At some point in most of our lives, someone with a measure of influence - a parent, peer, pop culture, etc. - told us we shouldn't wear *something*. For me, it was age 12, my mom, and yellow. "Blondes should never wear yellow," she said with authority, fearing her child would be mistaken for a small, sickly ghost, her otherwise normal visage instantly transmuted by its proximity to yellow into an alarming, ghoulish hue. And I believed her! For like...25 years! I'm sure she thought she was helpfully passing along an edict given to her (also a blondie) at a similarly formative age, bless her heart, but at some point in the recent past I liked a yellow dress enough to try it on despite the risks, and realized that "rule" - like most rules about what we should and shouldn't wear - was bullshit. 

This isn't limited to my own experience either; for whatever reason people seem to have more trouble wrapping their minds around wearing yellow than most other colors, and I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't! There are so many beautiful shades that fall under the umbrella of yella, and from buttermilk to ochre, trust that there's a hue for you in there, baby.

For those brave but nervous souls willing to throw bad advice to the wind and embrace the happiest color, we suggest starting with a lighter or pastel shade, a pattern that incorporates yellow, or with an accessory, like a bag or a shoe. Yellow pairs well with most neutrals, but we also love it as part of an unexpected color mix - think red or lavender. 

If your hesitance to wear yellow is based around a fear of looking washed-out (a common concern we hear), the advice I see most often is to choose shades that contrast with your skin's undertone: red and blue undertones look good in most yellows, whereas yellow undertones look better in bright or darker yellows. And if, like me, you have no idea what undertone your skin has, the easiest way to find out which yellow looks best on you is to just try a bunch on (we can help with that!). It will become clear pretty quickly which shade looks best on you, but we'd challenge the idea that you have to stick to your "most flattering" shades. If you love neon yellow, girl go for it. Enthusiasm is more important than not looking temporarily desaturated. 

Yellow is happiness, youthfulness and energy - the color of summer. Van Gogh had the right idea when he wrote to his sister in 1888, "Sunshine, a light which, for want of a better word I can only call yellow—pale sulphur yellow, pale lemon, gold. How beautiful yellow is!” Whether you decide to go big or go home small, now is the perfect time to weave a pop of sunshine into your spring wardrobe, misguided generational fashion advice be damned.