Sometimes we instinctively want to mix an item with black but think it’s an easy out. But that’s a strong and bold combination—and it works when that’s your mood. White? That’s going to give preppy. Fine, if that’s your thing. It’s not mine, really. What about other soft colors? That’s a look, but if you live in a city, or if you seek more visual strength, it’s hard to go there often.
This means each time you’re styling, you feel locked into bold or soft, but for every day, for lots of wear, you want more options. Mixing the yellow with a range of colors, ones we call “no color colors” like strange brownish, taupey and olive-ish colors adds depth, nance, and interest. Mixing with pink and reds lends irony, which can also be interesting. Expanding beyond the “obvious” makes everything a little, well, less obvious—but still very wearable.
I always seek dimension in what I’m wearing, and I find mixing colors is the best tool to use to effect different feelings. When I wear a softer color like a butter yellow, I crave to mix in something strong to ground the shade, like rich browns or deep burgundy. For me personally, it’s rare I like to feel incredibly feminine, so I’m not one to mix with other soft shades like pale pink and baby blue, but I get that that works for many. In the spring, when I want to feel incredibly optimistic, tossing in a bright white and a stark black plays up a sense of lightness that still feels rooted in an urban mode, which is good for me.
Ahead, a few of my favorite color pairings for styling out butter yellow.
Butter Yellow + Brown and Bold Red
Yellow can be subtle, mixing it with good strangeness gives it more voice.
The Row
Nadina cotton jersey t-shirt
cashmere-blend trouser socks
Phoebe Philo
Bombé oversize frame sunglasses
Butter Yellow + Soft Pink-ish
Colors that end in “ish” give dimension to pale yellow—think grey-ish, stone-ish, brown-ish, pink-ish.
Ralph Lauren
tooled leather double-wrap belt
Tibi
tropical tie front trouser skirt
Alaïa
ballerina strap fishnet flats
Butter Yellow + Black
The sock—most people don’t realize what a great tool it is to lean into a trend just so.
Tom Ford
slim-fit ribbed Henley t-shirt
Ralph Lauren
tooled leather double-wrap belt
Tibi
Bryan shearling flip flops
Butter Yellow + Texture
Keep it away from preppy. Yellow already tips that way, pulling it back with a range of textures (shearling, metallic detailing) keeps it modern.
Tibi
Bryan shearling flip flops
Butter Yellow + Primary Colors
Mixing pastel tones with bold reds, blacks and white gives a range of options when you want sharpness.
Tibi
tropical tie front trouser skirt
Jacquemus
La Pochette Rond clutch bag
Shop more butter yellow pieces:
Leset
James merino wool polo shirt
Deiji Studios
Ease striped organic cotton-poplin pajama pants
High Sport
cropped cotton-blend slim-leg pants
Proenza Schouler White Label
Jil Sander
layered cotton-crepe T-shirt
Posse
Emma high-waisted linen midi skirt
Khaite
Renato ribbed wool-blend jersey tank
