Ugh, Fine We Love This Trendy Spring Color. But Only In Small Doses.
Fancy a guess?
by The Candidly Team
We do love a neutral. The creams, the camels, the blacks, the grays. Or what SNL recently referred to as “every color of the bummer rainbow” in their “ad” for Forever 31.
Image: NBC
We turn to these colors because they’re clean and classic and “quiet luxury.”
But admittedly, we do sometimes crave a little more excitement from the Pantone chart. A “moment” of color if you will.
And while we’re too lazy to have our color season swatched out by one of those professionals we see on TikTok, we would like that color to make us beam and glow and radiate and all those other adjectives that basically just mean we look our least pale and dead.
Well, my friends, we have the color. And ok, it’s verrrrry trendy right now. But it’s also timeless. And apparently, in its truest form, it’s one of four colors that look great on everyone.
Ok, enough wind up … it’s red.
We get that red can be polarizing. It can feel a little hot and declarative. But It can also be wildly beautiful and make your whole look 17x more interesting. You just have to use it selectively. Think punctuation mark as opposed to the whole sentence.
There are 16 perfect, red pieces that we are flat out agog for right now. They’re chic, flattering, comfortable, and any one of them will give you your own little red moment you might be low key craving as the warm weather rolls in. We know we are.
So let’s dip a toe together, shall we?
1. Old Navy Long-Sleeve Mariner Loose T-Shirt
Why pretend we don’t wish we could just dress like effortless French women every day of our lives? This classic marinière is a staple of that look. This particular one is the perfect shape tucked into jeans. And it’s only $25 (when it’s not on sale for $13).
Price: $25
2. Everlane The Day Crossover Sandal
These sandals have the softest, butteriest leather of all time. We’ve been living in the brown for a couple years now, so naturally, we freaked when we saw they came out in red. They’re bliss to walk in and add zhuzh to every neutral/ denim thing we wear.
Price: $98
3. By Anthropologie The Soleil Slim Strapless Ruched Dress: Magic Fabric Edition
If you tend to be self-conscious in tight things but also have a deep down part of you that longs to wear a slinky strapless dress that nips your waist and makes your curves mold into a smooth, hourglass, then consider this your moment of victory. This dress is made of a “magic fabric” that holds you in without feeling suffocating and makes your body look its absolute best. The ruching is crazy flattering on bellies, butts, and hips. We’re being very literal when we say, this is the dress we’ve been waiting for a good chunk of our adult lives. We actually already owned it in other colors before the red came out.
Price: $100
4. Favorite Daughter The Jordan Belt
You can wear a totally nothing outfit of just jeans and a t-shirt and this lovely oxblood belt suddenly makes you look like a fucking magazine editor. We actually first bought it in black and loved it so much we wrote all about it. The brand was then very sweet to give us a code, which we now give to you. Use THECANDIDLY15 to get 15% off.
Price: $98
5. Maeve Pull-On Circle Skirt
You wake up in the morning. The weather is warm. Your lower tum is inexplicably twice its normal size. The idea of buttons and zippers is akin to being mummified. You crave something that feels like light poplin pajama pants that slims the waist and makes you look chic. Enter this skirt. It is an airy, cotton superhero.
Price: $138
6. Madewell Pleated Mini Shirtdress in 100% Linen
It’s hard to explain how flattering this dress is. See how the sleeve is juuuust low enough to cover the thickest part of the arm? Or how the waist goes in without being skintight and making you self-conscious? Or how the skirt skims the hips without poofing out into a full A-line so you still look clean-lined and tailored and chic, chic, chic? The length makes legs go on for miles, it’s a dream on curves, and it sizes up to 3X.
Price: $128
7. Clare V. Petit Moyen
If you’ve read a lot of our site, you’d probably think we were either sponsored by Clare V. or in a stalker-like relationship with their website. Only the latter is true. The quality, beauty, and practicality of their bags are simply unrivaled. We keep a close watch to see what new colors and buttery leather weaves they come out in. And this red one has a full-blown chokehold on our hearts.
Price: $445
9. Gap Crinkle Gauze Easy Shorts
If we have to wear shorts, and alas, we sometimes do, we want them to be really, deeply forgiving. Elastic waist, not too short, gauzy fabric that doesn’t make us feel like we’re going to spill out on one end or the other. This pair meets all criteria and feels like heaven. They also fit in a way that makes everything look elongated.
Price: $50
10. Rothy’s The Square Mary Jane
You might look at this and see an elegant and Audrey Hepburn-like ballet flat. But, in fact, there is no closed toe shoe in existence that is as light and breathable and addictively comfortable. No joke - we have to force ourselves not to wear them daily. We do not travel anywhere without this shoe. It comes in countless colors, but red is a surprisingly amazing staple to have on hand.
Price: $159
13. Andie Swim The Malibu One Piece
You might feel emotional when you experience how well this suit fits. We did. The ribbing just sort of swoops your whole body into place, the back covers your butt without looking saggy or sad. Andie has mastered making one pieces that fit the precise way we want a one-piece to fit. Oh, and it also comes in long torso.
Price: $112
14. Madewell Linen Maxi Slip Skirt
A linen maxi skirt in this exact shape is what’s missing from your closet. You’ll look taller, your midsection will look smooth since the waist is elastic, and your hips will be gorgeously framed. With a ribbed tank and a strappy, flat sandal, you’ll stunnnn.
Price: $128
15. Gap Oversized Linen-Blend Swing Top
The length of this tee is right in that sweet spot that has you looking slimmed out and stretched vertically. Plus, the drop shoulder is incredible on arms. In fact, anyone who doesn’t love showing their arms will loooove this tee in spring and summer. Wear it instead of white or black, and poof, you’re styled.
Price: $40
16. Gap Crepe Sweetheart Maxi Dress
We finish with what is simply an incredibly pretty dress. We wear it to the supermarket with white sneaks, to picnics with basket bags, and to weddings with heeled sandals. It’s so easy and foolproof, it’s hard not to reach for whenever it’s clean.
Price: $90
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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