Emerald green and red can look like a holiday card or like a real outfit, and the difference is the ratio. These four looks let one color lead and the other visit, from green cashmere with red cords to a red jacket over a bright green silk dress. Start with one piece of each and build from there.
Emerald Green and Red Outfits to Try This Fall
Pantone's color of the year for 2013 was Emerald, PANTONE 17-5641, which it called a lively, radiant, lush green. It never really went away. Emerald is the green that looks rich without trying, and it is the one green that can stand next to a true red without turning into a holiday card.
The trick is the ratio. When red and green show up in equal amounts, the eye reads a season. When one color takes most of the outfit and the other shows up as a scarf, a boot or a bag, it reads as a choice. Every look below leans on one color and lets the other one visit.
A quick test: wrap a red scarf over a green sweater you already own. If it looks like December, cut the red down to one small piece.
Start With One Piece of Each
If you want to try this pairing without buying a whole outfit, start with accessories. Manolo Blahnik's Hangisi 90 pumps are jade satin with the crystal buckle, and Métier's Stowaway shoulder bag comes in the same jade in soft nubuck. For the red, Róhe's wool-blend scarf is a clean, true red, and Rue de Verneuil's Traversée tote is crimson flannel trimmed in leather. One green piece and one red piece with jeans and a white shirt is the whole idea.
An Emerald Knit, Red Corduroy Trousers
This is the one to wear on a Saturday. Lisa Yang's Mila sweater is soft green cashmere, and Versace's straight-leg corduroy pants are bright red, so the outfit is mostly about texture: fuzzy on top, ridged on the bottom. Black boots keep it from getting too sweet, and Jimmy Choo's Tamia ankle boots sit on a thick lug sole that suits cords. Bottega Veneta's Bang Bang bag in green Intrecciato matches the sweater, which keeps the red in one place.
How to wear it: tuck the sweater in at the front only, so the waist of the red trousers shows.
A Red Knit, an Emerald Skirt
Flip it, and the red goes on top. Moncler Grenoble's ribbed-knit T-shirt is a fitted red knit, and Dima Ayad's cloqué maxi skirt is a deep forest green with a puffed, textured surface that catches the light. That skirt is the star, so everything else stays simple. Gianvito Rossi's black suede ankle boots disappear under the hem, and Simone Rocha's red lace-up scarf ties the top half together.
The Emerald Dress, a Red Jacket
Staud's Dalia dress is bright green silk cut long, the kind of color you notice across a room. Throw Auralee's red cotton jacket over it for cold mornings, and the dress suddenly works on a Tuesday. If you want to go further, Valentino's Deboot 105 over-the-knee boots are red leather, and they make the jacket and boots read as one long red line. Liffner's belted croc-effect clutch brings the green back.
What I would skip: red lipstick as well. With red boots and a red jacket, the face can stay quiet.
An Emerald Coat Over Red
The coat does the work here. Marrakshi Life's Blanket coat is a brushed green weave that looks like your favorite throw. Under it, Nili Lotan's Tirza cardigan is red cable-knit cashmere with a belt, and Balmain's plissé-crepe midi skirt is the same red, so the red reads as one piece when the coat is open. Dragon Diffusion's Rosanna mini bag in green woven leather finishes the look.
Let One Color Lead
Red and green only feel like a holiday when they show up in equal parts. Pick a lead color, give it most of the outfit, and let the other one appear once or twice. Emerald does well as the lead because it is deep enough to act like a neutral, and true red is strongest in small doses, like a scarf or a boot. Keep the reds clear and the greens deep, and leave lime and pine for another season. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Green and Black Outfits to Try This Fall and Sage Green and Pink Outfits to Try This Fall.
