While waiting for an appointment the other day, I was flipping through a fashion magazine and was immediately drawn to the many featured teal clothes. It seemed like everywhere I looked, celebrities and models alike were all showing off this bright and bold color. This made me want to add some pops of teal to my wardrobe and wonder what colors go with teal clothes.
Teal combines different ratios of green and blue to make one color. Because of this, teal clothes pair well with shades that match both blue and green. This includes metallics like gold and silver, neutrals like black and white, and other shades of blue and green.
If you’re like me and want to explore adding teal to your wardrobe, this article is here to help. I’ll give you tips on which colors you should match with your teal clothing and which ones you should be careful to avoid.
Why Are Teal Clothes So Popular
Teal has been a popular color choice since the early 1900s, though it reached the heights of its popularity during the 1990s. During this decade, varying shades of teal quickly began being blended in patterns with bold purples and pinks, and many sports teams began adopting this unique shade as part of their official colors. Given that clothing and styles from the 1990s are back in popularity in 2022, it’s no surprise that teal clothes have quickly risen to become wardrobe staples.
Beyond its appeal as a current fashion trend, teal has remained a popular choice because it is a versatile “jewel-toned” color. Jewel tones are any colors seen in natural gemstones like sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. They tend to be very bright and intense colors, helping them to be both eye-catching and to appear luxurious and expensive.
Because of this, jewel-toned clothes have long been a popular choice for anyone who wants to add a bit of elegant flair to their wardrobe. With all of these things in mind, it is no wonder that teal clothes are currently such a popular choice to wear for any occasion.
Teal and the Color Wheel
The color wheel has long been used to help determine which colors work well together and which clash with one another and should not be paired. Typically, the wheel is arranged in a traditional rainbow pattern, and individual colors are thought to pair well with the ones immediately to their right and left and those directly opposite them on the wheel.
By using this wheel, we can figure out exactly which colors and shades will work well when paired with teal clothes and which you should avoid altogether. This makes coordinating colors much easier and, overall, more straightforward. It also makes it easier to prevent pairing together colors that will almost certainly clash.
Before we can discuss where teal falls on the color wheel, we need to consider the color or shade we are talking about. Teal goes by many names, depending on who you might be talking to or what company you purchase clothes from. Shades like aqua, aquamarine, cerulean, cyan, seafoam, or turquoise are all commonly considered shades of “teal.”
If you look up each of these colors separately, you’ll see a lot of differences between these shades. Some, like aqua, are very light and contain a lot of blue in their makeup. Others, like seafoam, have much more green. Even within these colors, there is a lot of variation since they can each come in light, medium, and dark tones.
Regardless of which shade comes to mind when you think of “teal,” it is important to remember that each is made by combining blue and green. Because of this, each shade of teal will always fall between blue and green on the color wheel. It will pair well with colors that blue and green pair well with and will also clash with colors these two shades clash with.
What Colors Go With Teal Clothes
When choosing colors that go with teal clothes, you need to pick options that go with both green tones and blue tones. Doing this guarantees that you can match any shade of teal, no matter how light or dark it might be. Below are our top recommendations for colors to pair with teal.
Blue
Like green is a great choice to pair with teal, blue is also an excellent option. When you pair blue and teal together, the blue will help to emphasize the blue tones the two colors share. Just like with green, you should also try to match your darkness of blue to the night of teal you are wearing to ensure the best match.
For the best look, consider pairing a medium blue with a medium teal to play heavily on the jewel tones of each. This is a great way to look regal and elegant for any occasion.
Black
It’s hard to go wrong with pairing bright and bold teal colors with neutral accents. Black is a great choice to pair with teal since colors will always pop against a darker background. This will help your jewel-toned teals to appear even more intense and eye-catching.
You still want to be cautious not to create too much contrast in your outfit. Try not to pair black with very light shades of teal and instead stick to medium or dark tones for this pairing. If you want to style an outfit with a lighter shade of teal, consider wearing a softer shade of black or even a gray tone.
White
White is another safe neutral to wear with pretty much any shade of teal you might have in your closet. Where black doesn’t always work with lighter shades of teal, white almost certainly does. Because of this, white is typically one of the best options if you’re trying to style lighter shades of teal, including aqua or seafoam hues.
