I Need Advice on Color Matching for Clothing
From Adviceopedia
When you get dressed in the mornings, do you sometimes sigh to yourself, "I need advice on color matching for clothing"?
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I Need Advice on Color Matching for Clothing
Colors that Match Almost Anything
Some colors will match almost anything, so if you're in doubt about what to pair with a specific shirt, for example, pull from items that are:
- Gray
- Brown
- Tan
- Khaki
- Olive green
- Sage green
- Navy blue
- White
- Black
- Camel
- Beige
- Cream
Most of these shades pair well with any pastels, brights, jewel tones, and earth tones. If there is an obvious warm (yellow) or cool (blue) undertone, match those up. Situations when these above colors won't pair up nicely are:
- When both colors are dark, but not in the same color family, such as navy blue and chocolate brown or black and brown
- When both colors are light, but not in the same color family, such as cream and bright white
- When two colors are very close in depth and almost the same shade, but not quite, as with a pale olive green and a dark sage green. While these two can work together, they look best when one is substantially lighter or darker than the other, and when the colors are broken up with another one, such as a bright belt or scarf, or when one item is a pair of shoes and the other is a knee-length dress.
Warm Versus Cool Tones
If you look at a color wheel, you'll be able to divide it into two halves: one with the fiery colors of red, orange, and yellow and one with the cold colors like blue, green, and purple.
How to Wear Color
Monochromatics: Wearing lighter and darker shades of the same color can create a beautiful monochromatic effect as long as the two shades are not so close together that they look as if they were supposed to be the same one. Make sure that the undertones match. For example, don't pair blue-violet with red-violet. Instead, pair darker and lighter red-violets or blue-violets together.
Brights and jewel tones: Brights and jewel tones look fresh when paired with black or white and subdued when paired with other neutrals, like khaki or tan. Dressing in brights from head to toe is best left for the bravest fashionistas, but using brights as accent colors in otherwise neutral outfits (red belt and shoes with a khaki dress, for example) almost always looks great.
Pastels: Pastels look best when paired with neutrals of medium depth. Too much color (black) with a very pale pastel could create too much of a contrast, while a very light pastel shirt paired with a pale cream pair of pants, for example, may not create enough balance.
Complementary and Analogous Color Schemes
On the color wheel, the primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. Between these colors are the secondary colors that would result if two of the colors merged. For example, between red and blue, there's purple. Between blue and yellow is green. Between yellow and red is orange. From there, the colors blend further and create tertiary colors, like red-orange, blue-green, and red-violet. Using primary and secondary colors positioned next to one another on the color wheel is an analogous color scheme. Using them together will create a pretty, subdued look. Using the tertiary colors in between in accessories will tie the ensemble together even further.
Colors opposite one another on the color wheel, such as blue and orange, or yellow and purple, will make the colors look more vibrant. This complementary color scheme is more difficult to pull off and often looks best when one color is used in accents only while the other is the main focus of the look. For example, try pairing a royal purple dress with a yellow handbag, belt, or shoes.
Now You Are Ready to Go
The next time you're saying, "I need advice on color matching for clothing," you can either go for the safe choice by pairing a color with another shade that goes with nearly everything or you can bravely consult the color wheel to liven up your ensemble.
