Tips for pulling off the monochrome trend. Inspired by Organic by John Patrick.

Dressing in one color from top to toe is one of the surest ways to look taller, leaner and right on trend. What is not to like about that? Here are a few simple tips to help you master the monochrome look.

Vary the Hue. The monochrome look is all about dressing in all one color, the trick is to mix it up and create some contrast by varying the hue. In his Fall/Winter 12 collection, John Patrick showed us exactly how to do this by mixing darker burgundys with brighter reds. Keeping the colors in the same family creates unity while the different hues create variety – a perfect balance. Buy the whole look by Organic by John Patrick straight off the runway or try a pair of bright red sustainable denim pants from The IOU Project, an organic cotton V-neck by Indigenous Designs, a handmade cowl knit scarf from De Nada, and burgundy heels from Coclico.

Denim pants, approx. $91, IOU / Organic cotton Deep V, $69, Jute & Jackfruit / Cowl Knit Scarf, $55, De Nada / Heels, on sale for $199, Coclico 

Keep it simple. Take a cue from Hussein Chalayan and keep things on the minimal side of things. Keep it simple with a few key pieces in a deep-yellow hue and you’ll be sure to shine. Try mixing a yellow Organic Pima Cotton dress by Stewart+Brown with footless mustard yellow rib tights by Tightology and yellow vegan pumps by Hearts of Darkness.

Organic cotton dress, $68, Jute & Jackfruit / Yellow Rib Tights, $39.95, Tightology / Yellow Pumps, $36, Hearts of Darkness

Introduce patterns. If pure color is just not your thing, try introducing patterns in the same hue to mix things up a bit. Cacharel did this beautifully in their F/W 2012 collection, by mixing knit sweaters with flowing skirts in the same hue. Start with a floor-length navy dress in bamboo and organic cotton by Perfectly Imperfect, add a drawstring apron skirt by Suno on top to create texture and visual interest. Top it all off with a navy cardigan by H. Fredriksson.

Floor-length navy dress, $154, Embodies / drawstring apron skirt, on sale for $118.80, Suno / Cardigan, $396 , H. Fredriksson

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