Neutral Colors and How to Wear Them

Neutral colors are simple to wear and are perfect colors to look elegant. Are you someone who prefers neutral shades? Here are a few lists of neutral colors and inspiring styling tips for wearing these timeless shades.

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What are Neutral Colors?

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Neutral colors range from black, white, navy, to various shades of brown, grey, beige, and cream. The tones, shades, and tints of black, white, and brown form the neutral color palette. A tint is a mixture of a color with white, while the shade is a mixture with black. The tone is created by mixing grey color to the base color. For example, the grey color would include light, medium, and dark grey.

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Neutral shades can be combined and paired with more vibrant colors for essential balance in design including graphics, interiors, and of course fashion. The charm of neutrals is that they make a great base for other brighter colors, and always look good all together too. Neutrals are stylish, look cool, and there are plenty of surprising combinations that can suit any taste and mood. So, neutrals look impressive when accessorized, layered correctly, and paired with the right colors.

Regardless of your style type, a neutral look has many upsides:
• It’s easy to coordinate with all outfits.
• Neutrals form the base of your wardrobe.
• They blend with all vibrant colors and create a chic and perfect balance.
• They work well both casual and formal ensembles.

Mixing Neutral Colors

While style is all about pairing brights with neutral colors, recent fashion trends include wearing neutrals with neutral shades. The best part about neutral colors is that you can use the same pieces to create different neutral outfits. First of all, a neutral color palette doesn’t draw too much attention to itself, and neutral outfits look elegant.

Secondly, adding various complementary colors to neutral outfits creates an entirely new style statement each time! And if you wish for the head to toe monochromatic look with the neutral palette, you can style tonal outfits for an edgy twist.

So whether you’re a neutral wardrober or just want to add a bit of simplicity in your everyday style, we’ve created a list of must-try neutral colors every fashionista needs to wear. Here are some tips for using neutral shades in your outfits that will inspire you to try this balanced trend and create a flawless outfit each time!

List of Neutral Colors

1. Ivory

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Ivory is an off-white color that feels quiet and pleasant. For an easy way to rock the trend, try starting with an ivory-colored shirt dress. This neutral contrasts well with dark shades. Another option is to wear an ivory shirt dress with jeans. This look is a better choice for casual occasions or evenings out. You can pair an ivory dress with printed boots or with a pair of heels.

2. Porcelain

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Porcelain is the color of light beige and gives an expensive look. This neutral shade looks great when paired with bright and bold patterns. Porcelain color trousers, skirts, and jackets look fabulous, and it’s a great way to include this shade in your wardrobe. So go for a shift dress and pair it with Chelsea boots or thigh-high boots. Ivory and porcelain also pair well with wine and burgundy shades. So wear a porcelain dress with wine lip & nails.

3. Nude

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

There are as many shades of nudes as there are types of skin tones. The nude shade is one of my favorites when it comes to choosing cool colors. Nude shades are ideal for natural and fresh makeup. So freshen up your lipstick wardrobe with a nude lip color. A nude lip is chic, and it lends the perfect canvas for you to shot out a bold, smoky eye. This neutral tone of lipstick can make your skin look glowing and gorgeous! You can style a sundress with a white shirt and t-strap shoes for a jazzy ensemble.

4. Blush Nude

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them
CHANEL

Blush nude is a pinky tone of nude, and this cool shade compliments every skin tone. This shade is the trendy color for nails and goes pretty well with any ensemble. You can style this shade with a maxi dress, or a skirt teamed up with a white top. Blush nude is a great shoe option for pale pink or white dresses. You can try this neutral shade for instant glamour!

5. Beige

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them
Mango

Beige color gives us the warmth of the color brown and reminds us of the mood of calm and relaxing. You can go for beige color trousers, a trench coat, or godet skirts for a pale warm appearance. For stylish and beautiful layers, try mixing different shades of beige within your outfit. You can pair ribbed detail cardigan with sleek white jeans and a white top. Make a statement with a pair of stiletto heel. And this neutral look is perfect for the ultimate street glam! You can also pair beige and white for an elegant look.

6. Tan

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Tan is a warm neutral color, and it’s easy to use this in your outfit. Trousers, shorts, or skirts in this shade are dreamy pieces for those who love casual styles. If you wish for a head to toe neutral look, try pairing tan with beige color. For an elegant look, you can team up neutral color tan trousers with a black striped shirt and a turtle neck top. Complete the look with sneakers and a bag.

