Tracee Ellis Ross Serves a Fresh Take on Color-Blocking

The 2010s color-blocking trend was not for the faint of heart. In that era, designers brazenly clashed bright reds against punchy blues (the Gucci spring 2011 collection is a prime example), creating outfits you could practically see from space. For fans of minimalism or more muted colors, this was definitely not your time to shine. However, today in New York City, Tracee Ellis Ross proved that you can actually do color-blocking in a quieter way.

Appearing on the Today show to promote her haircare brand Pattern’s new heat tools, Ross paired several earth tones together. Her Dries Van Noten outfit included a sandy gray blazer, dusty orange button-up shirt, and a ruffled, pleated yellow skirt. In typical Ross fashion, she accessorized the look with By Far’s metallic gold boots—she loves an eye-catching moment—as well as a discreet rust-red clutch. 

Ross’s take is a far cry from the extremely bright pink shirts and orange pants that came down the Jil Sander runway in the early 2010s, but just as visually interesting. Instead of sporting monochromatic hues, consider mix-and-matching some of your go-to neutrals together the next time you’re having an outfit conundrum. It’ll be like a Mark Rothko painting—but better!