Six Color Pairings That Will Un-Boring Your Fall Outfits

Taffy and date: a pairing so delicious you could eat it! (Side note, working on this story is making me hyper-aware of my tendency to name colors after foods.) I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our date-colored pieces—especially the Bia pants—since I first saw this collection at the beginning of this year. Date is my ideal neutral color: It’s more interesting than black or white (meaning I can wear a simple black or white top and still end up with an interesting outfit), and it works with both warm and cool shades (so when I do want to get creative, pairing is easy). If I’m being honest, I’m not usually much of a pink person, and taffy wasn’t on my add-to-cart list. But despite my hesitations, I actually ended up loving how the Shani top and Larissa sweater looked in-person, especially paired with the date Bia pants. The color is bright, but it has a depth that makes it surprisingly sophisticated. Sigh—I think I need it.

The butter-yellow Adina shorts are some of my most-worn summer bottoms, because they’re as comfortable as my sweat shorts (seriously), and this color makes every outfit feel chic and happy. I love these shorts, and I’m not ready to pack them away just because we’re approaching fall. To adapt the Adinas to the season ahead, I’ll ground them with a black T-shirt and shoes and add the Kiki sweater in strawberry for an autumnal pop. (The Kiki is low in stock; other great pop-of-red options include the Jett tank and Katrina top, paired with a black sweater or jacket.) Prefer long pants? Try the Shane in butter.

They’re not just classic drink garnishes: olive and maraschino also make for excellent outfit inspiration. I’ve always loved red and green together, but it can be a tricky pairing to pull off without veering into Christmas-y territory. How to keep things more Gucci and less Santa’s helper? Choose one piece that’s bright and ultra-pigmented, and one that’s more muted. In this case, the red Orchard skirt is my bright pop of color, while the olive Moreland jacket is far more subtle. This keeps the outfit from feeling costume-y. In contrast, if I were to pair this skirt with a color like shamrock, you’d think I was running a month late to a Christmas in July party.

While blazers and trousers are important parts of my wardrobe, I don’t typically wear them together as a full suit. But when I put on the Gaia jacket and Tinsley trousers, I felt powerful. Yes, I know how cliche that sounds, but it’s true. M.M.’s office dress code is Power Casual, so typically, I’d wear the Gaia jacket with my Milo jeans and the Tinsley trousers with a sweater or T-shirt. But boldly colored tops like the Choe in apricot offer an alternate way to dress down suiting pieces—without losing that suited-up feeling. 

If you want to dress like a chocolate-covered strawberry, you’ve come to the right place. Jokes aside—doesn’t this color combination just look tasty? Our new berry jam color, shown here in the Moreland jacket (and also available in all your favorite OrigamiTech styles), is pigmented enough to pack a punch, but deep enough that it won’t clash with brighter styles, like this tank (similar: Katrina top). The date-colored Bia pants give the outfit a tonal look and feel more sophisticated than black or white pants would in this context.

This is a big statement coming from someone who owns four Axams and three Leslies, but I think the Chana is my new favorite M.M. T-shirt. Yes, it’s ridiculously soft, but so are all of our tees. What makes this one special is the cut. I adore the extended short sleeves, the not-too-tight crewneck, and the slim-but-not-clingy cut that reminds me of my Choe top. For a fun fall outfit, pull in pieces with unexpected shades, like the plaid Whitney skirt, which features a mint-green stripe, and a brown layer like the Scotte jacket or Jennimai jardigan. Complement this green, brown, and black ensemble with neutral shoes and gold jewelry.