How to Wear Purple: From Dark to Lilac and Mauve

You see pink as practically a neutral, head-to-toe red as something that will inevitably come during the A/W 17 season and yellow as the hue to buy a summer dress in, but purple? Well, that's another story, isn't it? For some reason, this colour—once the most regal and sought-after of shades—has been edged out of fashion. The last time it was popular, as I recall it, was when I shopped at Tammy Girl aged 12. We were experiencing Peak Britney Spears and wearing pedal pushers that were probably lilac rather than deep gemstone purple. It's one of those brights that divides a crowd, but with our colour-blocking skills at an all-time high, it's no big shock that designers have landed on it as the next trend to try.

From Balenciaga to Preen, purple has been powering up the runways. Stores like Mango have already responded to the coming colour trend, putting violet dresses and accessories within their summer offerings. The punchy hue is yet to fill our social media feeds in the same way that, say, orange has on Pinterest, but we predict that it's only a matter of time. And a matter of getting used to wearing it, which is why we've pulled together a handy how-to.

Here's what you should wear purple with now, if you think you're up for the challenge.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627337613-image — 1. Purple tailoring is the perfect tomboy option.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627339876-image — 2. Deep purple with white looks clean and modern.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627341678-image — 3. Go tonal in lilac; then ground with black leather.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627343546-image — 4. Pick one purple dress, and let it do the talking.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627345354-image — 5. Nervous? Just add a jolt of purple via accessories.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627348202-image — 6. Deep purple and bright red are the dream colour team.

how-to-wear-purple-225007-1495627350259-image — 7. Purple works well into winter with black and dark prints.

Shop our purple picks:

Balenciaga

Gathered Top

The Balenciaga runway styled this top with fuchsia leggings; you could opt for jeans though.

Mango

Fringed Sandals

So good we can't believe they're high street.

Zara

Ribbed Skirt

We like how Zara's matched this with all-white everything.

Jeepers Peepers + Aviators

Jeepers Peepers

Aviators

Coloured lenses are having a moment in the sun.

Balmain

Pablito Bag

Too cute.

Warehouse

Super-Wide Jeans

There's a surprising amount of lilac denim on the high street right now.

H&M

Platform Sandals

Our inner 15-year-old is screaming "YES."

Attico

Raquel Dress

The kind of wrap that you could definitely wear over denim.Up next, the colour that suits all skin tones.

Hannah Almassi is the MD for Women’s UK at Future PLC. Following a decade-long tenure as Who What Wear UK’s first Editor-in-Chief, she now oversees Who What Wear and Marie Claire in the UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was headhunted to launch the UK sister site and social channels, implement a localised content strategy and build out the editorial team. As an expert at the intersection of content, commerce, building brands and monetising digital platforms, she now combines her editorial experience alongside business acumen to help guide digital titles into the future.