We’ve all had that dream—the one where you show up to work and everyone laughs at you. You look down and realize, to your horror, that you’re only wearing underwear. The image of coworkers laughing with their mouths wide open is enough to jolt anyone awake. This week, that nightmare became my reality. Well, sort of. Instead of underwear, I was wearing a series of bright outfits way outside my comfort zone, but the part where my colleagues laughed stayed the same.
People who know me in real life, or have read my tribute to summer goth style, know that my wardrobe is almost entirely black, with occasional touches of navy, charcoal, chocolate brown, and white—I almost never stray. The only exception is a striped Sacai button-down shirt made from blue, green, and pink tops stitched together. The one day I wore it to the office, my deskmate asked if I was okay.
Still, the bold, full-body color combinations from the men’s spring 2027 runways have been stuck in my head. Maybe they’re scratching a deeply buried itch from my Connecticut prep school days. (The Lilly Pulitzer dresses and Jack Rogers sandals still sitting in my childhood closet haunt me to this day.) Inspired, I decided to challenge myself—though a self-imposed, borderline humiliating ritual might be a better way to describe it—by dressing in the bright colors from recent runways.
Usually, when I get dressed in the morning, I think about silhouette. Since there’s almost no color variation, once I pick a shape I like, the process is basically done. Adding an extra step by layering in color felt overwhelming, so I decided to let the experts lead and took my cues from the men’s shows.
The rules were simple: I had to wear at least two colors, and no black (not counting shoes). To start, I scanned Vogue Runway for looks I wanted to copy and found myself drawn to Celine, Ralph Lauren, Comme des Garçons, Willy Chavarria, and Auralee. But since I only had black and neutrals, I knew I’d need to borrow a few things from friends at Net-a-Porter, Gap, and Cos.
I eased into it on Monday, copying the tomato red, plum, and brown combo from Michael Rider’s Celine menswear debut. I wore a wine-red skirt from Gap, with pleating on the waistband that mimicked the runway’s cummerbund, and a contrast-collar sweater from Cos. I felt alert and put together. “Those are goth shades. I want you in lime green,” a colleague texted back after I sent a mirror selfie before leaving my apartment. Noted.
On Tuesday, I did wear lime green. I was initially drawn to the mixed stripes on the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus runway, but while styling a Comme Si top, I remembered a Ralph Lauren look that paired a striped button-down shirt with a printed silk scarf draped off the shoulder. I can’t say I would have ever thought to mix stripes with florals on my own, but the green-on-green combo actually felt like a neutral to me, making the scarf the only accent piece. An interesting trick!
By Wednesday, I had gotten used to it, even though this was the look that got the most laughs because it was so different from my usual style. I was working off a pair of blush pink boxers, a white shirt, and a cobalt jacket from Willy Chavarria, but the result felt a bit more east coast brat than I wanted. (I’ll give myself bonus points, though, for the green jelly flip-flops that matched the carpet from Chavarria’s Paris runway show.) Thursday—our last day in the office for the week—was the grand finale. With help from some women’s Auralee pieces, I recreated a look from the brand’s recent men’s collection and reached full highlighter status. Sitting at my desk, I could see a neon orange glow in my peripheral vision around my arms, where no colorful aura had ever been before.
More than once this week, people have asked if this experiment left me feeling enlightened, and if they could expect to see me add more color going forward. A little.I wasn’t sure, so I sent a friend a quick photo of me wearing the Auralee. He immediately replied with approval: “That color is totally you. You basically own red,” he said. I remembered how I felt in that sharp red collar on the first day of this process. Sometimes you don’t know yourself as well as you think you do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the experience of someone who only wears black and tried wearing color to the office for a week
Beginner General Questions
Q Why would someone who only wears black suddenly decide to wear color
A Curiosity a desire to change their professional image or feeling stuck in a style rut The person might also want to see if color impacts their mood or how colleagues perceive them
Q Did you feel like yourself when you wore color
A Not really at least at first It felt like wearing a costume It took a few days to stop feeling selfconscious and start feeling like me in a different shirt
Q What colors did you try
A I stuck with muted safe colors like navy blue olive green burgundy and a soft cream I didnt jump straight to bright red or neon yellow
Q Did people at the office notice
A Absolutely The first day I got several Whoa youre wearing color comments By day three it was more like Oh thats a nice sweater People definitely pay more attention to a sudden change
Advanced Practical Questions
Q What was the hardest part of the week
A The mental energy it took to plan outfits With all black I just grab anything With color I had to think about matching coordinating and whether the colors looked good together It was surprisingly exhausting
Q Did the color change how you performed at work
A Not in terms of actual output but it did change my mindset Wearing a bright or bold color made me feel slightly more energetic and visible Wearing a dark muted color felt more like my usual hiding in the background mode
Q What was the biggest mistake you made
A Trying a pastel pink on day two It looked washed out against my skin tone and made me feel uncomfortable I learned that any color isnt a good color for everyone
Q What practical tip would you give someone trying this experiment
A Start with one colorful piece and keep the rest black Its a lowcommitment way to test the waters without feeling overwhelmed Also check the color in natural light before leaving the