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How to Wear Orange and Yellow

Women's Fashion Tips on Finding Your Perfect Color

© Gill Hart

Aug 14, 2008
Yellow Dress at L'Oreal Fall Fashion Week, Fashion Week Photos
Two of the most vibrant colors in the summer palette, lifting the spirits and brightening up a dull day. Wear them with care, and find a shade that's right for you.

According to In Style magazine, “What’s Your Perfect Color?’ (June 2008), yellow represents someone who is innovative and idealistic, whilst those who wear orange are extroverted, adventurous and expansive. Nothing looks better against a great summer beach tan than these cheerful happy colors.

Just as some women avoid wearing red, fun and flirty oranges and yellows have always been considered risky colors in women’s fashion. Not everyone can pull off this look. However, a dash of cheerfulness here and there, in the form of accessories or signature pieces to brighten up a wintry wardrobe, does wonders for your mood. This Fall 2008, slip into a daffodil sweater or accessorize one of the season's black or gray outfits with a caramel bag or belt.

Be warned, pale yellow or orange outfits can serve to make skin look sallow if worn with the wrong skin type. Add warmth by choosing a creamy hue. These fashion colors pair well with charcoal grays, deep browns and blues.

How to Wear Orange

The warmth of orange is really flattering next to most faces, making them glow; but be careful not to go over-the-top. There are various shades and hues ranging from mango to lighter rockmelon, then gravitating to brick-colored orangey browns.

  • Oranges tend to suit more olive-skinned women, although those with pale skins can go for a lighter, less vibrant shade, like a creamy rockmelon. This color looks good on women with golden hair and tawny skin.
  • Women with brown hair, brown eyes and olive complexions look wonderful in vibrant mango or tangerine shades. Tropical tones, reminiscent of sunsets, will bring out the color in dark eyes.

How to Wear Yellow

Whether its subtle lemon, daffodil, gold or honey, there is enough variation in color tones to match all skin types. Yellow radiates the light and really gets you noticed. The color of hot summer days, wear yellow and you can’t help but be cheerful.

  • Warm, dark golden yellows like honey or caramel best suit those women with blonde hair, dark eyes, and tawny skin tones. These warm undertones lift the complexion, whilst pale pastels can make skin look sallow.
  • Blonde and light brown-haired women with a lighter skin tone can carry off more lemony, golden tones. Warm yellows, but not too dark, will bring out the flecks of gold in hair, and make blue or green eyes sparkle.
  • Sunny shades of daffodil or lemon need either a very dark or light skin tone. Many pale skins have a cool blue undertone and therefore the warmth of this shade boosts the complexion. Women with dark features generally look dramatic in yellow, as against their skin, it appears elegant rather than gawdy.

The copyright of the article How to Wear Orange and Yellow in Women’s Fashion is owned by Gill Hart. Permission to republish How to Wear Orange and Yellow in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.


Yellow Dress at L'Oreal Fall Fashion Week, Fashion Week Photos
Colorful Orange Top, Massimiliano Pieraccini
Golden, Honey Colors Suite Blonde-Haired Women, Kurhan
Pale Lemon Dress, Dzimitry Valiushka
Yellow & Black Dress - a Perfect Combination, Bobby Deal


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