Column: You should be wearing colorful clothing for spring

It’s finally spring! 

Usually spring is that in-between, semi-warm time that lasts for two weeks before we hit 80+ degree territory. This year, however, after an unusually long and snowy Chapel Hill winter, spring feels like a real season.

Spring is my favorite season, because: a) My birthday is in spring, b) I seem to be growing out of my seasonal allergies, c) The flowers and trees are at their peak, and d) I love spring fashion.

Unlike fall fashion, spring fashion is less defined; it means pastels or bright colors, and layering just enough for a breeze without a real jacket. I find this vague definition to be an opportunity, because in my opinion, spring means wearing the most color possible in one outfit.

Wearing color is tricky. Once you’re an adult, you’re always teetering that line of looking your age and looking like an unusually tall second grader. Perhaps in an effort to not look like this, I’ve noticed that people on campus tend to stick to neutrals with maybe one color thrown in. But as the girl who writes the fashion column, I am on a mission to rid this campus of neutrals (at least until summer). 

These are my tips for wearing lots of color in a way that feels like spring, but not in an elementary school kind of way.

1. The Two-Color Combinations

This is one of the simplest ways I incorporate color in my outfits. Pick two colors that typically match together (pink and purple, yellow and blue, green and blue) and put an outfit together using those as accent colors. I’m not saying you have to wear purple pants with a hot pink top, but if you’re wearing jeans and a pink shirt, consider a purple cardigan instead of a black or white jacket. Instantly, you look like you thought about your outfit way more than you did, and you’re wearing two different colors without actually trying that hard. Pastels work best with these kinds of combinations, because most of them match.

2. The Ruth Rose 

This might be too niche, but I grew up reading the A to Z Mysteries series, and the character Ruth Rose always wore the same color head-to-toe. The author might have thought it was a fun quirk, but I saw it as a personal challenge and dressed like that throughout fourth and fifth grade. As adults, we don’t need to commit that hard, but there is still some value in utilizing different shades of the same color in one outfit. Jeans with a light blue top looks very Carolina in the best way. A maroon skirt with a pastel pink top? Perfect for Valentine’s Day. This is a great option for that one statement piece that you never know how to style, and a monochrome outfit always looks put together.

3. Using Brown, Black and White to Tie Everything Together

I know I rallied against neutrals earlier, but they still have a very important purpose in my closet: coordination. Even the most chaotic outfit can look intentional if you have some kind of coordination, and that’s where the neutrals come in. If your bright green shirt has white flowers on it, white is the color you’re coordinating. With a white belt and white shoes, you can add another bright color to your pants/skirt and still look put-together (especially if your bottoms also have some white in them).

4. Interesting Pants

We all need more interesting pants. Flowy pants. Bell-bottoms. Embroidered jeans. Everyone who has interesting pants seems like an interesting person (I say this self-indulgently, as someone who owns many interesting pairs of pants). Interesting pants are also the easiest way to add color, as you can stick to neutrals for a top, shoes, and accessories if you already have the pants as a statement piece.

5. Pastels or Jewel Tones

Spring, for me, gives off a certain pastel vibe that I’ve mentioned multiple times in this article, and I think they’re the best introduction to wearing colors without being overwhelming. Pastels just feel soft and unintimidating, and mixing and matching them is easy. However, I’m also here to sell jewel tones as an equally good color investment. I’m talking maroon, emerald, dark blue and violet. On the surface, they seem very intense and statement-like (at least to me), but they mix well together and are also a great option for people who want to wear color, but don’t want to stand out a ton. 

Fun fact: For this article, I had to bring five different outfits to campus, and I looked stupid doing it. So take advantage of spring while you can, and wear some color!

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com