Favorite Looks: Black + Candy

I’m a fan of color most of the time. It’s a great way to spice up a look and it’s a happy-maker if there ever was one :).  If you steer away from a lot of color due to concern about saccharine overload, one of the simplest remedies is pairing it with solid, grounding, sophisticated black. It’s easy, it’s functional, you have it in your wardrobe already and you don’t need a Masters in color theory to figure out what to combine.  Make black the focal point of the look with an LBD, coordinating skirt and top or summer suit and add accents in a color that makes your fashion-heart sing. I’ve been loving the lavender shades that are finally showing up again; it’s been a lost color for a few years and I’ll never know why – it’s so gorgeous and summery! And it brings a lightness to black that makes a playful variation from chic red or true-but-oft-tried neutrals. If a matching belt and shoes is beyond your wardrobe’s current abilities, carry the color with a bag, baubletry or a scarf instead.
You can push the envelope a little further by eschewing matchy-matchy and going for a same-color-family pairing: soft carnation pink with bright rose, pastel peach with intense orange, pale banana with vibrant lemon, whispery baby blue with deep cobalt. This is a perfect spot for a cord-hung pendant, beaded jewelry or other accent pieces that aren’t all about the metallic.
Black makes such a strong tonal anchor that it allows you to jump off the diving board even further: try mixing two bright shades with it! A simple-with-a-twist tee paired with black denim, cargo or suitpants makes for a  relaxed but pulled together look…and the vibe gets super summer-ready with a double color-pop! I love the sunshiney connotation of orange and yellow it just lights up a room! (And your mood :)) Consider other fun  two-fers as well: hot pink and aqua, lilac and mint, sky blue and peach, banana and coral. Get a little crazy – with stalwart black hues backing you, you can hardly go wrong! How candy can ya go? :) I hope this inspires you to try out some candy shades soon! Happy styling :)