Kehinde James, the creative director of House of Cush Stitches, an outfit that specialises in Bespoke clothing, ready to wear dresses in Lagos State, holds a B.Sc degree in Business Administration from Lagos State University and a Diploma in Entrepreneur Management from Pan Atlantic University. In this piece, she talks about how to mix and match colours.
Mapping colours to your clothes is as much a science as it is an art. You can have all the money in the world and flaunt the most expensive wardrobe possible, but if you do not marry the colours in your outfit well, it cost a lot.
You either need to have an eye for detail or understand the sensibilities of how colours work. Strike a balance, stay safe or go all out, whatever you choose to do, know the rules before you break them. Read on to know how to match your clothes in an admirable fashion.
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Even if you just scratch the surface of this one interesting aspect of styling, you will see a whole world of knowledge, and that’s what I’m going to help you with. Stay with me and read on.
How to know what colours to match?
Using the right colours and matching them perfectly can be a deal maker. Choosing the perfect colour for an outfit is what sets you apart. And, that’s why colour and its theories continue to be the pivot for not just clothes, but everything else like interiors, hair, make-up, and much more.
To explain this further, let’s first understand the basis of this whole colour theory.
The colour wheel: The colour wheel was first invented by Sir Isaac Newton in the 18th century when he tried to condense the colour spectrum into a wheel and visually represent the relationship between them. The wheel has been segregated into the following categories. While we will focus on using it for clothing and outfits, this theory is universal and applies to just about anything that deals with colours.
Primary colours
These comprise red, yellow, and blue. No two colours can be mixed to achieve these shades. Everything else is derived from these colours.
Secondary colour : Secondary colours are a combination of the primary colours. So, red+yellow = orange, red +blue = purple, and blue+yellow = green.
Warm and cool colours : Hues of colours like red, orange, yellow, brown, etc. are warm colours – they make things look smaller in size, and that’s why most of us prefer wearing warmer colours when we want to look slimmer. Cool colours, like hues of blue, purple, green, etc., are soothing colours.
Neutral colours: Neutral colours are self-explanatory. They are just muted, plain, and subdued. Black, grey, whites, off-whites, taupe, etc.fall into the neutral category.
What Are The Principles For Matching colours?
One fundamental principle for matching your clothes, or for that matter anything, is combining colours that work in harmony. And, that’s what we need to remember while designing or putting our outfits together.
Here’s how you can match them.
Complementary colours : Red and green, violet and yellow, blue and orange – complementary colours, as the name goes, work best when put together. These are exactly opposite to each other on the colour wheel. They might seem bold to look at, but the outputs will be perfect. If you observe carefully, your spring and summer clothing is mostly designed using complementary colours. While some might argue against this concept, it is actually a matter of choice as some like making bold statements.
Analogous colour: Matching two or three continuous shades on the colour wheel that blend well with each other is called analogous colour matching. When you put an entire outfit together based on this.
Triadic: The combination of colours that are equidistant from each other on the colour wheel is called ‘triadic.’ They look great together, but some might argue that they can be not. However, you can choose the muted shades of these colours to match your outfit.
If you are pale or yellow toned, opt for colours from the colder side of the palette, such as grey, navy blue, varying shades of green, aqua, emerald, burgundy, etc. If you have a deeper skin tone, you can pull off brighter or warmer shades of brown, coral, honey, gold, amber, taupe, etc., as they look amazing on this skin tone. All said and done, an ideal way to do this is to always strike a balance between warm and cold colours. The same applies to your make-up too.
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