How To Wear Pastel Colours

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

Last week, the lovely lady behind the @SarenzaUK Twitter feed asked me a very important question:

“What do I wear with pastel jeans?!”

It seems I’ve developed a bit of a reputation for loving coloured jeans (recently I’ve worn them here and here) and hopefully do so with some degree of style. Maybe. So with those shaky qualifications in place, I decided to put together another of my (always very tongue-in-cheek) How To Wear guides! Hoorah!

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how to wear pastels
Uniqlo jeans, H&M jumper, F21 necklace, Zara heels, Mulberry bag c/o John Lewis

(This outfit is only really suitable if we all agree to ignore the fact there’s snow on the ground. No, I didn’t wear the shoes outside, but they’re perfect for a double-pastel outfit so please suspend your belief for the next five minutes!)

I bought these pretty pink jeans from Uniqlo a few months ago and have worn them LOTS. Uniqlo jeans are fantastic and the free tailoring service (they’ll hem your jeans to the perfect length, usually within 20 minutes and for no extra charge) is amazing. I usually wear them with a grey marl tee or navy striped jumper, but today I thought I’d go all out and fully embrace the ice cream shades with a minty green jumper from H&M.

Here are my tips for wearing pastel colours:

  • Size up – pale shades can be very unflattering when worn tight, so go for the next size up and wear slightly looser
  • Stay simple – I’ve found mixing pastels with basic pieces in plain colours works better than pairing them with fussy prints
  • Keep it light and airy – try a soft, gentle look from head-to-toe – avoid clashing colours, dark makeup and overly detailed jewellery
  • Watch your feet – shoes are the trickiest things to nail in a pastel outfit – anything too heavy just looks out of place. I like nude heels, light coloured plimsolls or grey flats. 
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How would you wear pastels?

36 Comments

Eleanor

Jen! This outfit is so dreamy, espesh as my jeans are the exact same colour as your top and I have a top the exact same colour as your jeans! I plan to do an upside down replicate. Thank youuuu and hope you’re well. Eleanor@Sarenza

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Jen

Hooray! Thank you Eleanor! So glad you liked the guide – especially for you! Loving the sound of your upside down version 🙂 x

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Sally Todd

Beautiful jeans! I am really quite smitten with the pallet of ice cream colours this season. The problem I have is that I am a very bottom heavy pear shape and not sure I can carry the pastel look off. Perhaps with the right cut top I might just manage it. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks :o)

Reply
Jen

Hi Sally! I’d really recommend going for a looser fit, wearing them cropped at the ankle and adding heels. I’m a bit hippy and have found that formula is the most flattering! Also, you could try a slightly darker shade – a blossom pink or jade green would be easier to wear then a very pale colour. Finally, maybe try a long-line top to give you a bit of coverage. Hope that helps! 🙂

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Pip

This is such a cute outfit, I love your ‘How to Wear’ posts, you could make anything look good hun!

Pip x

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Harriet

You look perfect in pastels Jen! I have been lusting after a pair of nude heels for ages and I think you’ve definitely convinced me I need some now!

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nik

Hello! I just found your blog and I think it’s AMAZING! The pics are great and I can see that You really like what you do here! I love people with great ideas, like you!
Your blog is inspiring! I will follow you!
xoxo

http://nikandpic.blogspot.com/

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Tinyholder

I absolutely adore coloured jeans too. You look stunning in that outfit. It suits your colouring perfectly. I need really bold colours on me and look just hideous in pastels. They are hard to carry off if you have black hair though I think.

http://www.dashing-divas.com

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Alice

Love these pastel jeans. Never purchased jeans from Uniqlo before, but I’ve heard how good the quality is so will be ordering me some Easter treats online today!

Great post as always, Jen.

x

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