Yellow might be the trickiest hue on the color wheel. When it’s too close to your skin or hair color, it can give off tonal vibes in the wrong way. Too bright, and you might end up feeling like Big Bird. But there are some easy, effective ways to make yellow outfits work. The key with yellow—as with a lot of bright colors—is to execute it correctly. The shape should be modern and flattering, and it needs to be paired with the right neutrals and accessories. It also helps to have outfit inspo (more on that in a second), so you have a sense of what works. With the right inspiration, you’ll end up channeling all the best yellow dresses from history, from Rihanna at the Met Gala to Cher from Clueless.
Yellow comes in so many hues that there’s bound to be one that works for you—keep scrolling for our favorite ideas.
Yellow Bag
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If yellow feels like a stressful color for you, a bag is a low-key way in. Because light yellow is closer to white in the color family, a simple rule of thumb is to take an outfit where you might pick a white bag and swap it out for a yellow one instead. An all-black outfit benefits from the pop of color that a small, structured yellow bag can offer.
Yellow Glasses
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Another very low-key way to mix yellow into your wardrobe is with some cool shades. Frames with colored lenses are back in style, and yellow is a popular look. Since a pair of sunglasses usually acts as a neutral, you can treat it as if it were an all-black pair, as with this outfit featuring a colorful shirt dress, and green bag.
Butter Yellow
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One way to dip a toe in is by picking a light, creamy color. Butter yellow, which has become a popular choice for designers, is just a few shades deeper than cream. That makes it easier to go all out in head-to-toe yellow, as Jessie Bush does here.
Yellow on the Bottom
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Olive oil green and muted yellow are both trending colors, and this light lime color straddles both trends effortlessly. Because it’s light, it pairs well with the white and silver in the rest of the outfit. This skirt also feels a little less intense than a dress in the same color, thus it’s a little more multifunctional and you can wear it with different tops.
Bright Yellow on Top
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Another way to break up how much yellow you have in your outfit is to only wear it on top (and match it with a shoe or bag). This floral tube top feels bright and summery, in contrast with the wide belt and heavier black pants. The pants and shoes also help ground the look.
Yellow With Bright Colors
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Maximalism, or leaning into the big expression of a style, also applies to color. Here, there’s a color-block approach to yellow, with big patches in the dress that are echoed in the graphic rainbow bag.
Gold jewelry goes well with yellow, as in the case of these large hoops. If you’re leaning in, really lean in with matching shoes, too.
Yellow and Pink
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Another way to use color-blocking is to take a couple of contrasting colors (in this case, pink and orange and greenish-yellow) and pair them together. This takes a little practice to get right, but if you stick to a single color in the outfit and then offer contrast in the accessories, it’ll help the look feel cool and streamlined instead of just busy.
A Yellow Coat
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This might be the trickiest type of outfit to pull off, to be honest, but Neneh Cherry is showing all of us how to land the all-yellow statement outfit. Make sure the banana-yellow hue matches your skin tone and hair color first, then invest in a quality piece that you know fits and looks amazing. This coat would work well over an all-black outfit, but here it’s a tonal look: everything is either yellow, yellow patterned, or almost yellow.
Light, Light Yellow
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On the absolute opposite end of the (color) spectrum, we have light yellow. Here, it’s not immediately obvious that the pattern even is yellow, so the look has more nuance than might appear at first glance. This is another way to try out some yellow outfits in a low-stakes way. The pattern is substantial enough to be fun and interesting, but it isn’t intense.
Yellow Patterned
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Georgia May Jagger gives us yet another way to incorporate yellow into your look: the yellow pattern. The addition of pink in the tartanesque design helps make the yellow feel less intense, and the near-match pattern on top (with a color that skews slightly greener) gives visual interest. It’s particularly useful to keep the brighter yellow on the bottom half if your hair is close to the same color. Too much yellow can feel matchy-matchy.
Yellow With Pastels
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Much like an all-yellow look, an all-pastel one can carry a high degree of difficulty. So, the trick is to match pieces: the yellow in the bag matches the yellow in the shoes; there’s green in the top and the visible underwear; the pink in the scarf and pants complements those two colors. Each piece matches some other element of the outfit, in other words, and there are only three major colors throughout. If the ‘70s are your vibe, this is the outfit for you.
Yellow Coord
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Light lemon-yellow is a luscious but subtle shade. It’s brighter than butter yellow but still makes sense for an everyday look. Black accessories keep the look from feeling too summery or beachy, and the fact that you can re-wear the top and bottom separately in other outfits makes this multifunctional, too.
Yellow Floral
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If you’re not afraid of color and patterns, incorporating yellow into your looks will be easy. Instead of opting for a floral pattern on a black background, go with a yellow canvas instead. Here, the big, colorful pattern matches the intensity of the yellow. The whole look is eye-catching but not overwhelming.
Yellow and Beige
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If you like mustard yellow, seek out a piece in a slightly more subtle shade, like these Grey Poupon-y pants. The shade goes well with beige, tan, and other light neutral colors (as with this brown and beige floral top), but it still feels like a fun and surprising alternative to a more traditional color.
Asymmetric Yellow
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Playing around with shape? Yellow is the perfect choice here. The asymmetric hem is already interesting on this skirt, but the yellow color takes it from basic to statement. The light yellow color is also ideal to pair with either a light top and accessories, a darker color in outerwear, or both.
Yellow Suiting
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If you’re still not sure about yellow, simply switch out the color and not the clothing. In other words, if you like your black and navy suits, try one in yellow. The shape and structure will still be familiar to you, so the look may feel more comfortable than with a totally new style in your wardrobe. Yellow works perfectly as a summer suit color, while a canvas bag and rattan shoes will make the look feel casual but still put together.