If a closet full of black, gray, and neutral shades gives you the blues (especially after months of a similarly hued sky), strategic strokes of color can see you through spring. Color therapists believe warm tones like red, orange, and yellow help with focus. Blue and violet are said to create calmness, while indigo heightens imagination and intuition. Green represents harmony, bridging the warm and cool sides of the color wheel. “Bright accessories are fun—they don’t ask to be taken seriously,” says Tara Connor, assistant buyer at Sloan Boutique at NW 23rd Avenue and Johnson Street. “The more saturated the color, the less you should use.”

Try pairing a candy-apple clutch with a navy pencil skirt, or tucking a sunny yellow square into the pocket of a gray suit. Even hidden color may lift your mood—so say yes to the red undies or the orange socks. The post-winter flair may, well, tickle you pink.

Canvas Wrap Boots by Tom’s, $118
Ped-X: 2230 NE Alberta St
503-460-0760

Silk Tie by Duncan Quinn, $58
Winn Perry: 2505 SE 11th Ave
503-922-1298

Silk-knot Cuff Links
$4 per pair
Winn Perry: 2505 SE 11th Ave
503-922-1298

Canvas Trench by Tulle, $89
Sloan Boutique: 738 NW 23rd Ave
503-222-6666

Cotton Tank by Vince, $85 
Mercantile: 729 SW Alder St
503-223-6649

Rainbow Leather Shoes by Very Volatile, $72
Galore: 823 NW 23rd Ave
503-279-8946

Reversible Hat by Flipside Hats, $48
Presents of Mind:
3633 SE Hawthorne Blvd
503-230-7740

Orange Frames by Ann Sacks, $186
Blink: 2719 SE 21st Ave 503-546-2565

Clutch by Joia, $35
Sloan Boutique: 738 NW 23rd Ave
503-222-6666