My Surefire Way to Look Expensive This Season
The street style crowd had a serious Skittles moment this fashion week, as a rainbow of head-to-toe, block-coloured ensembles popped up on pavements across the globe. While beige was summer's shade of choice, this season the tonal outfit trend exploded into Technicolour—expanding its oeuvre into everything from fire-engine red and vintage brown to pastel pink and rust orange.
Thanks to a bit of fashion alchemy, the process of pairing separates from the same colour spectrum seems to pull a look together like nothing else. It offers the same unified finish that you see on the runways (designers were all over the tonal trend this season), and despite being the easiest thing to put together, it instantly looks well-thought-out and polished. Just think of it as the dream styling hack for sleepy weekday mornings.
The only thing to note here is that the trend works best with block-coloured, unpatterned pieces (clashing prints is a whole other matter). Also, the closer you can get the shade to match, the better. So what colour will you champion? Scroll down to see our favourite head-to-toe tonal outfits, and then shop the looks.
Orange
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Getty Images
Style Notes: Lisa Aiken balances her silhouettes so well with this statement knit and thigh-slit leather midi.
White
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Style Notes: When it comes to wearing head-to-toe white in the autumn, it's all about sticking to sleek, '70s-inspired silhouettes, as seen on Marisa Martins.
Blue
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Getty Images
Style Notes: Camille Charrière is the epitome of low-maintenance cool in this denim-and-blue-jumper ensemble. A good example of how the tonal trend can elevate even the simplest of looks.
Black
Style Notes: This head-to-toe black outfit is achingly chic (well, it is known as the fashion editor's uniform for a reason). COS is definitely the place to go for block-coloured, sculptural pieces.
Red
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Style Notes: A traffic-stopping look if we ever saw one. Hanna Stefansson uses two contrasting textures to provide balance to this bold outfit.
Beige
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Style Notes: Okay, we know we said beige was the colour of the summer, but Pernille Teisbaek demonstrates that it can still feel relevant for autumn. We love the combination of a silky skirt, a chunky knit and a classic trench.
Purple
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Style Notes: Purple is probably one of the trickiest colours to pull off, so just be mindful of what shade you reach for. This lilac hue looks is so flattering on Lisa Folawiyo and is perfectly complemented by a pair of white lace-up trainers.
Brown
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Hannah Almassi
Style Notes: We spotted Maxim Magnus at London Fashion Week in this brown getup. If you find the idea of patent a little intimidating, worry not—there are plenty of brown leather offerings around that offer the same luxe finish.
Pink
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Style Notes: Forget any sickly sweet associations because pink is so chic this season. Take your cues from Tiffany Hsu and throw together dusty-pink bootcut trousers with a statement blouse.
