How To Style A Monochrome Outfit Like A Color-Wearing Pro

How To Style A Monochrome Outfit

I love a monochromatic outfit no matter what the season, occasion, or dress code. It’s such an easy way to feel put together and, when done correctly, it can look SO stylish. A well-styled monochrome outfit can really make a statement or give an understated, sophisticated look. In this post, I’m sharing a few helpful tips on how to style a monochrome outfit. Plus, eight outfit ideas that will give you some inspiration for the next time you put together your monochrome outfit…including everything from neutrals like black and white to bright colors like pink and blue!

If you want more outfit inspo, you can find more monochromatic summer outfits in this post.

Start With Something You Love

My first tip for styling a monochrome outfit is to start with something you love. I’m talking about the pieces that you put on and feel amazing in…whether it’s that favorite pair of pants, your go-to white button-shirt, or that fun hot pink blazer that makes you feel like a boss. Or maybe it’s that feathery top you love but don’t get to wear very often 😉 This will help you incorporate your own personal style into the look and make sure you feel good while building your monochromatic outfits.

Vary Tones & Shades

The next tip is to pick a color family instead of a single color. When you wear a monochromatic outfit, you don’t want to wear the exact same color head-to-toe because the outfit can fall flat and look too matchy-matchy. Wearing multiple shades of the same color will help add depth to your look.

Vary Textures & Fabrics

Like wearing different shades of the same color, you should also wear different textures and fabrics in the same color. Wearing head-to-toe silk could look extremely chic…but it wouldn’t add enough visual interest to your look. Don’t be afraid to mix, denim, silk, cashmere, linen, etc.

Choose The Right Color for You

We all love to gravitate toward neutrals like black, white, brown, etc. And I love an all-black look for date night or an event. But sometimes black can be too harsh on some skin tones. Instead of trying to create a monochromatic look in a neutral, I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and try a new color. Have you ever worn a color and gotten lots of compliments? Try to create a monochrome look in that color! For example, I get compliments when I wear pinks, blues, and yellows so I’ve worn head-to-toe outfits in those colors.

Incorporate Prints

I tend to shy away from prints, but they can be really helpful when building a monochrome outfit because of the way the print breaks up the colors and adds more interest to the look. Just be aware of where you’re wearing the print on your body. If you’re a triangle shape, consider wearing the print on your top to balance out your hips. If you’re an inverted triangle body shape, consider wearing a print on your bottom half to balance out your broader shoulders.

Add Accessories

Don’t forget about your shoes and accessories! If you have that perfect colorful bag to go with your monochrome outfit, it adds a little extra oomph. But if you don’t have the perfect hot pink pumps or bright white bag, don’t worry. When in doubt, style your look with neutral accessories, subtle jewelry, and skin-colored shoes.

8 Monochrome Outfits

Below, I’m sharing EIGHT monochrome outfits to help you find inspiration and use them as a springboard for your own monochromatic style…

Pink Event Outfit

In this look, we’re taking a pair of pink pants by Favorite Daughter and pairing them with a silky pink cami, a chic pink blazer, and some pink heels. You can see how all of these different tones and textures work together to make the ultimate pink outfit. I understand that not everyone loves pink as much as I do so next, I’m sharing a neutral color option…

White Casual Outfit

Remember how I mentioned that you should start building your monochrome outfit by starting with something you love and feel good in? Well, for a lot of women, a basic white tee is a go-to, so I built this whole outfit around it! And…all of the pieces in this look are actually pieces I own and love. The Cinq a Sept blazer (same as the pink from look #1) is the perfect fit and has ruched sleeves so you don’t have to deal with pushing your sleeves up. The Mother jeans are a pair I own in multiple washes and I just love the length, high rise, and overall fit. And the sneakers are new from this year’s NSale and they’re SO comfy and chic.

Notice how I kept the main pieces white but mixed in some neutrals like brown, beige, and gold jewelry? Your shoes and jewelry are a great way to break up the look a bit and add interest.

Green Brunch Outfit

I personally love wearing all shades of green and it’s such a gorgeous color on SO many skin tones. This is a look you could wear to brunch with the girls, on vacation, or to dinner. I chose to pair a classic silk midi skirt with a linen top to show how you can mix fabrics. Complete the look with some different shades of green accessories for the ultimately chic monochrome outfit.

Gray Fall Outfit

Gray is a go-to color for many women, especially in the fall and winter. And the great thing about a gray monochrome look is that all shades of gray go together so easily and look super chic. You can see how I took the light gray AllSaints sweater (that you may recognize from our NSale coverage) and paired it with black, charcoal gray, and even some off-white to create a cohesive, casual fall look. This look is super easy to recreate because you probably have a few of these pieces in your closet already!

Navy Fall Outfit

If you love to wear gray and black, consider trying navy. It’s still a neutral, but a little more unexpected. In this casual look, I paired a classic oversized navy sweater with dark wash jeans and a boucle coat. You can switch out accessories depending on what you have in your closet. But don’t worry, you don’t need navy shoes to pull off an all-navy look…this is an example of how you can add in neutral accessories to make the look work.

Blue Loungewear Outfit

Yes, even your loungewear look can be stylishly monochrome! And what better time to try out a color you’re not used to wearing than while you’re in the comfort of your own home?? Blue is another one of those colors that looks good on so many women but you can try a loungewear outfit in pretty much any color…there are so many options out there. This look includes a pullover and matching joggers from Beyond Yoga, which is a brand that makes great active and lounge pieces. Change out of your slippers for some sneakers, throw on a coat and some sunnies, and you’re ready to run a quick errand or meet the kids at the bus stop.

Purple Event Outfit

I wanted to show you a look that included a print so you could see how even though it’s not 100% purple, you still get that monochrome look. I paired this gorgeous Ulla Johnson top with some linen pants in this pretty purple. Notice how the purples don’t perfectly match? That’s okay! You may have also noticed that not all of the accessories are purple. Purple is a really bright color and I would bet that you don’t have purple shoes or bag in your closet. So instead, swap them for nude or white. If that Ulla Johnson top has more brown or black in the print, you might even be able to wear brown or black accessories. Wear a monochrome look like this to your next party, fancy brunch, birthday dinner, luncheon, etc. for an unexpected look.

Black Date Night Outfit

I couldn’t share a post on monochrome outfits without showing an all-black option! An all-black outfit is the easiest to put together because we all have black in our closets and the shades of black don’t tend to vary too much. For this date night look, I paired some Good American coated jeans (run small, order two sizes up) with a faux leather blazer to create a sort of leather suit. To make it sexy for date night, throw on a bralette or lace cami underneath, a pair of heels, and some gold jewelry.

What’s your approach to monochrome fashion? Let us know if you have any tips we forgot in the comments below!

Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive some incredible style resources. If you would like to receive early access, exclusive content, and more, make sure you sign up for SMS texts…we’ll send you texts to keep you in the know! Thanks for stopping by!