If Your Fall Wardrobe Feels Boring, Try These Unexpected Color Combinations
These celebrity outfits prove there's an art to intentionally mismatching.
This summer has been full of standout color combinations. Serena Williams served a cobalt blue windbreaker and butter yellow sneakers before the 2026 US Open. Anne Hathaway gave strawberry red a maternity twist with denim blues. And Hailey Bieber’s yellow lingerie top looked so electric with black bottoms, it bordered on chartreuse.
Before celebrities went all in on pairing unexpected hues, designers made a case for palette clashing. On the spring and fall 2026 runways, Celine held a master class in primary colorblocking, while Balenciaga solidified red-and-purple as autumn's leading color combination. (The latter was further confirmed by Dua Lipa, who accessorized a grape Ferragamo dress with a bright cherry bag earlier this summer.)
Read on for a full breakdown of the fashion show-to-celebrity closet pipeline, featuring the color combinations that will put black-and-white wardrobes out of business.
The Cobalt Blue and Butter Yellow Color Combination Trend
Serena Williams proved cobalt and butter make a delicious pair at a pre-US Open event.
As recently as a pre-US Open pickleball game, Serena Williams’s butter yellow tennis skirt softened her athletic look’s cobalt blue theme (co-signed by Chanel, Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and more). While the scene-stealing shade made her Nike windbreaker and sneakers unmissable, the pastel yellow pigment grounded the look in accessibility.
The Cool Blue and Red Color Combination Trend
Anne Hathaway wore cool blue instead of cobalt on the red carpet.
Back in August, Anne Hathaway attended a premiere in a red-and-blue Prabal Gurung top made for cool moms-to-be. Being mostly cool blue, the halter resembled runway swatches from Ulla Johnson's and Carolina Herrera's recent shows. But plot twist: it was lined with strawberry-red satin. The Oscar winner earned extra points for shade-matching the peekaboo pigment to her pointy pumps.
The Navy Blue and Camel Color Combination Trend
Kendall Jenner prefers a more polished color combination of navy and camel.
Navy blue and camel isn’t the most complicated (or unusual) of color combinations. In fact, it probably already lives in your fall wardrobe. But that’s not to say it’s boring. To prove the pairing still looks classic and cool, Kendall Jenner layered a navy sweater over the epaulette-embellished shoulders of her khaki trench coat.
The Tomato Red and Black Color Combination Trend
Charlize Theron followed her Odyssey co-star's lead in red-and-black.
Jennifer Lawrence, Zendaya, and Alexandra Leclerc have recently worn red with black, but Charlize Theron's Givenchy look was the most autumnal by far. For a The Odyssey after-party in London, Theron slipped black leather gloves beside her tomato going-out dress. What’s the lesson here? The next time you reach for your well-loved LBD, step outside your comfort zone with a crimson mini and black accessories instead.
The Red and Purple Color Combination Trend
Dua Lipa's red-and-purple look is a masterclass in dopamine dressing for fall.
Red-and-purple might be the most underrated couple on this list, one that’s just starting to get its flowers. Early in the summer, Dua Lipa became the color combination’s blueprint, styling a grape-squeezed Ferragamo dress with cherry-colored accessories. It wasn’t long before Zoey Deutch coordinated a purple cardigan to the brightest red bottoms on the market. All this to say? Balenciaga, Carolina Herrera, Stella McCartney, and more certainly impressed their celebrity clientele when showing the color duo on the runways.
The Electric Yellow and Black Color Combination Trend
Hailey Bieber gave electric yellow a go with a vintage Dolce Gabbana top.
Hailey Bieber’s personal color palette, in all its minimalist glory, got a makeover this summer. That doesn’t mean the Rhode founder ditched neutral basics entirely—she just styled them with conversation-starting counterparts.
See: the neon-adjacent yellow lingerie top she wore with black trousers, matching peep-toe pumps, and a low-profile The Row purse. Mugler and Issey Miyake debuted similar anti-butter yellow designs on recent fall runways, but Bieber’s exact top is vintage Dolce Gabbana. Tip: Switch the zesty yellow for chartreuse or moss green and the black for chocolate brown for an even more autumn-appropriate pairing.
