Blame it on the ’70s movement (an ongoing trend that’s lasted a few seasons now), but we’re really into the shades commonly associated with the decade, like rust, saffron, mustard—essentially, any color that falls in the spice family. As natural color-phobes, this serves as the perfect opportunity to break outside of our box of fail-safe neutrals. These colors are bright, but not too bright.

Take this Whistles dress ($370; whistles.com), for instance. It has just enough of a perk that you get from a shade like canary, but its saffron undernotes mellow it out. It’s the right blend of cheery, summertime yellow and its aromatic counterpart that’s typically reserved for fall. We committed to the ’70s theme and styled out the dress with this azure blue suede mini bag and chunky printed platform sandals, but the dress’s structured silhouette and utilitarian pockets, along with a flourish of architectural metals, bring it into the 21st century. Shop the look, below.

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Shop the look: Whistles dress, $370; whistles.com. Cara hair clips, $14 for three; nordstrom.com. Charlotte Chesnais earrings, $431; matchesfashion.com. Zara purse, $70; zara.com. Tory Burch sandals, $325; net-a-porter.com.

—Market by Alexis Parente