Your Stylist: Yellow is summer’s ‘it’ color
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Resident Image stylist and market editor Melissa Magsaysay soothes your sartorial woes in the weekly Your Stylist blog column
I ran into my very cool and always fashionable friend Ali last week at (not surprisingly) the nail salon, and she was toting a season’s old, but very current looking, neon yellow Celine chain strap bag that brought incredible life to her simple ensemble of a charcoal gray blazer, black skinny trousers and white t-shirt. It was the pop of yellow that tied her sleek basics together so well and worked perfectly to update a classic look. A pop of the sunny shade is also a great tool in this transitional weather -– you can wear lighter or layerable pieces from fall or winter and just update them with a hit of summery, sunshine-y color.
Ali’s yellow bag also caught my eye because the way she paired it with a tailored charcoal blazer made for such a fresh and interesting combination. The pairing worked similarly to the way the season’s acid bright hues look with tan or nude accents, but the citrus shade against a stormy palette feels so bold and unexpected.
Designers are not only churning out accessories in shocking versions of yellow, they’re also doing some variations on the yellow and gray combo. Check out Tory Burch’s contrasting elastic espadrille wedges – they’re primarily yellow, with a gray border on the straps. The gray helps to temper the brightness and adds a modern richness rather than just solid yellow straps.
Jil Sander also has a two-toned wedge using this cool color combo, this time with a little more of a silver. The asymmetrical straps on the Sander sandals are a lemon yellow and shimmery silver, providing an interesting contrast that would look great paired with cropped white jeans and a black T-shirt. The shoe also fits the season’s color blocking trend, but in a subtle and chic way.
Of course there are also a slew of fun and sunny yellow hand bags out there right now that will break up and revive your neutral basics or go-to items for summer. Go for something unapologetically yellow, not some soft buttery shade that teeters on tan or beige. Those colors are fine, but won’t have the same impact as these more shocking versions of the shade.
Smaller cross-body bags or a clutch is a good option, because it will give your look that right amount of unexpected pop. For the more daring dresser, a larger tote or satchel in yellow looks great too -- it’s just much more of a commitment.
Don’t be intimidated by the color, temper it with white or gray for a clean and modern look. You can even pair a yellow bag with a floral dress that has little hits of yellow in it. The yellow accessory will work to bring out the color in the dress and tie your whole look together.
Yellow is definitely the color of summer and this time around, it’s anything but mellow.
Send your style queries to melissa.magsaysay@latimes.com
-- Melissa Magsaysay
RELATED:
Your Stylist: How to wear spring’s acid bright hues
Your Stylist: Summer’s super-colorful jean pool
Your Stylist: Finding the right swimsuit for a post-baby body