Wearing red is a great way to add a splash of color to an outfit. But it’s a dominating color that instantly catches your eye, which can make it tough to know what colors go with red clothes.
The problem is further complicated by the fact that red actually encompasses a whole range of shades, from light pastels to dark maroons. And each of these shades works best with a slightly different color palette. For example, light and bright reds go better with other light colors, while dark shades can pair with blacks and charcoal
When wearing red, I typically wear toned-down colors in the rest of my outfit. This means I’ll often wear it with black, gray, beige, or navy. I think this works well because it lets red become the focal point of the outfit.
But, you can wear red with brighter colors. Yellow and red can look together, as can red and blue. The key is finding a look that works for you!
8 Colors that Go Great With Red Clothes
1. Black
Black is a really easy color to wear with red. Many of the outfits in this article use black to some extent. Black goes especially well with darker shades of red such as maroon and this is a great combination to wear at festive parties.
The only issue with this color scheme is that it can be overpowering, so it’s common to break up the dark shades with a lighter touch. For example, the white check shirt in the image above.
2. Gray
Gray works with red for many of the same reasons the black does. But the contrast between the two colors isn’t quite as aggressive which makes the combination a little more pleasing. I also think that gray looks good alongside your black and red items.
3. Blue
Blue goes well with red, which means it’s easy to wear red items with blue denim. I really like how the beige accents in the check pattern on the jacket and the brown shoes add some earthy tones to the outfit in the image above.
4. Beige
Beige and khaki pairs with many colors. It looks especially pleasing with red because it is such as toned-down color that lets the red stand out. As beige is quite a light shade, it can be worn with other lighter colors like white and blue.
5. White
White goes with most colors and red is no exception. Wearing a white t-shirt or sneakers, as in the image above, is a great way to break up the red and make the color palette of the outfit a little lighter. When wearing red and white, consider adding some gray or black to your outfit to avoid any potential Coca-Cola vibes.
6. Other Shades of Red
The term red covers a wide variety of shades, from pinks to maroons. Sometimes, the best color to wear with red is actually a different shade of red. The image above is a great example of this: the dark red coat and pants are broken up by the light red sweater and accessory.
7. Yellow
Red tends to dominate an outfit which makes it hard to wear with other bright colors. But it can be done. If red makes up a large part of your outfit, then adding subtle accents of a brighter color might be the best way to go. The above outfit does a great job of doing this with yellow.
You don’t notice it at first, but the yellow details in the jacket bring some real fall foilage vibes to the outfit. It really takes it up a notch and stops it from being a typically dark and moody black and red outfit. Matching your hair to the colors in the outfit is optional, though.
8. Green
The issue with wearing green and red isn’t so much that the colors don’t go well together, because they do! The problem is that the two shades tend to bring a very specific Christmas vibes: think of elves making toys or Christmas trees. You should therefore approach this color combination with caution.
I think the outfit above avoid this issue really well by choosing darker shades of the colors that aren’t at all elf-like.
