Light Spring outfits

Putting Light Spring colors together

Contrast is the gap between the lightest and darkest colors you have on. For Light Spring, aim for low to medium, which means your top and bottom shouldn't differ much in how light or dark they are. Pairing a very dark piece with a pale one breaks up the palette's gentle mood.

Because most of your colors are light, a dark piece draws more attention than you'd guess. Black worn near the face can leave you looking drained and tired. Pure white can feel too sharp as well, so soft cream or ivory is usually the better choice for your light base.

Which neutral should you pick?

For this season, ivory is the one to reach for. It sits quietly against your skin, so blouses, tees and sneakers in ivory are always safe.

The other neutrals below open up more options for trousers, jackets and bags:

• Tops and light layers: Cream and Light Stone
• Blazers, shoes and belts: Light Camel, Pale Caramel and Tan
• A cooler, quieter base: Pale Blue Grey, Greige and Light Mushroom
• Relaxed weekend pieces: Light Khaki and Soft Khaki
• Soft Peach, for a neutral with a hint of warmth

Where an accent color goes

An accent is a bolder shade worn in a small dose, and it gives an outfit somewhere for the eye to land. Your accents include Coral, Jade, Turquoise, Gold, Soft Poppy and Bright Tangerine.

Peach and coral tones flatter your face instantly, so a main shade like Bright Peach or Light Coral belongs in a top. Bolder accents land best in one clear spot, such as a belt, a small bag or a dress. The Dinner out formula shows this: pale caramel heels and a gold clutch with a soft poppy dress.

Light spring capsule wardrobe

Think of a capsule wardrobe as a small group of pieces in colors that all work with each other, so nearly any top pairs with nearly any bottom. Every piece below comes from your palette, and between them they handle all 5 outfit formulas shown here.

• An ivory blouse
• A cream tee
• A light camel blazer
• A light stone jacket
• Pale blue grey pants
• Soft khaki joggers
• Light coral trousers
• A bright peach sweater
• A butter yellow cardigan
• A light aqua sundress
• A soft poppy dress

For work, try the ivory blouse under the light camel blazer, with light coral trousers. Come the weekend, the cream tee and butter yellow cardigan go nicely with the pale blue grey pants.

Prints and patterns

Patterns play by the same rule as solid clothes: pick light palette shades that stay close to each other in depth. Prints with an ivory, cream or soft peach base keep that gentle feel close to your face.

Your signature shades are a reliable guide for the pattern itself. Soft Apple Green, Butter Yellow, Light Aqua and Pale Cornflower get along well because they all share that light, fresh feel. Prints containing black or navy pull in the dark shades that sit outside your palette.

Shoes, bags and metals

Light warm neutrals for your shoes and bags keep an outfit from feeling heavy at the bottom. The formulas use tan sandals, ivory sneakers and pale caramel heels. Light Mushroom and Greige also belong to your palette and make great bags for daily use.

Light gold and rose gold jewelry sits quietly against your skin. For evenings, a gold clutch is a simple accent. Dark Cognac sits on your skip list, so a bag in lighter caramel or tan will usually be the better choice.

Wearing pieces from your skip list

Pieces in black, navy, emerald, dark magenta or dark cognac can stay in your closet. Just wear them lower down, as trousers, skirts or shoes.

When a dark top or coat sits close to your face, put a scarf in a palette color between them, so the shade next to your skin is one that flatters you. A scarf in light coral or butter yellow over a navy coat works. So does a cream cardigan over a dark shirt.