How to mix colors when dressing

How to mix and match colors for clothing: 9 simple tricks for beginners

It is funny how we all have a full closet but nothing to wear every morning. Not to worry, in this edition, we would deal with some tips on how to tackle this 'how to mix colors when dressing ' situation. This would also be a guide in building your wardrobe and choosing the best colors to suit exactly how you want to look. Remember, the way you are dressed is the way you would be addressed, so this, in a way isn’t a joking matter. 

A quick disclaimer

Please note that all I will talk about here is how it deals with color combination in fashion, not in other artistic areas like Graphic Designing, Photography, etc.

What colors match the best?

The color wheel: What is a color wheel

Choosing colors to wear won’t be possible without talking about the ancient form of color referencing, the “color wheel”.

The color wheel is a diagram containing colors that provide a useful and valid illustration of what colors would work well and which ones won't work well together.

Features of a color wheel

Let's start by explaining some features found in the color wheel;

Primary colors.

This includes Blue, Yellow, and Red. These colors are bold, eye-catching, and bright such that they hardly go out of style and vogue.

Secondary colors.

These are gotten from the combination of two primary colors and include Green, Purple, and Orange.

Tertiary colors.

These are gotten from the mixture of equal amounts of primary and secondary colors together.

It includes Yellowish Orange, Reddish Orange, Reddish Violet, Bluish Violet, Bluish Green, and, Yellowish Green. 

Note that Violet is the same as Purple

Monochromatic colors

Monochromatic colors are colors gotten from the tint, tone, and, shade of one particular reference color which is the "Hue" which can be any color. Here is the formula;

Hue+ black=shade
Hue+ white=tint
Hue+ grey=tone.

A monochromatic look implies that you mix that color's tones, tints, and shades. Imagine wearing a red top and complementing it with a shade of red skirt or a black skirt itself. Perfect!

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are colors that are beside each other on the color wheel, just like a color that is next to one another. They are sometimes called family colors.

Complimentary colors

Complimentary colors are colors adjacent and opposite to each other on the color wheel.

How to choose colors that match how to use the color wheel to match colors

Let's unlock some tricks that would help you make choosing colors to wear easy and beautiful

Trick 1; Analogous colors are harmonious to the eye while complementary colors aren't and can give rise to color clashes.

The human eye doesn't get a harmonious look from complementary colors because they always turn out too bright. They might not be completely out of the way as they might make you look daring and require a sort of experience and fashion knowledge to pull off.

Some complementary combinations include blue and orange, green and pink, and purple and yellow.

For a more casual look, you can simply wear color and add a touch of its complementary color to it, it will make your outfit pop!. This makes it toned down.

To be on the safer side, or when you aren't too sure and inexperienced about this, simply avoid this combination, my humble advice though.

Match analogous colors together at any point. These are the colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, like blue and indigo. Red goes with pink, yellow with orange, and so on.

Warm colors like yellow, orange, and red are on one side of the color wheel, while cool colors like blue, green, and purple are on the other side of the color wheel. With matching, you must note the color temperature, which is the warm or cold colors. 

Color Temperature truly matters. Learn about warm and cool colors. Pair warm colors with other warm colors, and cool colors with other cool colors.

Trick #2: It is better to wear a black dress during the cold season and a white dress during the hot season. 

There is a little physics here as black can absorb heat energy more, which simply makes you sweat more. A white dress would radiate heat and make you sweat less. 

You can as well target areas where you are likely to sweat more and cover such areas with anything asides from black as you don't want to be out there in the presence of your crush, sweating like a Christmas goat.

Trick 3; Choose a dark color especially black if you want to look and appear slimmer than you look. 

To get the opposite look, just do the opposite! Get something bright like white to make you look bigger. 

It doesn't make you bigger in the actual sense, it just psychologically makes you appear like that. This is because it gets to emphasize and draws attention to your body since it is bright and can be easily noticed. 

You can play the trick of highlighting the best areas of your body (e.g. legs, breadth, hips, waist) with bright color and cover places you don't want to show with a rather dark color, black especially.

Trick #4: To look royal, wear purple!

This is quite simple, especially when you're going for dinner and you don't know the color of a ball gown to wear. 

This is historical. Royal blue or red could be a substitute, but they wouldn’t give a stronger look of royalty like purple would. Royal banquets and dinners were the reasons most ladies own a ball gown in ancient times and you have to look Royal to make the prince notice you! 

Guess what? Purple will never go wrong to make you achieve this look.

Trick #5: It is professional to wear blue or black for job interviews.

These colors are neutral and convey trust, confidence, and professionalism because they are darker. Blue and black also signify maturity, seriousness, and, good qualities in a job candidate. 

This is more of human psychology. Avoid loud, bright colors such as orange for interviews. If you’re interviewing for a non-conventional, creative job, you may add more flexibility to express yourself with your wardrobe. 

Brighter colors may be appropriate in this case, use your discretion, but be careful not to look like a teddy. The interviewer should be able to focus on you and your skills, not your dress.

Trick #6: Try a monochrome look.

The classic monochromatic look is an all-black or all-white attire, a unique choice that gives an air of dressiness to your outfit. 

You can also try a monochrome look in a brighter color, like red or green. The key to making a monochrome look work is by wearing fashion items in the same color. Wearing a bright white top with cream pants is going to clash. 

To make a monochrome outfit look less extreme, break it up with some neutrals, like beige heels or a brown belt. Another way to make a monochromatic look fantastic is by wearing an accent color.

Trick #7: To look taller, simply be on a monochromatic look. 

You can decide to make a tint, tone, or shade with your scarf and other accessories depending on how flexible you are. 

For a long-leg effect, simply wear the same color of trousers and shoes. Always remember, the lesser the obstruction of colors, the taller you appear to be.

To make this more effective, ensure you are on vertically striped clothing.

Trick #8: In cases of confusion and doubts, simply use your available shoes, accessories, hair, sunshade, bag, etc. to choose what to wear.

This makes you versatile, daring, flexible, and, simply elegant. And you generally tend to be more fashionable as you make yourself look elegant by accompanying your dress with a cute bag or any other accessories.

Imagine you have a black dress, a purple dress and red shoes, which of the dresses should you then wear? The black, of course! 

Do you want to match a purple dress with red shoes?? No No. 

This goes for other things like your necklace, wig, sunshade, bag, and, any other thing that compliments your dress.

Trick #9: Consider "earth tones" or "neutral colors".

They include brown, cream, white, grey, and slate (grayish blue). In fashion, blue denim often is treated as a neutral color. 

These are naturally muted colors that will mostly go with other colors. 

They will usually always go together with any color. When you are deciding what neutral color to wear, you need to take color temperature into account.

Cool neutrals include a bright white or a blue-black. Warm neutrals include brownish-grey or cream and off-white. Pair the cool neutrals with cool colors and vice versa

Conclusion

I hope with these simple tricks, you would eradicate that big question at every instance. 

Have you learned anything new here today? drop us an answer in the comment section below. Do not forget to subscribe to our blog below, it is free.

Till our next edition

CIAO!