Nothing is prettier or more feminine than soft pink, baby blue, and mint green. But as we get older, there’s a fine line between looking pretty in pastels and looking like you just wandered off the set of The Golden Girls!

So what makes a pastel look fresh and modern instead of washed out and dowdy? It comes down to the shade you choose and, even more importantly, how you wear it. Here are 7 ways to get pastels right.

1. Watch Out for Grayed-Out Pastels

Have you ever put on a pale pink or blue top and thought, Why do I suddenly look so tired? It may be the color.

Some pastels have a lot of gray mixed into them, which gives them that dusty, muted look. These shades can be lovely, but as our skin and hair naturally soften with age, they can sometimes wash us out even more.

If that’s happening to you, try a pastel with a little more life. Look for clearer, brighter shades of pink, blue, peach, aqua, lavender, or yellow. They’re still soft and feminine, but they bring a bit more color back to your face.

Of course, everyone’s coloring is different. If a dusty pastel makes your eyes sparkle and your skin glow, wear it! The mirror will tell you pretty quickly whether a color is doing you any favors.

You can see more examples in my post on saturated pastels.

2. Be Careful Wearing Pastels Head to Toe

A little pastel can be gorgeous. A whole lot of pastel can start looking awfully sweet. Think baby pink dress, pink shoes, pink bag, pearls… You get the picture.

 

If you want to wear a pastel from head to toe, keep the outfit simple and modern. A sleek pale blue pantsuit, a beautiful lavender midi dress, or a chic butter-yellow matching set can look fabulous.

The combination of pastel color and overly sweet styling can make an outfit feel dated.

3. Ground Pastels With Neutrals

One of my favorite ways to make pastels look more sophisticated is to pair them with a neutral.

White, cream, camel, beige, navy, chocolate brown, and even black give pastels a little backbone and keep them from looking too sugary.

Try a baby blue sweater with crisp white jeans, a soft pink blouse with camel pants, or a lavender top with dark navy trousers.

This is such an easy tweak, and it works.

4. Wake Them Up With a Bright

Pastels don’t always have to be quiet. Sometimes they need a little jolt of color.

For example, take a pale pink dress and add a fuchsia bag or a pair of shoes. Pair baby blue with a shot of cobalt. Add coral to soft peach.

You don’t need much. One brighter color is often enough to make the whole outfit feel fresher and more interesting.

5. Make Sure the Style Is Modern

This may be even more important than the color.

Sometimes we look in the mirror and blame the pastel when the clothes are really what’s making us look dated.

A mint green top with an old-fashioned neckline is still an old-fashioned top. A pale pink jacket that’s boxy in all the wrong places won’t look more modern just because it’s pink.

On the other hand, put that same pastel into a current silhouette—a great blazer, wide-leg trousers, a simple midi dress, a modern trench—and suddenly the color looks completely different.

Here’s a little test I like: If this were black, would I still think the piece looked current?

If the answer is no, don’t blame the pastel!

6. Don’t Pile On the Sweet Stuff

Pastels are already soft and feminine, so you don’t need to work very hard to make them prettier.

This is where ruffles, bows, lace, ruching, tiny florals, and too many delicate details can get you into trouble. Add too many to a pastel outfit, and things can start looking fussy and old-fashioned.

I much prefer a little contrast.

A soft pink jacket with clean lines. A mint green blouse with a modern neckline. A pale yellow dress with a strong, simple shape.

Let the color be the feminine part of the outfit and keep everything else a little cleaner.

7. Take a Second Look at Pastel Florals

I love a pretty floral, but with pastel florals, you need to keep an eye on the whole look.

Tiny, traditional flowers in pale colors can feel dated, especially when they’ve been hanging around in your closet for a while.

For a fresher look, try a floral that’s larger, more abstract, painterly, or graphic. Even a classic floral can look modern when the colors are clearer, and the silhouette is current.

And before you toss a pastel floral you love, try styling it differently. Sometimes all it needs is a modern shoe, a great pair of jeans,s or a more current jacket to bring it back to life.

The Bottom Line on Pastels

So, are you too old to wear pastels? Absolutely not.

Soft pink, baby blue, lavender, mint, and all those other pretty shades can look fabulous at any age. You may find that the colors and combinations you wore at 35 aren’t necessarily the ones that look best at 55 or 65.

That’s normal. Our coloring changes, fashion changes, and our personal style changes too.

So if a pastel isn’t looking quite right, don’t give up on it. Try a clearer shade. Add a neutral. Toss in a brighter accessory. Or take a good look at the style of the piece itself.

A few little tweaks can be all it takes to keep pastels looking pretty, feminine, and modern—without looking like you’re headed over to Blanche’s house for cheesecake!