Look at your wardrobe. Do you have a lot of black, gray or beige? If so, you might be stuck in a color rut. Don't feel bad, most of us are. It's just so easy to reach for those trusty black pants or that gray sweater that matches with everything. But, spring is officially here and the time has come to release our inner fashionistas and add some color to our everyday wear.
Some of us shy away from color because we just don't know what goes with what. There's no reason to be afraid anymore... it's easy to add color to any outfit if we understand how to use a color wheel.
Neutrals: But, before we start coloring, we need to understand neutrals. Black, brown, gray, tan, navy, white, olive, blue jeans and even animal prints are neutrals. This means that these colors go with all other colors and with each other. They are to be used as building blocks for an outfit rather than as a whole outfit. For example, Kerry Washington anchors her vibrant print dress and red shoes with an animal print clutch.
Using Neutrals as an Anchor
Pop of Color: Now, that we've covered the neutrals, let's start coloring. A very easy way to add color to an outfit is to add a "pop of color" by adding one strong color to an otherwise neutral outfit. This one color should stand out on it's own and be paired with one other neutral color. Gillian Jacobs adds a "pop of color" with a fuchsia skirt paired with an otherwise all black outfit.
Pop of Color
Color Combinations Using a Color Wheel: Now, let's dive deeper into adding more color to an outfit by combining two or more colors together.
Basic Color Wheel
This is a basic color wheel which includes the primary colors (red, yellow and blue), secondary colors (orange, green and violet) and intermediate colors (orange-yellow, red-orange, violet-red, blue-violet, blue-green and yellow-green).
Pick 2 Diad Colors: Try combining colors that are two colors apart on the color wheel, such as Blake Lively does with her blue gown and her violet suede pumps.
Diad Colors
Pick 2 Complementary Colors: Try combining two colors that are direct opposites on the color wheel. This creates a dramatic look which can be too striking if primary or secondary colors are used and so subdue this look by using two intermediate colors instead, such as Diane Krueger does with her burnt orange (red-orange) dress and her turquoise (blue-green) shoes.
Complementary Colors
Pick 2 Primary or Secondary Colors: Try combining 2 primary colors or 2 secondary colors. These colors blend the best when one bright hue is used with a dark or light hue, for example Emma Rossum combines her jade green dress (dark hue of green a secondary color) with deep violet shoes and belt (bright hue of violet a secondary color).
Pick 2 Secondary Colors
Pick 3 Primary or Secondary Colors: If you're feeling very colorful try all 3 primary colors or all 3 secondary colors, such as Camille Belle does with her green pants, violet top and orange jacket.
Pick 3 Secondary Colors
Finish the Look with a Metallic: Now, that we know how to add color, we need to tie the colors together with a metallic by using a yellow metallic piece for warm colors or a white metallic piece for cool colors. Camille Belle ties her Pick 3 look together by finishing it with a yellow metallic belt and clutch.
Warmth and Coolness of a Color Wheel
With these basic concepts in mind, you can easily add some color to any outfit and let your inner fashionista run free!
Pictures are provided by www.instyle.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment