Though it may be hard to imagine in the depths of January’s chill, spring dressing (and shopping!) is only a few short months away. Right now, you may be living in a well-worn rotation of sweaters and boots, but inspiration is just around the corner. One place to start? The spring 2026 runways, which—amid a season of historic designer shake-ups—delivered no shortage of fresh styling ideas.

One of our favorite takeaways is the unexpected mix of color combinations seen across the collections this season. Beyond offering a welcome jolt from the winter doldrums, these pairings are rearranging our sense of what actually works together. For spring 2026, designers leaned into so-called “off” combinations: think purple with bright red, lime green with cobalt blue, and orange with gray. This season, it seems, the most compelling palettes are the least obvious.

Below, shop and style some of our favorite unexpectedly color combinations for spring.

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Purple + Blue + Black

At Auralee, shades of rich purple and blue pair surprisingly well with black, turning the tables on age-old color-pairing rules.

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Cobalt + Kelly Green + Khaki

Bright blue and Kelly green don’t feel overly-elementary when seen in crisp cuts and paired with clean khaki and brown separates.

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Maroon + Baby Blue + Neutrals

Mrs. Prada has always been a master when it comes to color mixing. Here she schools us once again, artfully mixing dark maroon with a pop of icy blue, and utilitarian neutrals.

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Purple + Poppy Red + Blue

More was more at the Versace show, and that includes more color. The so-wrong-it’s-right combo of bold purple, red, and blue feels appropriately ’80s, tempered by heavy black extras.

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Cobalt + Bubblegum + Beige

At Jil Sander, subtle, sophisticated color play stole the show. In this look, crisp blue jeans and a beige sweater gain an edge through hits of cobalt and bubblegum pink.

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Navy + Maroon + Khaki

The collegiate color combination of navy, maroon, and khaki is transformed in oversized swinging shapes, and through the addition of “off” accessories—bright white flats, a clashing tote, and gold buttons.

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Light Lime + Bright Blue

The combination of blue and green reappeared at Celine’s spring show, where light lime played off of bold blues to pleasing effect.

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Pink + Dark Gray

At Valentino, girlish pink is tempered by a somber dark gray for a look that’s seriously chic.

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Orange + Charcoal Gray

At Alaïa, another case for the anchoring effects of a Gerhard Richter-like gray was made. Here it mixed with ember-bright orange and a hint of gold.

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Poppy Red + Khaki

Fashion’s favorite jolt of color isn’t going anywhere. For spring, red looks particularly enticing when paired with cool khaki separates, as seen at Rachel Comey.