It snaps. It crackles. It pops. Bright hits of color wake up all those blacks and grays in your wardrobe this fall. We're not talking head-to-toe neon here. One kick is all you need. Layering color on top of dark neutrals is a trick used by many fashion pros. So start searching now for those special ways to give your clothes a spirited twist with one explosion of color. Here's the shopping list:
- Pop it with a colorful handbag. I know it's hard for some of us to get used to toting around a bag the color of the great pumpkin or a hundred juicy limes. But you can really update a gray suit with a structured handbag (I particularly love the big clutches) that's on the bright side - maybe not the day you have to go to court - but any other time you feel like you need a style boost.
FALL COLOR - Fall's neutrals are brightened up with pops of color. Here Isaac Mizrahi is his fall collection for Target layers a bright green cardigan vest over a plaid chiffon blouse and wide-leg gray trousers. CNS Photo courtesy of Isaac Mizrahi.
- Pop it with a colorful pair of shoes. This is another brave way to express your fashion savvy. Wearing a pair of hot pink patent leather pumps, you'll feel like you're a kid again on Easter Sunday. Otherwise stick to a lively pair of colorful flats - red's an energetic start.
- Pop it with a colorful pair of gloves. Easy, easy. And if you get tired of those cobalt blue gloves, you can always take them off. You step into your office, and off they go. Trend tip for this fall: go for the longer elbow-length leather gloves.
- Pop it with a colorful sweater. The layered look is still a big hit for fall. It's easy to take your basic separates and add one more knit cardigan, vest or tunic on top in a statement-making hue that adds some excitement to the neutrals underneath.
- Pop it with a colorful skirt. This is a simple way to give your basic sweaters and tops a new lease on life. Take your black or gray turtleneck sweater and top off a pencil skirt in your favorite color. Add dark tights and ankle boots. Or if you're more adventurous, match your skirt to your shoes and you'll get a bonus boost of color and style.
- Pop it with a colorful coat. One of the season's biggest trends, the bright coat, is a great way to cover up this season and dress up those dark classic skirts and trousers we all have in our closets. The bold coat is also a great "go-with" for the new tailored jeans that are turning up for fall.
Be bright. Be bold. Be happy.
Sharon Mosley is a former fashion editor of the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock and executive director of the Fashion Editors and Reporters Association.
© Copley News Service