Last weekend I found myself sitting outside a dressing room cheering on and advising my shopping companion on her latest finds. As she hopped in-and-out of the fitting room trialing each outfit and squinting into the mirror, I became labeled as more than just the friend she turned to, but the “other mirror”, the “of course that doesn’t make you look fat” girl, and my personal favorite, “please don’t leave the store with that” beggar.  

She stepped out and revealed her final piece: a pale orange, turtle-neck sweater: a clear color favorite and staple-look for many designers for Spring. She took one look in the mirror and gasped. (The gasp was kind of spot on.) The bulky, pastel sweater drowned-out her even more pale winter skin. Turning from the mirror in a flurry of luke-warm orange, she immediately denounced the idea that she could ever wear any shade of orange and rushed back into her room defeated. 

(Orange 1, Woman 0)

Completely disowning the sunny color is not the only option. There is still a battle to be fought! While food shopping at the Reading Terminal on Saturday, I was delighted to find inspiration from the Streetlight’s Fashionistas and Fashionistos I ran into. Enthused by their careful mix of colors and subtle ways to tie orange in to their looks, I wanted to share the best tips and strategies of how to tackle orange this spring.

• My favorite and most important tip is to mix. Look to orange’s close complimentary color, blue. When incorporating the two colors, as seen above, be sure to match fiery, red-oranges with navy-blue and light oranges with light blue. The colors are compatible and will match their aggressiveness.
• Don’t shy from wearing a statement orange dress. Taking advice from the first suggestion, you could pair a fierce orange with a navy blazer or opt for a more casual look with a jean jacket.

• If you are going for full-ensemble, look-at-me orange, than focus on balance. A knee-length, high-neck dress will drown out most women’s features. Shop for a slim silhouette and less material than you would in another color.  Prove that you have more skin color than just your poor, pale face popping out at the top.
• By pairing orange with navy you will steer clear from matching it with the usual go-to color: black. Stay clear from becoming a walking Halloween decoration. (Scary!)
• Still not sold? Try a slice of orange. The Streetlights above worked just a bit of orange in to their everyday ensembles to add just a bit more flair, prep, and color to their looks.

Style on.

XX,

GG