A colour wheel. Having this, will enable you mix and work around your colour match properly.
Here’s the background knowledge you need to understand the colour wheel.
The colour wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. It’s based on his research on colour theory. And its use for us is that it helps us in identifying colours that complement one another and the ones that cause disharmony.
In matching colours based on the colour wheel, these colour mix are perfect.
- Colours directly next to each other,for example, a Blue-Green shirt on a Dark Blue trouser.
- Colours directly opposite each other, for example, an Orange shirt on a Dark Blue trouser.
- Colours that are 2 colours apart (or 90 degrees apart), for example, you can wear a Yellow-Green shirt on a Dark Blue trouser.
- Colours that form a T. This is more applicable to ladies; guys hardly wear more than 2 pieces of cloth. An example is blue, orange, and violet-red.
- Colours that form an X, Also for ladies. Example is blue, orange, violet-red, and yellow.
- Black, Brown, Grey and White with any other colour. They are the Neutral Colours. But avoid wearing black on black, brown on brown, grey on grey and white on white, except it’s for a special occasion.
Preferably, One should have adark colour and the others light/regular, rather than having all colours dark or light/regular. It is better to wear bright red on dark green rather than wearing bright red on bright green.
For patterned shirts, note the dominant colour and match appropriately. Avoid wearing a patterned shirt over a patterned trouser, and if you’re wearing more than 2 pieces of cloth, it is best to let only one be patterned.
A solid colour shirt on a solid colour trouser with a patterned blazer on is totally acceptable.
There are also basic points you should note when sometimes you consider doing the extra while matching colours:
- Try to wear no more than three colours per outfit.
- Because black and white are technically shades, you can be more flexible about how you integrate these into your outfits, for example, you can wear four colours if one of them is white.
- For metal jewellery try to stick to one shade for each outfit, either gold or silver, particularly for chunky jewellery like statement necklaces and watches
- When wearing a printed piece, keep the rest of your outfit simple. If you like you can choose a colour out of the print itself to match with your accessories or another part of your outfit which will help to simplify the palette.
- Matching the colour of your accessories is one way to limit the number of colours on your outfit.
One golden rule is that you never forget to wear your confidence, regardless of whatever you are wearing.
‘Lamide Olajide
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