By Denise Landveld
October 14, 2026
I never understood why people in general, revert back to dark colors for fall. Outside, it will be gloomy and cloudy, then why would you want to add to that vibe? Isn’t it much nicer to wear some happy colors to brighten up your day?
Why do we wear those dark colors?
Well, after some research I have a bit more insight into why we tend to lean towards darker tones and shades for fall & winter fashion. I do however, feel like all of these points are not a reason to not wear colors
1 Practicality
In many climates, we are dealing with more rain, mud, slush and overall dirt in fall/winter. Dark colors hide the stains you might get from that, in a better way.
Well, simply don’t wear light colors on the lower part of your outfit. That is basically what I do myself. On a rainy day, I won’t wear floor length pants, because of the rain and also because the streets of Paris are generally nasty.
2 Temperature
As it is colder during fall & winter, we try our best to stay warm. Dark colors absorb more sunlight that is consequently transformed into heat and keeping you warmer. The materials that are produced nowadays are of such a quality, that the lighter colored ones will keep you just as warm as the darker ones. Unless you’re going on an extreme adventure, you’re good.
3 Fashion
From a styling point of view, you could say, that darker colors are more favorable to combine, especially when we think of a piece like a coat. You will wear it often, so it would be nice if it easy to style.
To this point I would say, get a good dark colored coat that goes with everything. Then, for a second coat, you could consider one in a funky color or print. For sweaters, blazers and pants, it’s much easier to purchase those in bright colors. Generally, you will have more than one, two or even three of these items. Combining them will be much less of a challenge.
4 Cultural association
When you think of clothes that are traditionally described as classy and chic, they are often associated with darker colors. Suits, coats, dresses are often made with darker colors if they want to convey an elevated status of some kind.
Seeing colorful clothes as chic, is more a question of habit. How used are you to seeing colorful chic clothes? A part from being used to it or not, something else that’s important for colorful clothes, is the quality of the material. With darker colors, the (bad) quality of clothing is camouflaged and imperfections in materials is less noticeable.
5 Perceived warmth
Since we’ve been conditioned to wear dark colors in the colder seasons, we perceive darker colored clothes as warmer
This is purely a neurological effect. That doesn’t mean it’s not real, but is could be easily disproven by trying on warm, colorful clothes. When we become more used to wearing colorful clothes in winter, the association with darker colored clothes being warmer, will lessen.
My tips to a colorful style for fall/winter
If you feel hesitant to wear those big flashy colors, and you want to start incorporating them in your wardrobe, start small. Wear colorful accessories such as earrings, bags, make up, a shirt with a print, a colorful shoe.
Feeling a bit more ready to add a color pop to your outfit? Then a colorful sweater, blazer, pants or jacket, paired with a neutral color, might be a good next step.
When you have even more audacity in you, you can go for a color combination. This is when you wear two or more colors, that are clearly visible like the ladies in the pictures below.
So, listen, I’m not saying you should never wear any dark colors, we love a well styled, all black outfit or neutral tones. All I’m saying, is, you can switch it up and style them with colorful pieces. By all means, wear what makes you feel good, but I do know that those colorful outfits really do brighten up your day and your mood.