In the summertime, I love olive pants, be them in a pair of capris, casual cargos or dressier pants for work.  In fact, I even like olive shorts and skirts, too. There are a few reasons I feel this way and in today’s One Item, Five Fashionable Ways, I am going to not only express why I like them so much but also show you all the different ways you can wear them.

Olive pants are versatile

Olive pants can be like the black pants of summer because the color is just as versatile as black without being so heavy in appearance.  Any color you can wear with black bottoms you can wear with olive ones.   Seriously, pick a color and it will go with olive.  In fact, more will work olive than will work with black.  Navy and brown, for example, will work beautifully with olive, black won’t.

Olive pants will work for any skin tone

Near the face, olive can be hit or miss.  For some people it can be a beautiful shade.  On others, olive can make someone look sick or sallow.  However, with olive pants, the color is nowhere near the face which means anyone can take advantage of the color without worrying about whether it will be an unflattering face shade.

Olive is more figure flattering than khaki

During the warmer months a tan cotton khaki often becomes the go-to bottom color.  However, many women shy away from it because, being such a light color, khaki can show off a lot of figure flaws.  With olive, however, because the color is richer and darker in tone, these body issues aren’t as apparent.

Five outfits using olive pants

To give you some examples on how to incorporate this versatile summer bottom shade into your wardrobe, check out the outfits and my tips below.  I decided to feature J. Crew’s ankle length chino in olive.  However, all the outfits can be modified  for any type of an olive bottom you are seeking, from a more professional pair of pants to a skirt or a pair of shorts.  As you will see, this is a definite must have shade to make your wardrobe complete.

Outfit #1- With a chambray shirt

If the denim on denim look isn’t your thing, these olive pants are a great alternative to wear with a chambray shirt, like this one from Anthropologie.  In fact, as I am writing this blog it is Sunday afternoon and I am wearing a very similar outfit.  I’d photograph myself if I didn’t have bed head and no makeup on.  Starting with a base like this that is so neutral, you are free to add in any splash of color you want, if any at all.  You can keep it all neutral too.  In this outfit, I quite liked the idea of a pop of purple and chose a purple handbag from Brahmin, a pair of purple earrings and, for versatility, a pair of gold sandals and a gold bracelet from Stella & Dot.

Outfit #2- With a colorful printed top

I chose this printed top from Modcloth to show that there really isn’t a color on the planet that doesn’t work with olive.  Prints can be great road maps for showing how to finish outfits with color.  Looking at the shades of the top, I used the same purple Brahmin handbag and earrings from the previous look and added a coral kimono cardigan from H&M and a pair of yellow ballerina flats.  The outfits is finished with a basic gold necklace that is easy to throw on and look accessorized.  Of course, if this is too much color, you can always pull back and change the shoes or handbag for metallic or anything that feels more understated to you.

Outfit #3- With navy

As I was saying earlier, I think olive can be more versatile than black because there are colors you can wear with it that you can’t with black.  For example, navy, like this asymmetrical tunic from Zara.  Again, like the first look, an all neutral base is created, which gives you the freedom to pop the outfit with any color you like.  Because I not only like to show how to style one item five different ways in this blog series, but to also show a realistic approach to accessorizing, I chose to use the same yellow ballerina flats from the previous look.  Plus, I really just love yellow and navy together.  But, you can add any pop shade.  Coral would be lovely, purple, pink, and so on.  With the choice of these yellow ballerina flats, I brought the pop color near the face with these eye catching earrings from Stella & Dot.  With the addition of a metallic handbag from Cole Haan, the outfit is done without much effort.

Outfit #4- With orange

One of the colors I love with olive is orange.  Orange is so bright and cheerful and really brings the somber qualities of olive to life.  Of course, you can go for an orange top or pair of shoes, but I particularly liked the idea of an orange handbag, like this one from Aldo.  I styled these pants with a grey smocked top from Boden to create a neutral base for the orange to shine (I also love grey and orange as a color combination) and finished the look with the same gold sandals used previously, a pair of gold earrings, that same gold bangle bracelet and, to cover the arms, if necessary, a 3/4 sleeve navy cardigan from Target.

Outfit #5- With Red

Red is another color that looks gorgeous with olive.  In this outfit, I belted this red top from Modcloth with a Lauren Ralph Lauren brown braided belt and wrapped an olive summer weight scarf around the neck.  For a touch of animal, which looks beautiful with olive, I added a pair of Lucky Brand ballerina flats and finished the look with gold, the same gold earrings and bracelet as previously used and a bright gold Banana Republic tote.

Shopping for olive pants?

Well, if this post now has you on the hunt for olive pants, take a look at these styles.