with an all-neutral outfit?
Lips in soft pastel shades can leave your face looking pale and half finished, particularly next to grey or stone clothing. A lipstick that's as clear as your main colors (a clear red or berry, say) supplies the brightness your outfit is missing.