Red has never been a big player in my wardrobe color scheme. Being more of a muted, neutrals lover I have a hard time justifying buying anything red, especially when I'll likely only wear it around the holidays.
But a month or so ago, I decided to try out (for my own education) the clothing subscription service Nuuly.
Part of the URBN family (who also own Anthro, Free People, Urban Outfitters, etc.) it's a treasure trove of beautiful pieces that are rentable for a month for a set fee.
I picked out six pieces – you can see them all in this Reel – and for $88 you have them to fully wear for 30 days. After the 30 days you send them back unlaundered (they take care of all that for you!) and in their well-worn state.
In this very no-risk clothing scenario I decided to expand my sartorial horizons a bit and pick out some colors, shapes, and silhouettes that I've not tried in the past. For example, a beautiful textured red cardigan, a pair of cropped wide-leg jeans, and a pair of flare denim.
I was pleasantly surprised with how effortlessly I was able to stye the red cardigan. It went with almost every natural in my wardrobe and added a festive pop of color to my outfits. Which absolutely made me go through a mini fashion identity crisis. Am I starting to like color?
I think the key to incorporating red, or any out of the box color, into a wardrobe is to find the shade that works with your skin tone and style. I'm still very convinced that a bright or light, pink-toned would not work well with my skin. This red cardigan doesn't wash me out or reflect redness into my skin because it's deep, cranberry red that has more blue tones than yellow or pink ones.
Jewel tones usually work well with my skin tone whereas I should avoid pastels at all cost.
Some Red Sweater Options
The other key to wearing more color than normal in your wardrobe is to pair back the rest of the outfit with some classic colors and silhouettes. I loved this pair of wide legged denim from DL1961 - a brand I had not heard of previously. They were about an inch too long for me - I would have preferred them a little more cropped - but they were so comfortable and a surprisingly flattering silhouette.
