Not only do you get my ideas of how to style bright colors, but I twisted the arm of one of my regular readers to join me on this subject. The reason? She loves color as much as I do.

I know this because she responded to one of my emails saying “I usually wear color. The other day I must have been styled a bit muted and somebody at work asked me if I was okay. He was concerned that I was depressed because I wasn’t wearing a colorful look.”
It really goes to show how color is the first thing people notice. It is seriously that powerful.

Quote of the day: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Albert Einstein

When my reader, Kris, agreed to share some of her colorful looks, I let her style whatever she wanted. When you read some of the details about her outfits, you will realize how creative and thrifty she is. And exactly why she is a perfect contributor to the idea of how to style bright colors for my blog.

You’ll meet Kris below, and make sure to check out her FB page where she is selling her homemade bead earrings for as low as $5.

I realize that not everyone feels comfortable wearing bright colors. So I wanted to take the same outfit recipe and show it from a beginner’s standpoint (my outfit) vs an advanced view (Kri’s looks).

For those who would love some more inspiration about how to incorporate color into your looks, then check out some other articles

• Baby steps on adding color to a look
• Adding color to a black dress
• Summer brights from day to night

First, meet another color lover.

Welcome Kris

“First thing to know about me: I LOVE COLOR – So my closet looks like a rainbow.

I am happily married, going on 43 years in October, and the mother of 2 grown children; daughter, Lisa and son, Ryan. And grandma of a 7 year old granddaughter.

I grew up on a pig farm in West Michigan with 4 brothers. Being the only girl, my “jobs” were in the house, although I occasionally did help on the farm. I think I had a good blend of girlishness and tomboy, but I’m sure my mom would have said I was more tomboy until I grew older. I was going to say” grew up”, but I’m not sure I’m there yet… 

My mom loved to sew and made different clothes for me. Although she taught me how to sew, it’s not something I enjoy doing.  Growing up as the only girl, we went shopping a lot, especially for clothes. Even back in the 60’s and 70’s we hit the 2^nd hand stores, although they weren’t as good as they are now! My mom has passed on, but I now have a bonus mom (step) who loves to shop the 2^nd hand stores too. And so do my daughter and granddaughter.

I learned to hand sew at a fairly young age, making clothes for my Barbie dolls. There weren’t patterns, so they must have been quite the sight, but I was proud of them and so was my mom. I loved trying my hand at many different crafty things growing up and I still do. Some I’m good at and others not so good… LOL. I’ve dabbled in cross stitch, macrame, painting, knitting (scarves only), and “sculpting” with Styrofoam cones, wire & starched fabric, just to name a few. I currently have 2 hobbies I really enjoy: creating mosaic pieces and garden art using old dishes that I break up, a good stress reliever. Then this past fall I started making seed bead earrings after we took a trip out to the Grand Canyon, and at one of the hotels we stayed at there was a woman with the coolest seed bead earrings. They were just 3 very long strands of beads and I thought “I can make them, and I even have beads at home.” Well, I haven’t made those earrings yet, but I have made a bunch of others! (and she is selling them too. Check out her FB page)

I’m not sure when I first stumbled on Jodie’s Touch of Style, but I do remember that it was a link in another email I get. After reading it, I was hooked and subscribed to her emails so that I wouldn’t miss out. I remember telling my bonus mom about Jodie’s blog and I would start out with ‘my friend, Jodie says/does’. There was just something about her that exudes friendship! One day I tentatively reached out to her with a comment, and to my surprise and pleasure, she responded back!  

I’ve always enjoyed clothing, but Jodie has opened my eyes to so many different ideas and I now look at and think about what I’m putting together in a whole different way and my wardrobe has expanded just because I don’t always put the same things together each time!

Another person who has opened my eyes and mind to what to put together is my granddaughter. When she spends the night by us, she gets to pick out what jewelry I wear. She started doing this at the age of 2. I’ve taught her to look at what I’m wearing and what will “go” with it, but not necessarily match. Sometimes I have some pretty wild combinations, but at other times, she puts things together that I wouldn’t have thought of, and I really like the look. Regardless, I always wear what she suggests.

I’ve loved Jodie’s tips on storing stuff and thinking outside the box and using what I have available. I have since organized my scarves, shoes, jewelry, etc just by tips and hints from her.“

1-Colored Solid Top Pairing

Let’s start by pairing a colored yet solid top for the first Exercise on how to style bright colors.

