Everything* should be black and white except for the horse, and s/he may be.
*Buff is OK for breeches at lower levels.
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I like brown tack (black is for funeral horses) and no bling for competing (thatās the plan). For at home, it will be matchy, matchy to the extreme. Have started building up my matchy, matchy collection. He currently has a purple headcollar, lead rope and training rope. Am planning to add as much purple as possible to our at home gear. He is a very brown dark bay. Each of my horses gets a colour chosen for them after they join the family.
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I like the colored coats and stock ties, but Iām not a fan of rhinestones. Riding boots in shades of brown or maaaybe dark burgundy if they blend well with the outfit might be nice. As someone else mentioned in this thread, black and white are harsh colors and donāt look great on everyone and every horse. Color that compliments horse AND rider looks better to me. A touch of shine such as a crystal accent here and there might not be bad, if itās understated enough.
I dislike the patent riding boots or any of the really odd colored ones Iāve seen advertised. Iām sure the really outlandish ones arenāt permitted in the ring, but I donāt care for the look even for schooling, sorry!
I really dislike the garish western styles with tons of bling, and glittery costumes, and colored rhinestones on everything.
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I love bling and colors in WP and other appropriate western classes.
I love brown and cordovan boots.
But for dressage, black and white. Itās not supposed to flatter the rider. Let the rider complement the horse. 
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Just bought a purple jacket for my black horse and a blue jacket for my bay horse (they were on sale). I have a blue/white pearly beaded browband (with matching belt for me) for the black and a very blingy blue/grey rhinestone browband for the bay. Iāll have to wait until next year to use everything as my show season is over for the year, in which I used my black coat on the colder days and just my white shirt on warmer days - boring!
There is a fine line between elegant and garrish/tacky. I donāt mind a little bit of sparkleā¦ but not everything needs sparkle and color. I have a beautiful brow band that is a dark navy jewel with silver and translucent accent beads. It is simple, but adds a little bit of āfunā in a sophisticated way. That is the only piece Iād use, I wouldnāt also need a navy jacket with a rhinestone color etc ad nauseum. One or two pieces is plenty and the more subtle the better.
I also prefer the classic dressage look. Black & white. I do not understand this brown tack fad and see so many people struggling to sell their brown dressage saddles when they decide they want to go back to black.
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I am a bit a of a dressage fashionista and I love color and bling, but I do think it has to be done in moderation. Iām definitely not in the ārhinestones on everythingā camp. I do really like patent and a bit of subtle color or piping on saddles.
My show outfit for this year consisted of black patent boots with patent spur straps, white breeches, grey Pikeur coat, grey One K helmet, white stock tie with a grey pattern on it. My horse has a purple crystal/grey pearls browband and the cantle of my saddle is black patent with a very subtle red piping (canāt really see it unless you are close).
For schooling, the sky is the limit! I have brown boots, polo boots, boots with crocodile patent detail (yes, I have a boot fetish! ). Matchy matchy polos and saddle pads are a must of course.
Things I donāt care for . . . rhinestones on helmets, gloves, stirrups or spur straps, brightly colored jackets. I do a lot of judging/scribing and they sun glinting of the rhinestones are a bit distracting, especially if the rider has a wobbly leg or seat.
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I like a little bit of bling, a brow band and I do have custom spur straps with a bit of sparkle but that is where my bling ends. I like having color choices but I donāt stray too far from black, navy or grey. Iām not a fan of blinged up boots on either myself or my horse, plain is fine. I like being able to customize a little but some people can take it too far. I too am not a fan of western pleasure style.
I wish white breeches would go the way of the dodo birdā¦ in favor of black or grey. But alas, that is just a fantasyā¦
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IMHO bling can make good things look better, and bad things look worse.
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Dressage USA shared on their FB a pic of someone with just a bit of embroidering on the inside of the cut of the tail on their jacket (I know I"m not calling it the right thing). I thought it was so lovely, and fine and not OTT. I want it now.
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Iāve seen it in person - and it is lovely, although I would keep everything else plain, if I were to wear this coat.
https://ridemastermind.squarespace.com/mastermind-collection/?category=Show+Jackets
I like to show in a a sparkly brow and and maybe some trim on the saddle padā¦but thatās probably my limit. Lots of crazy colors at home, though.
I think itās nice to have a few choices in coat colors, other than black - like navy, or plum, or chocolate. I think a little bling on the browband can be acceptable.
But in general, - in my very humble,possibly ridiculous opinion - the beauty of the horse and the riderās skill should be at the center of attention.
I think there is a very fine line between self expression and attention seeking behavior. . . and if I really wanted to participate in something where I could dress up and bedazzle others - well - thereās Western Pleasure, where everyone tries to out-bling everyone else. . .
So I can definitely do without all the glitter on the boots and the helmets and the stirrups.
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I love it all, and I love shopping Saddle pads and coordinating fly hoods for schooling. Matching browbands and stock pins for shows. Itās just so much fun! Totally unnecessary and definitely not something to worry about, clean and well fitting is definitely good enough. But when you see those People on Horses matching sets reason just goes out the window LOL.
Some levels of embellishment may not be what I would choose, but looks amazing on you/your horse. The best part is that everyone has so much choice! The point that it makes a certain rider/horse combo easier to identify is a good one. I have certainly said āso and so with the lovely chesnut and the gorgeous brown saddle/bridle in the PSG classā to identify a particular rider.
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I donāt personally like bling/rhinestones, but admire anyone who can pull it off without looking tacky.
I do have a dark green coat that I just became brave enough to wear, and I got a lot of compliments on it, so Iām happy with that. I have a bright chestnut horse and I just love green and chestnut. He also has a green ear net, a Celtic knot embroidered browband, and I have a Celtic knotwork stock pin in green and blue, so we kind of have a Celtic theme going.
Are colored pads legal? I always thought they had to be white or black, and trim was okay, but if I could get away with a dark green or navy pad I would love that. My white pad always makes my fleece half-pad look so dingy and it would be cheaper to buy a solid green pad than to replace the half-padā¦
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Brown is more traditional. Black tack came along later.
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I love bling, I confess. But I prefer it on browband only. On the helmet? boots? spurs? Thatās a little overboard.
As to the coat colors - yuck. I may be the only one, so it probably dates me, but I sure would like to see that fad fade. It is distracting. Maybe in a few years when itās old hat, it will no longer be distracting, but right now thatās what I think. To me, the idea of the rider being black and white made all the riders look the same to the judge when they came down the centerline. It made it easy for the judge to just focus on the ride. A nice navy or midnight blue shadbelly with canary breeches is stunning - even more so if the helmet is a dark shade of blue. But for colors thatās about the only deviation I like. Am I a dinosaur?
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Well, since you included the helmet, instead of a top hat, you must be capable of change! 
I am also one that prefers a bit less rather than a bit more, but recognize that we all have our preferences and can appreciate a well thought out turnout that complements the horse and rider pair, even if I wouldnāt choose it myself.
Besides, plenty of riders back in the day wore military uniforms in various shades of brown and green - some with brown boots and no one thought that was distracting.
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I started riding 30 years ago and have never seen brown tack in the dressage ring nor in the photos in my riding books as a kid. How long ago was brown the norm (unless weāre talking the calvary days and not showing days)? Not arguing, just curious as I would never have thought of brown in the show ring as being the norm - learn something new every day. Hey, maybe itāll start swinging backā¦ brown came back in style in the last, what, 5ish years or so? Regardless of which came first, I still think black looks better. It is about the horse and not the fashion statement of being different.
