Mustard is such a trendy color for the season, but it can be a bit intimidating to wear because many women don’t know what to pair with it. Let me assure you, mustard is a surprisingly easy color to pair up with a multitude of colors. The images above demonstrate how great it looks with black and olive, but this blog is about some pairing options that might surprise you.

Before we dive into color pairings, let’s talk a little about mustard as a color. First of all, there are a lot of variations of this color out there. Just imagine the condiments isle at the grocery store. The classic French’s mustard is what most of us think of when we picture this color. It is a traditional mustard. But…if you like dijon mustards, you know those come in a variety of yellows and extend into even some browns. Likewise, you will see many variations of mustard in clothing. Choose a mustard based upon your underlying skin tone. If you are warm toned, you can lean more toward the caramels. If you are cool toned, lean more toward the yellows. In my opinion, the easiest mustard to work with is the traditional color. For me, the pants featured in the pictures to the far right and left are a great example.

So let’s talk surprising color pairings:

1. Rust: This super trendy color for this season looks amazing with mustard and is particularly good if you have warm toned skin. The combination feels earthy and very fall, harkening to the colors of falling leaves in October.
2. Olive: Another great option for warm toned gals is olive. Like rust, it also feels earthy with mustard, but it adds a sense of the early fall, just as the grass is starting to change color in preparation for winter.
3. Navy: Tending more toward the cool tones, navy is another great option with mustard and is a way for a woman with blue undertones in her skin to wear this traditionally warm color. Navy and mustard remind me of an autumn sun contrasted against an evening sky.
4. Artic Blue: This brighter blue, some call it Ocean Blue, is also great for cool skin tones and works amazing with mustard. It is one of those colors that surprise people when I hold it up against mustard to show them how easily it pairs. It feels a bit like the ocean with a setting sun upon it.
5. Emerald Green: A classic cool color, this lovely shade of green is perfect with mustard and offers yet another way for a cool skin tone to wear it. Emerald always reminds me of the mountains here in Wyoming and the pine trees. If you imagine a pine tree cast against a warm sun, you can imagine how these two colors work great together.

When you put two very different colors together, even when they pair up well, it always a good idea to find a third item, like a scarf, that helps tie everything together. In fact, I often use scarves to discover unique color pairings that I have not considered. This will make your whole look cohesive. You can do the same thing with a necklace or handbag too.

If you want some more ideas for ways to style mustard, check out my featured collection this week which focuses on this topic. You can find it here: Kyleen’s Picks Of The Week. Happy pairing! You can also watch my training video on this topic in our VIP Facebook Group called Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas. It airs Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. MST.

XOXO Kyleen