How do you choose the right outfits for your pet? One important point to consider when choosing an outfit is color. The shades of the apparel and your pet’s breed coat color will help determine which color palettes look best on your pet.

Your pet’s wardrobe is probably stocked full with lots of outfits; coats, sweaters, dresses, pants, etc. This closet full of outfits may look good on the rack; however, does it look good on your pet? Will a neon green outfit really look good when your pet has a black or brown breed coat? Will a white or beige sweater compliment your pet’s white breed coat? The idea is to draw a distinction between your pet’s breed coat and their apparel. You want a balance of colors that doesn’t put the entire focus on the outfit.

If your pet has a dark color breed coat, such as black, brown or grey, then light colors, such as neutrals (beige, camel, and fawn), pastels (pink, green, yellow and blue) or simple patterns with a neutral background would create a nice distinction between the fur color and the sweater without distracting.

If your pet has a white coat or light color coat; choose colors that are vibrant, dark or variegated palettes to make the sweater more of a focal point. Sweaters with muted or neutral palette such beige or camel will blend into the coat color. A sweater with blues, yellows, greens, purples, etc. will speak for itself.

Let’s say your pet has a black color coat. Black is already a powerful, dominate color, so the trick is to find colors that compliment your pet’s black fur color like beige, fawn, neutral variegated patterns or soft color palettes such as pastels. These outfits will work with a dominate color such as black, not against it.

Another factor to consider is when your dog has a two tone or multiple color breed coat. Certain colors and patterns will work and others will distract. If your pet has a two tone color, either on the body, face or both and let’s says color patches on the legs, then the coat has already created a natural pattern.

This natural pattern in combination with an apparel item with a busy pattern on the back will more likely compete then compliment your pet. The idea here is to find a sweater or apparel item with a simple pattern, such as shown on poppy pictured above. So whether it’s a basic flower pattern that repeats or a plaid, they compliment your pet’s multiple color breed coat.

There is no perfect formula for picking an outfit for your pet, just as when you shop, there is no perfect formula to finding an outfit for yourself. Hopefully these tips, however, give you a paw up on finding colors and patterns that work best for your pets.