Hot pink makes for a gorgeous little black dress substitute. Just keep details to a minimum (brights look best in minimal shapes) and go easy on the accessories to let the dress take center stage.
Add interest to bright prints by adding in a single bright solid like Glenn Close has done here with her hot pink bag added to blue print outfit. Mixing one or more brights together -- even if one is a print -- grounds the whole look.
The simplest way to pop some bright into your life? Add a gorgeous crossbody bag in a bright pink, blue, green or yellow. It's a small dose of chic (look how great it works for Ines de La Fressange) and works great to liven up a casual outfit.
Brights and black? It's no longer frowned upon as being "too '80s." Now, the hippest looks pair black with shocking brights. Cobalt and black is one of our favorite looks, like Lydia Hearst-Shaw is wearing. And black tights with bright blue shoes has been a runaway hit.
Why not mix all your brights together like Jean Paul Gaultier did on the runway? Cobalt, grass great, yellow and a spot of coral all play off each other beautifully.
The no-fuss approach to wearing brights? Weartwo at a time. Mix yellow with bright blue. Or cobalt with pink. It "grounds" the look and you can get away with two neon brights (which can look harsh by themselves) this way.
Head-to-toe cobalt or yellow? Why not? Not only are brights great layered with other brights, they are also pretty worn monochromatically. If all that bright is too much for you, opt for varying hues of one color, like the different tones of yellow pictured.
Add a single bright element to any outfit and make it look instantly updated. Our favorite? The neon bright pant. We like a skinny jean or legging in brights for a streamlined, but fun look. You can keep the rest of the outfit neutral or mix in a contrasting bright for a balanced look. Remember that brights highlight whatever area you wear them on, so if you are bottom heavy, you should wear bright pants with caution (just be sure to cover your bottom with a dark or neutral tunic for camouflage.)
Liven up any outfit with a pair of bright shoes. You can find everything from neon pink ballerina flats to cobalt sandals in the stores right now. For cooler weather -- and a trendy look -- you can pair bright shoes with black tights; wear bright shoes with bare legs in warmer weather.
A pretty way to wear brights during warmer weather is to add a single pop of bright color to an otherwise all white outfit like Judy Greer has done.
