Purple color combinations in clothes

purple color in fashion

Purple is a rebel among colors – the result of mixing two colors from the opposite sides of the color spectrum – Red and Blue. Red is a fiery, warm color, and blue is a calm, soothing cool color. When you mix these two colors, you get purple. Purple is not the most popular color on earth, but those who like this color are very, very loyal.

Different shades of Purple

different names of purple including plum, lavendar, lilac, periwinkle, wisteria, electric purple, royal purple, grape purple, true purple, soft purple

Periwinkle, Lilac, and Lavendar are different shades of purple color. But there is no limit to the shades available in the purple color spectrum – from the palest lavender, mauve, and light violet to the deepest plum you have many shades of purple to love or hate.  

Pantone colour of the year for 2022 – Very Peri

purple - very peri color

In 2022 a new shade of Purple called Very Peri was introduced by Pantone Color Institute. This periwinkle blue with an undertone of red-violet is the color of the year. It was inspired by the sense of calm offered by the lilac, lavender, and periwinkle plants.

varying shades of purple color - surprised girl

Why should You wear Purple?

Purple is supposed to create happy emotions in you. It is the color of creativity and optimism. It is also considered a versatile color with lots of flexibility. There is a color of Purple for every one of your moods.

The people who wear purple are self-assured confident people. They are independent people who care more about their self-satisfaction and the need to express individuality. Purple can be worn to express oneself or to attract attention.

Different shades of Purple have different connotations.

The light purple color is associated with femininity and spirituality. It has a calming effect. This is one reason it’s often used in marketing beauty products.

Bright Purple is a regal color. It makes things look luxurious and wealthy. There is something about Purple and royalty – it is more associated with wealth, and power than any other color. You must have noticed that Queen Elizabeth wears a purple-colored suit (different, ofcourse) every now and then for her official functions?. This website has the explanation for it. 
Embed from Getty Images

But a deep and dark purple, is associated with sadness, gloom and powerlessness. This color is linked with death and mourning in some parts of Europe.

Purple color clothes in fashion history

Culturally purple is often associated with wealth and royalty. This must have been because the Phoenician purple dye used in ancient days was very expensive and rare and only the rich could afford clothes colored purple. The great Roman emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus wore purple as a sign of their wealth and royal power.

In England, Purple was banned for all except the royal family members. Queen Elizabeth I, forbade anyone except close royal family members from wearing clothes in purple color. 

Today, it is considered the color associated with women.  Recently American Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama wore purple during the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington.

Other than these associations, Purple came into the limelight of fashion, particularly in 2020. It began to be regarded as a trendy color.

The year 2020 saw the fashion world getting fascinated by the delicate hues of Purple. Many designers came out with their fall and winter collection in shades of Purple. From knitted wear to tailored coats to accessories, everything were in these colors.

purple colored clothes in monochromatic shades

Dubbed “millennial purple”, the powdery pastel palette of lilac and lavender had taken over the styles of many celebrities. They wore it monochrome or matched it with whites, creams, pinks, blues, and black. Valentino’s spring/summer collection saw a lilac frilled and feathered mini dress with an asymmetrical neckline. Prada came out with a lilac embroidered skirt paired with a soft and subtle grey shade. Alberta Ferretti and Gucci sent purple regal gowns down the catwalk.

Related posts: Shades of pink outfits; Blue color combinations with other colors ; What colors match well with yellow color; Red color combinations; What colors go good with Black color; Names of different Brown color clothes; Grey color in fashion ; Names of Colors for clothing; Colour combination chart for clothes

How to wear purple?

If you have warm skin tone wear red-purples like plum purple and eggplant purple. If you have a cool skin tone, choose blueish purples like periwinkle, lilac. 

Pastel purples and light purples suit fair skin tones. If you have very pale skin, go for an icy shade of Purple like the periwinkle. Very dark purples may wash out very pale faces.

With medium skin tones, a deeper shade of blue purple can look good. With olive skin tone, pastel periwinkle adds contrast and dimension. Light brown skin tones can go for electric shades of periwinkle.

electric periwinkle

Deeper and richer purples suit people with darker hair and skin tones.

Which colors go well with Purple?


Purple and Yellow

purple color goes well with yellow color

This is a favourite combination; maybe because violet and yellow are complementary colors according to the modern color wheel

Purple and green

Different shades of green always match up well with purple.

purple green combination

Other purple combinations

Triadic colors

triadic colors

Tetradic colors

tetradic colors

Analogous colors

analogous colors

A purple top can be paired very well with white pants. Purple knitwear or T-shirt will also go well with black or blue denim.

Instead of going for top wear, you can always choose purple bottom wears like lilac jeans, purple pants, or lavender leggings.

Purple matches well with colors like red and green.

A purple color goes well with all neutral shades. You can use purple accessories to style a neutral trouser suit or a shift dress for a pop of color. Be it an ultra-sophisticated bag from Prada or Bottega Veneta or sneakers from Reebok, a roll neck top from Givenchy, or a button-down blazer from Attico, Purple is a good timeless shade to add to your wardrobe.

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Author: Sarina Tariq

Hi, I love sewing, fabric, fashion, embroidery, doing easy DIY projects and then writing about them. Hope you have fun learning from sewguide as much as I do. If you find any mistakes here, please point it out in the comments.

1 thought on “Purple color combinations in clothes”

  1. Anonymous

    The “ grape purple” is brown. Just thought I should let ya know

    Reply
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