How to Wear Navy and Orange

One lesson that has continued to stay relevant in my life has been the functions of a colour wheel. From the basic lessons in elementary school to the in depth colour theory I took in university, each has everyday applications in my life most notably when I’m selecting an outfit. I began writing about this in my What to Wear When You Have Pink Hair post.

Today we’re leaning into the basics of colour: opposites attract. Blue (in this case, the navy shade) and orange are opposite on the colour wheel which makes them complementary of each other and why they’re a great combination for an outfit. Here’s how to wear navy and orange together using easy principles from the colour wheel.

This post may include gifted items and affiliate links.
For details check out our Privacy Policy page.

Complementary Colours Make A Vibrant Palette

As I mentioned before, navy and orange are complementary colours which makes them a great pairing for an outfit because they enhance each others vibrancy. The colours make each other really pop. For this particular outfit, I went for a navy shade of blue and a burnt orange to compliment it. If you want the vibrancy to be most potent, go with the truest shades of the colour. I tend to avoid pairing outright true blue and orange because those are the colours of the local hockey team in my city.

Warm VS Cold Coloured Outfits

One of the easiest ways to put together an outfit using complementary colours is picking one shade to be the base colour and the other to be a highlight. Using my outfit as an example, the navy is used as a base colour. The wool jacket, shorts, and platform heels are all navy which make up for the majority of the pieces. Even the top has navy striping in it. The burnt orange is just a supporting colour.

This easily could be reversed for the same effect though it would probably pop more as navy is the more subdued of the two shades. It’s really a preference between a warm coloured outfit vs a cold coloured one. I chose the latter but either works.

Navy and Orange Outfit Accessories

One of my favourite patterns that pairs with MOST things is tortoiseshell. There’s something about the mixture of a darkish brown and orangey gold that enhances an outfit. In this particular case, since yellow is an analogous colour to orange, it looks right. What does analogous mean? It describes colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel. 

Using an analogous colour like yellow/gold for accessories with a navy and orange outfit will look put together without becoming overly matchy matchy. With that said, there’s nothing wrong with ultra matching outfits, as a fan of the 1960s fashion, I do appreciate a full matched outfit too.

Lastly I added in an amber ring and a carrot shaped hair clip just for fun.

Outfit Details

CLIP – Meghan Macwhirter carrot hair clip
JACKET – vintage wool cropped jacket
TOP – vintage striped long sleeve mock neck shirt
SHORTS – Acne Studios shorts
BAG – Aldo lucite handbag – c/o
RING – amber + silver oval ring
SOCKS – Malorie Urbanovitch – c/o
SHOES – Aldo platform sandals – c/o

Orange and Navy Outfit Styling Tips

Hopefully this short breakdown on colour theory applied to outfit building has helped inspire your future styling choices. When in doubt, just look up a colour wheel to use as a guide. Solid coloured outfits are easier than zany patterned ones so if you’re unsure, start with simplicity and as you gain more confidence, add layers of difficulty.

photographs – jesse sand + sandy joe karpetz