Beginners: I opted for a melon colored top that is colorful but not as bright as Kris’s top. Then I paired it with a neutral pair of shorts. The darker shorts may help when starting to wear color because it tones down the overall vibe.
The only print is with my shoes which is hard to see because they are just 1/10 of the entire look and my earrings which are partially hidden by my hair.

Advanced: Kris took her solid lime green top and paired it with a bright red skirt. It is very reminiscent of an outfit I wore with a lime green sweater.
If that feels like too much colorful for anyone, you can see how adding a print jacket over the top is a fabulous option.

Related post: Best options for what to wear with lime green

2-Bright Color Skirt Options

Now let’s talk about how to wear bright colors for the bottom half of your outfit.

Beginners: I wore a bright red skirt just like Kris did. In case this seems like a lot of color, I paired it with a neutral top. Granted my neutral is a leopard print, but it is an easy way to begin to think of how to wear bright colors.
I kept the shoes muted with metallic sandals and even added a neutral hat to change the focus.

Advanced: Kris also wore a print top but one with a lot of bright colors in it. In fact, her top is a tunic length one that she made shorter (remember, we are the boss of our clothes-just because a top is long doesn’t mean you have to wear it that way) with a clip.
I also love that Kris is keeping it modern by wearing her white sneakers with the colorful look. She told me that the shoes have no support, but they are good for sitting days.

Insider tip: There are all kinds of these clips available on Amazon, and they work just as great for scarves, skirts, and even dresses.

3-Colorful Print Top with Print Mixing

For the next outfit recipe, we both wore bright colored print tops and incorporated print mixing.

Beginner: Even though print mixing can be overwhelming at first, I think it’s like anything. The more you practice, the easier it gets. With my red, print top, I paired it with a grey and white striped skirt.
I tied the look together with red sandals and metallic earrings.

Advanced: Kris’ outfit has a multicolored print top paired with a peach skort. Her print mixing comes in with the shoes. This is such a great way to take baby steps into print mixing if it seems hard at first.
I want to point out the details about this top. Kris is wearing it backward and tucking the ends in to create a “v-neck”. On top of that she dyed her shoes to make them tie-dye.

How to Style Bright Colors in a Dress

Last but not least is the idea of how to wear bright colors with a dress. Dresses can be a fabulous casual option that is easier, especially in the summer.

Beginner: I thought this dress worked well for the beginner’s version since the colors are brighter than neutrals, but still somewhat muted. I also added a hat that bookends the sandals to bring the focus to my face.

Advanced: Kris chose a bright print dress that is perfect for the hot weather since it is flowy.

Tips on How to Style Bright Colors

Most times, seeing clothing combinations can be the easiest way if you are trying to learn how to style bright colors. That’s why I thought it was helpful to include both beginner’s options and advanced options.
But here are a couple of things to consider:

• Start with bright colors in small doses. For example your shoes or accessories.
• Pair the colorful item with a neutral one. Grey or tan are probably the most muted neutrals. Black and white are good options but can be more saturated.
• When you combine two colors, have one be a bright color and the other be lighter or more muted.
• Don’t have a ton of bright colors in your closet to experiment with? Then hit the secondhand stores where you get a bigger bang for your buck. (Notice how many of Kris’ items as well as mine are thrifted)

And if you have questions or struggles, always feel free to reach out and ask me (jtouchofstyle.com@gmail.com). I love to help other women on how to style bright colors.

You should definitely sign up for the emails below. Besides the free eBook, my email family gets personal tidbits of what’s going on in my life along with other happenings, sales, information, giveaways, extra photos, and interesting articles.

Photo credit: Rob Filogomo

My Goal

Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any kind of budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.

My hope is that you get ideas and inspiration from Kris and myself. It’s not about copying what we wear, but about using what you already have and updating items along the way.
Most of all it’s getting us to think differently and dare I say, have fun.

Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.

It’s not just about me on this blog, but also my friends who are of different ages, and sizes with unique styles.

The post Beginner’s Guide on How to Style Bright Colors appeared first on Jodie’s Touch of Style.

Jodie Filogomo Fashion Stylist

Jodie's Touch of Style showcases how it's never too late to look great including other older women and myself talking about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle issues.

As a retired dentist, Jodie takes her love of clothing and shopping and has come to find her superpowers in styling the same item in many ways. She is also a huge advocate for embracing our age and bodies. Getting old is a wonderful thing and learning to love ourselves while it happens is very freeing.

Looking great can happen no matter what age, shape or budget, as we show on Jodie's Touch of Style.