STYLING WITH THE COLOUR WHEEL
How to use the colour wheel to create outfits is a great way to make the most out of your watrdobe. We put together this blog to help you identify possible colour combinations to maximise styling inside your closet.
What is the colour wheel?
A colour wheel is a an organisation of colours around a circle which shows the relationships between primary colours (red, blue, yellow), secondary colours (green, orange and violet) and tertiary colours (green-yellow, yellow-orange, orange-red, red-violet/purple, purple/violet-blue and blue-green).
When you choose what colours to wear, you are likely to go by instinct, liking, mood or maybe you have done a colour analysis test and know what colours suit you best.
Whatever way has been working for you, there is some science behind the possible combinations and knowing it, will bring a new perspective into your wardrobe choices and may help you put together new outfit combinations.
Here are a few ideas that may help you creating new outfits with what you already own.
1. ANALOG
When shades next to one another on the colour wheel are used in conjunction, they create an 'analogous' combination. These pairings are made from similar colours that naturally blend into each other and thus tend to create subtle, smooth, easy-on-the-eye looks.
2. COMPLEMENTARY
If you like colour and like to make a statement, you may choose to use colours that sit on the opposite side of the colour wheel and work as complementary shades. Examples are combining yellows with purples, blues with oranges, greens with reds. The result will be striking and make a bold styling statement.
3. TRIADIC
Triadic colour schemes are put together by pairing colours that are evenly spaced out on the colour wheel.
Examples are combinations of orange, purple, and green (secondary colours) or yellow, blue, and red (primary colours).
These pairings are best adjusted based on your personal colour palette.
Triadic colour palettes will give your outfit a more diverse feel and open up your options for experimentation without getting too crazy.
The idea is to keep your colour selections evenly spaced out to avoid running the risk of mismatching and losing harmony.
4. MONOCHROMATIC
Do not confuse 'monochrome' with the commonly understood 'black and white' combination.
Monochrome comes from Greek and means "one colour".
Single colour dressing gives an undoubtedly elegant and timeless vibe and if you vary shades of the same hue, you can create beautiful colur depth with your outfit.
5. BLACK AND WHITE / GREYSCALE
A classic colour combination is black and white. White as the absence of all colours and Black as the aggregation of all colours.
This look is elegant, timeless, neutral without feeling dull. It can be pepped up by mixing patterns and textures to give it more life and make it look less strict or clinical.
For ways how to style the Little Black Dress, have a look at this blog by London's Sustainable Stylist Roberta Lee for inspiration.
If you love bright colours, Roberta wrote another blog on how to wear them, which you can access here.