Red and cream is the warm, grown-up way to wear red this fall. These five outfits put red cashmere, satin, silk and suede with cream satin pants, lace, gabardine and cable knit. Pick cream over bright white and the red looks richer.
Red and Cream Outfits to Try This Fall
On 2 August 1965, Yves Saint Laurent showed his autumn/winter collection, and six dresses stole the show: sleeveless cream shifts split by black lines into panels of color, after Piet Mondrian. A Rijksmuseum Bulletin article lists the versions, and one of them, number 77 at the Costume Institute in Kyoto, is just four panels of cream and red. It is a whole color theory in one dress.
Red and cream is softer than red and white and warmer than red and black. Cream takes the alarm out of red, so the red reads as rich rather than urgent, and the outfit starts to look like an old French poster (in a good way).
A quick test: try a red sweater with cream trousers instead of jeans. If it suddenly looks like a choice rather than just a sweater, this pairing is for you.
Start With Two Reds and Two Creams
Manolo Blahnik's Gothisi clutch is red satin with the crystal buckle from the house's best-known pumps, and it is pure evening. Gucci's Vittoria pumps are red leather with a horsebit, and the back folds down so they double as mules. For cream, Jil Sander's Tangle Tent bag is ivory leather with a knotted strap, and Déhanche's Colette belt is ivory leather with a sculptural silver buckle. The cream pieces will get worn more, honestly.
A Red Knot Sweater, Cream Balloon Pants
Tove's Malia sweater is red cashmere with a wide collar that ties in a knot at the front, so it looks like you threw a second sweater over your shoulders (but it stays put). Aflalo's Lolana pants are ivory satin jersey gathered at the ankle, soft and a little 1980s. Herbert Levine's Rule the Day flats are cream Mary Janes, and Savette's Symmetry Trapeze bag is cream leather with a silver bar clasp. How to wear it: keep jewelry gold and small.
The Ruffled Cream Cardigan and a Lantern Skirt
Sea's Wanda cardigan is cream wool with a ruffled lace capelet at the shoulders, very romantic, and Tibi's Lantern skirt is red shell that balloons out and tapers back in at the hem. Together that is a lot of volume, so keep the rest clean: Valentino Garavani's Veeside boots are cream leather with a small gold V on the toe, and The Attico's L'Altra di Milano bag is glossy red leather. What I would skip: colored tights. Bare legs or sheer tights only.
A Red Silk Slip, a Cropped Cream Jacket
Loretta Caponi's Grimilde dress is a long red silk slip with lace at the neckline, made for the evening, and Joseph's Suber jacket makes it daytime: cream cotton gabardine, cropped like the top half of a trench, with straps at the cuffs. Bottega Veneta's Rosa mules are off-white leather with a woven strap across the toe, and Gucci's Horsebit Ristretto bag is red leather with silver hardware. This is my favorite outfit in the edit.
Cream Satin Over a Red Sweater
Joseph's Archer jacket is cream silk satin with a tie belt, almost a robe, and it goes over Rùadh's Sanderson sweater, a plain red cashmere V-neck. Proenza Schouler White Label's Magnolia skirt is a cream cable knit to mid-calf, so the outfit is satin, cashmere and chunky knit all at once. Khaite's Milly loafers are red suede with whipstitching around the edges, and they put a second red at the bottom.
Choose Cream Over White
The difference between red with white and red with cream is bigger than it sounds. White against red can look like a flag, while cream makes the red warmer and the whole outfit gentler. Let red be the knit, the skirt or the shoe, and let cream take the big pieces, like trousers, coats and long skirts. A red sweater with cream trousers is the version to try first.
