Learn how to combine and match colors to create fashionable outfits by understanding basic color wheel theory and how different families of colors are perceived.
Fashion is an art, and even if you don't consider yourself artistic, understanding color theory can help you match colors in your closet and coordinate your clothes to create stylish outfits for every mood and occasion.
Hue
Hue is simply the color in its most basic sense: red, blue, green, orange, periwinkle, etc. As you move around the circumference of the color wheel you change hues.
Primary Colors, Secondary Colors & Tertiary Colors
The primary colors – red, blue and yellow – are the only three that cannot be made by mixing other colors. When you mix two primary colors, you get secondary colors:
- Purple (red + blue)
- Orange (red + yellow)
- Green (blue + yellow)
The exact hue of a secondary color depends on the shade of red, blue or yellow used, and the proportions combined. Tertiary colors are made by combining secondary or secondary and primary colors adjacent to one another on the color wheel. Example: Yellowish Green.
Brown and gray are created by mixing varying amounts of all three primary colors, and along with black and white, they make up the neutral colors – the basic underpinning of every wardrobe.
Style Tip: Build your wardrobe around neutral staple items that can be dressed up, down, or modified from season to season and trend to trend with primary/secondary/tertiary colors.
Warm Colors
Warm colors (including magenta, red, orange, yellow and greenish-yellow) are stimulating colors that motivate energy, activity and excitement. As a rule, warm colors produce feelings of warmth, romance, comfort and happiness.
Cool Colors
Cool colors (including shades of purple, blue, turquoise and green) usually cause people to feel calm and relaxed. Cool colors tend to evoke emotions of peace, tranquility and sometimes sadness or withdrawal.
Color Intensity
As you move along a radius of the color wheel you adjust intensity or brightness. High intensity colors (such as tropical colors) advance in space, jumping out at you. Low intensity colors (such as pastels) recede. On a continuum, a high intensity warm color (i.e. bright red) makes the boldest statement, whereas a low intensity cool color (i.e. pale blue) looks ultra tranquil.
Style Tip: Consider the intensity or brightness of color when buying a garment or combining clothes for an outfit.
- If you've got the gumption to boldly embrace color, go ahead and wear large amounts of high intensity colors, like a bright yellow dress.
- If making a loud statement isn’t your style stick to low intensity colors or incorporate small amounts of bright colors into your ensemble such as wearing a bright green blouse under a neutral blazer with jeans (which, in fashion are a pseudo-neutral).
- Accessorize with high intensity colors as a stylish way to add a pop of color to a neutral outfit.
- Both high intensity and low intensity color palettes are trendy for spring/summer 2008, so whichever you prefer, there will be lots of choice when you're buying new clothes this spring and summer. Ultra bright or washed-out, either way, you'll be in style.
Color Matching
Monochromatic Color Combinations
A monochromatic scheme can make use of numerous shades (darker) and tints (lighter) of the same hue. The result is a more subtle effect due to the lack of contrast. Example: Light blue, medium blue, dark blue.
Analogous Color Combinations
To maintain the fluidity of monochromatic matching with more variety and energy, select analogous colors – those that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. They create harmonious combinations because they are relatives and have little contrast. Example: Blues and greens.
Complementary Color Combinations
Complementary colors – those which are opposite each other on the color wheel – contrast, enhance and intensify each other.
The complementary color of a primary color is the color you get by mixing the other two complementary colors:
- Red's complementary color is blue + yellow = green
- Blue's complementary color is red + yellow = orange
- Yellow's complementary color is blue + red = purple
Likewise, the complementary of a secondary color is the complementary color that wasn't used to make it:
- Green's complementary color is red
- Orange's complementary color is blue
- Purple's complementary color is yellow
You'll notice that each pair of complementary colors has one warm and one cool color. When worn together, complementary colors make each other look brighter.
Style Tip:
- Complementary colors command attention, and shouldn't be worn by anyone who wants to appear mellow or blend in with the crowd.
- Although the contrast of complementary color combinations can be eye-catching, they can quickly become an eye-sore.
- Outfits built from monochromatic, analogous and complementary color combinations with neutral anchors are always in style.