7. Hazelnut

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them
Mango

Hazelnut is a beautiful warm brown color. So it’s a perfect way to adopt this shade in your trousers, palazzos, and leather pants. It coordinates well with whites, off-white, beige tones. It’ll be a stunning choice for a day full of meetings or a weekend full of brunch. You can style this super cute look of hazelnut trousers and a matching high necked tank top!

8. Cream

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them
Mango

If you like the view and feel of wearing a neutral all over, then cream is a great choice. It also highlights the warm skin tones. The cream color is good neutral to fuse with the white color shirt. It’s a good option to make the outfit more sincere and classy. Pair a cream-colored blazer with trousers, a white shirt, and a handbag. Add this look to your formal collection for a classy touch! The cream goes very well with olive too, so wear an olive green skirt with a cream top to your date.

9. Dove

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Dove color is a warm gray with a slight purplish or pinkish tint. This frosty neutral tone is best suitable for a casual and stylish outfit. So go for a dove color pump heel, or metal link watch. This neutral-toned heel can give an optimal finishing touch to any street style look. Or wear a dove colored watch with business or casual outfit.

10. Pewter

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Pewter is a shade of metallic gray that varies from medium to dark tones. If you prefer a stylish and everyday winter look, opt for a knit sweater in pewter and denim jeans. Pewter colored shoes or strappy heels can work well with a deep crimson dress. A turtle neck top in this shade with black denims is also a good way to capture a simple but striking aesthetic.

11. Mocha

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

A classic neutral color, mocha is a cooler and medium shade of brown that makes a wearer feel warm and cozy. If you like to go all out, go for a mocha hair color or nail shade, and pair it with white or ivory, which will make the overall appearance vibrant and beautiful. Since this is a balanced neutral shade of warm and cool, it flatters most skin tones. You can also pair this shade with black eye makeup. For a simple and sophisticated look, you can opt for an all-mocha outfit, pairing lighter and darker shades of it.

12. Chocolate

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Anything is good if it’s made of chocolate. Yum right! This shade is a tone of dark brown that resembles chocolate. Try wearing a chocolate-colored shirt with grey trousers for a surprisingly chic and sophisticated ensemble. This color can also be great to use in nail polish or lipstick even. The chocolate color goes well with cream and rust tones, too.

13. Pistachio

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them
Shopbop

One of the new subtle and chic colors to emerge this season is this soft, beautiful shade – pistachio! Make a pretty statement in a pistachio dress or pair up a skirt with a white V-neck cardigan. A great way to wear the color subtly is to do it with your accessories and strappy sandals. So you can try a grey dress with pistachio shoes & accessories.

14. Carbon Grey

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Carbon grey is a sophisticated and timeless shade. Ankle boots in this shade are fabulous and are an easy inclusion in any outfit. Carbon grey colored pump heels, leather coats, and jackets have been an essential part of winter fashion collections for decades. Helping you look chic and prepared for anything without spending a ton of time combing through your wardrobe.

15. Charcoal

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

If you want a goth pairing without going for black, charcoal grey is your shade. The charcoal color feels more relaxing and one of the most versatile neutral shades. Sunglasses in charcoal are bound to be the star of your look. Bold and beautiful, they are perfect for heart, rectangular and square-shaped faces. Pair your sunglasses with a collared shirt or loose t-shirt with jeans or trousers for a dazzling look.

16. Syrup

Neutral colors and How to Wear Them

Syrup color radiates warmth, and if you want to lift your mood, then syrup is the best choice. This color would make any outfit look trendier. With a pair of jeans and a white turtleneck top, you can wear a syrup colored trench coat. Contrast your trench coat with sneakers or with boots. Grab a leather handbag for a polished look, or you can go for syrup colored skirt with a pale yellow satin top for a bold and powerful look!

Try not to always limit your fashion to a particular color or shade. Neutrals are all about mixing and matching-creating variations of contrasts and monochromes. So don’t be afraid of trying new color combinations! Do you like any other neutral colors or outfits? Let us know in the comments.

We’d love to see your neutral-colored outfits, so do share them with us on Instagram by tagging us @shilpaahujadotcom & we’ll ‘like’ your pic!

Read next:

Mix and Match Style Guide for 5 Must-Have Nude Fashion Items
21 Winter Colors from Classic to Trendy & How to Use Them

1 thought on “Neutral Colors and How to Wear Them”

  1. Hello, I found your article very helpful, thank you. Though I am little puzzled that your article should seem to be specifically geared towards people of European heritage which makes up but a small fraction of the world population.

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