Monochromatic Outfits: The Do's and Don't's

By: Caroline Saviano

We’ve all been there. It’s 7:45 a.m. and your room is covered in clothes, but you still have nothing to wear. An easy way to still make it to your 8 a.m. on time, look stylish, and keep your sanity, is centering your outfit around one color.

Monochromatic looks have been around for years now. Kim Kardashian’s go-to mono- look is a beige two-piece set with tan booties. Even if you’re just throwing on black joggers and a black hoodie, one-color looks can go wrong quick.

Let’s analyze monochromatic style and set apart the do’s and don't’s, so you can rock this look the right way.

Monochromatic DO's

A preconceived notion about styling one color is that they all have to be the same shade. Mono-looks stand out and work best if the color is broken up. Styling an outfit with different shades of one color is a sure-fire way to achieve this trend.

 

 

To add fun to an outfit with a single color, play around with textures! Sure, we all wish we could be in leggings instead of jeans and call it a look, but pairing denim with a thick sweater or a leather bag adds dimension to your outfit.

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Even though this trend centers around one hue, adding a pop of color is a great way to accentuate the look. You can play around with complementary colors, or just highlight your color with a white t-shirt. Either way, a second color done sparingly finishes off the look perfectly. 

It’s really easy when styling a monochromatic look to break out all your beige, white, or black pieces. Neutrals are easy to pair together, but don’t feel like you need to stick to bland colors. Some of the best monochromatic looks are done with bright colors and bold pieces; have fun with your styling!

Monochromatic DON'T's

Often with this trend, stylists go too heavy and they lose the fashionable sense in the outfit. Especially with all black looks, breaking up the color is a necessity. This could be done with either a white top, or showing some skin. Wearing the same shade head-to-toe can make you appear shorter.

Are you really putting together a look if you don’t go way overboard on bracelets? Under-accessorizing is a common mistake for this trend. Your accessories can add to the color, or be what helps break it up. Either way, you shouldn't have to part with your favorite chunky necklace in the name of style.

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What’s better than a blue sweater? A striped blue sweater. Patterns are often tossed to the side when making a monochromatic outfit. Patterns can be a crucial part to any outfit, they can add in a second color, and most certainly add texture to your look.

What often happens when styling a mono-look, is pulling every article of clothing of the same hue and throwing them all on your body. Less is definitely more when putting these outfits together. Ditching a scarf or a hat can make you look so much more put together and will streamline the look.

Now that you know all the do’s and dont’s for monochromatic looks, make sure you try them out and tag us at @theedgemag !