Five Ways to Match Your Mask to Your Summer Dress

Although masks were initially considered a piece of personal protective equipment, their required usage has easily made them a must-have fashion accessory. Now that masks have become more fashion-forward and comfortable than ever, it’s likely that you have quite a few on hand. But this small piece of fabric can have a large impact on our outfits. And the last thing you want to face when walking out the door is your reflection in the mirror, showing that your women’s face mask is fighting against your cute summer outfit. To avoid this problem, be proactive, and keep in mind these five ways to make sure your mask matches your summer dress.

1. Stick With One Color

Matching your face mask to your summer dress is no problem at all if the dress is a common color, such as black, navy, or white. But it isn’t always that easy. Take denim, for example. You may have a denim dress and assume that your denim-colored face mask will match wonderfully to it. But once you get them together, you may find that the types of denim are completely different shades that fight against each other instead of working together. If you tend to wear one color more than another, try to find a mask that matches it exactly. Again, black, white, and navy will be the easiest. Then you won’t have to worry at all about whether your mask matches your dress when you head out the door.

2. Buy a Neutral Mask

On that same note, a neutral-colored mask is a great option, as it will match most colors. For example, beige and taupe easily match most summer dresses. White and black are also neutral in that they won’t clash against your favorite summer colors, fabrics, and patterns. A bonus is that neutral masks are more likely to match most of your summer accessories—if you tend to buy neutral-colored accessories, that is. Brown or beige-themed sunglasses, sandals, and purses are highly likely to match well with neutral-colored masks. Even if the beiges are slightly different shades, it won’t be very noticeable.

3. Match the Mask Pattern to the Dress

If you really want to go the extra mile when styling your summer dress, try to find or even make a mask that matches the color or pattern of your dress. It could be exact, or it could be subtle. For example, you might find a blue and white checkered mask that perfectly matches your gingham summer dress. Or, you might subtly match by wearing a polka-dot mask with a fit and flare polka-dot dress, even if they’re different colors. Feel free to have fun with patterns, whether leopard print, floral, camouflage, plaid, or stripes. Just make sure they work with each other instead of clashing and making the overall outfit look too busy.

4. Add a Pop of Color

Sometimes it’s fun to make a fashion statement by adding one item that pops or stands out. For example, a white summer dress with a red mask can really make your outfit pop. After all, it can have the same effect as wearing red lipstick, if you think about it! The same can be true with a pattern. A black summer dress paired with an animal print mask can also add a fun pop to an otherwise monochromatic summer outfit.

If you want that same pop of color but don’t want the mask to stand out too much, taking away too much attention from your dress, add a few like-colored accessories. For example, a red scarf, sunglasses, shoes, or wristlet will work together to help take attention away from the mask. The same is true if you rely on a cotton cardigan to have on hand when the temperature dips. Make sure the cardigan is the same color as the mask, and you’re set.

5. Use Complementary Colors

Although complementary colors in the art world are typically those that fall onto opposite ends of the color wheel, a complementary color can be viewed as simply a color that goes well with another. Opposites, for example, are complementary colors. Look at white and black: Since they aren’t too similar to each other, they won’t clash, whereas a combination like red and pink tends to clash since they’re so close to each other on the color wheel. Red and blue are great for summertime (hello Fourth of July!), as are green and yellow. Have fun with summer colors, and don’t be afraid to match an opposite-colored mask to an opposite-colored summer dress.