why you should keep wearing red after valentine's day
eight outfit ideas to keep the scarlet spark alive.
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Last night I was talking to someone about the “pop of red” phenomenon that dominated fashion circa fall-winter 2023. She said that the “pop of red” trend was what led her to falling in love with wearing color again, after years of sticking to a neutral wardrobe. I think that was true for a lot of people: wearing a little red shoe or red shoulder bag paved the way for openness towards other wearing other saturated colors—this past winter I saw a lot of love for cobalt.
Now it’s 2025 and I’m not sure where fashion has landed with red, to be honest. It’s been a rollercoaster:
Red had a brief moment of politicization after Trump won the election, and I saw some people online express concern that wearing red (or using the red heart emoji, as
wrote about) would read as MAGA-coded. Personally, I think there are more reliable visual indicators of someone’s politics, but aesthetics are so easily co-opted and reappropriated that I really wouldn’t bank on the color of someone’s top or the way they do their hair to reveal their values. (Once they start talking, they always tell on themselves).But then Chinese and Lunar New Year came around and of course all these fashion brands released their special collections, most of which revolved around red for its cultural significance.
And now it’s Valentine’s Day, and you’ll see lots of red and pink everywhere. I think this just comes to show how fickle color trends are, and how deeply our sentiments towards color are informed by our social, political and cultural environment.
I’ve always loved red. I love how it looks with my dark hair and eyes. I think seasonal color analysis is fun as a form of “fashion astrology” as
wrote about, and while I’m not invested in getting my “colors done” I know that I look very robust and vibrant when I’m in a crimson red dress.So this is my proposition to you: if you love it, keep wearing red—even after Valentine’s Day. Here are eight outfit ideas for keeping the scarlet spark alive.
*I may earn a small commission on purchases made through affiliate links (above paywall, never below).
1.) organza skirt + peplum satin top
*sponsored mention from Jasmine Chong
Big shapes and VOLUME! Peplum gets dragged for being one of those cringey outdated millennial styles but I don’t care and you shouldn’t either—I love the flare on this Kika Vargas top I got secondhand for $50 a few years ago.
If you love designers like Simone Rocha, Cecilie Bahnsen and Allina Liu, here’s an Asian-American designer to add to your list: Jasmine Chong, who makes this skirt that looks like it was plucked off a Sofia Coppola movie set.
One of the joys of my work is connecting with small designers and learning about their brand stories. All of Jasmine’s pieces are designed and made in NYC, and lean into a dramatic, romantic sensibility.
2.) slinky silk slip + every accessory you own
There’s nothing quite as luxurious and sensuous as the feeling of a long silk dress on your bare skin. This red silk dress is a blank canvas for me to load up all my accessories onto. I also like that it’s a nice thick weight—completely opaque and more substantial than any of other silk slips. I styled it with a silver cuff, a single gold earring, a tassel necklace, leather gloves, and plump purse modeled after the rotund pomelo—why not everything?
Jasmine made a code for Molehill readers: VIV20 for 20% off an order. I would say, her pieces are ideal for special occasion outfits like a birthday or wedding guest outfit than can also be dressed down for more casual looks (ex: I’m gonna try and wear a light blue baggy jean under the crinoline skirt hiked up, referencing the styling in an old Molly Goddard collection).
This next idea is the easiest way I incorporate red into my outfits to feel, as they say, *impossibly chic*
3.) cat eye glasses + a red nail
A red cat-eye frame just oozes personality. My art teacher in high school, Miss Mac, wore red reader frames along with her cat print graphic tees and long patchwork skirts from those Himalayan gift shops you can find on Telegraph Avenue. I get a lot of compliments on these and I take it to mean that everyone has a subliminal desire to connect to the kooky art teacher inside them.
My favorite red polish is the