Tomato red sits on the warm side of red, closer to orange than to cherry, and that is exactly why it works on more people than a blue red does. It flatters warm and olive skin, looks brighter against denim than almost any other color, and it reads as summer even in October. This edit is only tomato red tops, over a hundred of them, sorted by shape so you can find the one you would actually wear.

 

The first group is the simplest: tanks, camisoles and halters. Flore Flore's Angie tank and May camisole are plain cotton, Heirlome's Adau tank is silk, and SLOAN's scarf top and Posse's Harlan knit vest give the color a bit more structure. Norba's Harper halterneck and MAJORELLE's Kelly halter are the ones I would wear out at night.

 

How I check the shade: hold the top next to a ripe tomato or, failing that, a bottle of hot sauce. If it looks pink or purple beside it, it is a cherry or raspberry red, which is a different conversation.

 

What I would skip: a tomato red tank with a red lip that leans blue. Pick a lipstick with orange in it or go bare.

Norma Kamali opened her first store on East Fifty-Third Street in 1967, and a red one-piece of hers became the swimsuit in Farrah Fawcett's famous seventies poster. Her Cayla bodysuit is the closest thing to that suit you can wear with jeans, which is why it leads the second group: bodysuits, corsets and strapless tops.

 

La Fuori's Red Siren corset is silk and the most formal piece here, Michael Kors Collection's scoop neck bodysuit is cashmere blend and the most wearable, and Bardot's Brias bustier sits somewhere in the middle. The Lovers and Friends Eliza and Mischa tops and the superdown bodysuits are the ones for a night out.

 

A bodysuit in a bright color is easier than it sounds. Tuck it into dark denim or a black skirt, keep the shoes black or tan, and the red becomes the whole outfit.

Shirts and blouses are the group I would reach for at work. Ganni's bow detail poplin blouse and Comme Si's La Classica poplin shirt are crisp cotton, LA VESTE's La Isla silk shirt and Retrofete's Suri silk blouse have more drape, and With Nothing Underneath's Boyfriend linen shirt is the easy weekend one.

 

There are also two polos, ALÉMAIS's Rocky wool polo and RÙADH's Dea wool polo, which are how I would wear tomato red in cold weather. A collar makes a loud color look buttoned up in the best way.

 

Wear a tomato red shirt with navy, camel or white. Black works too, but those three make the red look warmer.

The tees and knits are the everyday group: Toteme's classic tee, Éterne's baby ribbed tee, Flore Flore's Jill and Les Tien's cropped May, plus The Attico's cropped T-shirt for something a bit sharper. NILI LOTAN's Venus cashmere sweater and Citizens of Humanity's Alessia wool and cashmere sweater carry the color into winter, and Norma Kamali's shoulder pad long sleeve top is the strongest shape in the group.

 

A red tee is the fastest way into the color. Wear it with jeans and white sneakers once and you will know whether tomato red is for you.

The fifth group is the statement tops. Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto started Staud in downtown Los Angeles in 2015, and the brand's Federico linen crop top is the most wearable piece here: square, short and easy with a high waist. Proenza Schouler's Maelle tweed top, Rosie Assoulin's grosgrain crop top and Roland Mouret's crepe top are the most tailored.

 

For softer shapes there is Dorothee Schumacher's draped tulle top, The Frankie Shop's Luma satin top, SIR's asymmetric linen top and AKNVAS's Freja lace top. Oseree's Lumiere bandana top ties at the back in a shimmering fabric, and Zeynep Arçay's backless sweater looks plain from the front until you turn around. These are for dinners and weddings, so let the top be the only bright thing you wear.

 

What I would skip: matching tomato red trousers or a skirt. A head to toe red outfit can work, but the top looks best when it is the only red piece.

Diana Vreeland, who ran Vogue from 1963 to 1971, wrote in her 1984 memoir D.V. that she had pursued the perfect red all her life and could never get painters to mix it for her. The best red, she decided, was the color of a child's cap in a Renaissance portrait. The designer tops below are the ones where that chase shows: the red sits in velvet, silk, cashmere and fine wool, and each piece has one idea it does very well.

 

Givenchy's open-back draped velvet top is the evening piece, and Proenza Schouler's Lina wrap top in crushed silk and Johanna Ortiz's Frontier Poem draped silk top are the softest. The knits are where these houses shine: ALAÏA's wool top, Michael Kors Collection's high-low wool top, Miu Miu's wool tank, Prada's ribbed wool top, Erdem's French Fray knit and Tove's Malia cashmere sweater with its draped scarf. Prada's duchesse silk top is the shortest and brightest, Bottega Veneta's check polo is the most relaxed, and Rosie Assoulin's Shield jacquard top finishes with a tie.

 

My test at this level is the inside. Turn the top inside out: a good knit has neat, flat seams and no loose threads, and silk should be finished so no raw edges show.

 

What I would skip: the velvet at lunch. It is a dinner top and looks heavy in daylight. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Coastal Breeze Top Edit and Work Totes and Top Handles for the Office.