Back in my stylist days, I’d often work with M.M. customers who liked to curate their wardrobes around seasonal palettes. “I’m a ‘winter,’ so I can only wear cool jewel tones,” they’d say, or, “I’m a ‘fall,’ so I never wear blue.” There’s something to be said for creating wardrobe guardrails and narrowing down your choices to make shopping easier. But working within a set color palette can also be limiting and may even stop you from considering pieces that could end up as favorites.

As you reimagine your wardrobe for life in 2021 and beyond, why not challenge yourself to think outside the color-coded box? Maybe you’ll try a bold new hue you never knew you could pull off. Or maybe you’ll brave brunch in an all-white outfit—as long as everything is machine-washable. 

Let’s start with an easy one: Rethinking old norms about which colors are “seasonally appropriate.” Earthy green, burnt orange, rich camel—it all sounds just a tad autumnal. But I’d argue that you can wear these colors all year round (in fact, wearing unexpected colors for the season is a simple way to make a statement). Here’s how to style four of our favorite Earth tones this summer—and beyond.