What Colors Pair Best With Sunny Blood Orange?

If you're thinking about how others perceive you according to the colors you wear, orange is a hue that exudes confidence, happiness, and optimism. Despite its striking hue, however, it is not a color most would dare to style, mainly because it takes a bit of thought to work the color to your advantage. But when you do get it right, you're sure to turn heads. 

Blood orange — the citrusy hue with crimson tones — is not a color you often hear paired with the season of spring. But as it turns out, that's not necessarily true, according to 2023's seasonal color trends courtesy fashion stylist Christina Stein. Stein explained to InStyle, "I think I love it because it's unexpected and you can wear it in muted tones or neon. It can add such a pop to any outfit." 

Part of styling a sunny color like blood orange, however, lies in knowing what other hues go with it. You don't want to take away from the visually arresting feature of the color by pairing the wrong shades. So, here's an idea of what goes. 

The simplest way to flex your blood orange fashion muscles (especially if you're venturing into it for the first time), is to add a little bit of it to an already neutral tone, according to In Good Taste. This could look like pairing simple black and white jeans and tee look with an orange necklace, or even applying a deeper shade of the best orange lipsticks out there while sporting an all-white ensemble. Blood orange with your regular blue jeans is also a safe choice. 

Just because you're dipping your toes into blood orange territory, there's no need to go all-in too fast. The key is to pair the shade with neutral colors like beige, cream, white, black, or gray and see how you feel. Orange and gray, in fact, are a classically pleasing combination that contrasts serious and playful energy, according to fashion and lifestyle blogger Audrey Coyne. 

If you absolutely love the way the sunny hue matches your skin tone, you can kick it up a notch and pair two shades of blood orange — a muted one and a neon one for example. 

Thinking of adding more color to your outfit? Turquoise, olive green, and gold are good hues that pair well with blood orange. In fact, Coyne added that most shades of green complement orange, and together they exude a rich taste.

Tips on wearing the vibrant shade aren't complete without addressing those who want to go all in. But as Maris Callahan of In Good Taste puts it, "When executing an outfit that's dominated by this vibrant color, keep the other elements in a neutral palette. For a light and air-y feel that's ideal for warm weather, gold and white are just the right accents." Thinking of rushing out to buy a crimson orange dress? Get a pair of white sandals to go with the look, or maybe some gold earrings. 

Blood orange is a great precursor to sunny summer days, making it an ideal color to wear in spring. Perhaps, this is the year you can invite the shade — big or small — into your wardrobe. You won't be disappointed.