How To Wear Colour, Every Single Day, With Confidence

Do you enjoy wearing colour every day? How do you feel about going for bold with a colour block hue? Dopamine dressing or fruit-bowl colours, as coined by Nylon.com, is all over the runway and in the social space. And, for the people I chatted with at my personal sustainable styling sessions at Good on Kensington Church Street, it’s a tricky thing to know how to bring into your look, without it overwhelming the outfit or looking a little costumey. I get it. As someone who wears a lot of bold shades I know it takes time and practice to figure out how best to pick, choose and wear the shades that bring joy. Below are some tips on how to get into your groove with it, as embracing colour isn’t a trend, it’s a choice and one that you won’t regret.

Check The Base

It’s all about balance when it comes to wearing colour, which means making sure the base of your outfit is the correct shade. By base I mean the foundation pieces you wear most days. It could be an ice-white long sleeve t-shirt, soft cream tone blouse or navy blue skin fit jumper; does that item which sits closest to your skin, enhance the natural colour of it? That’s the key to figuring out the stronger shades to wear alongside it. My skin has pink undertones, and suits crisp white shades rather than softer, yellowy creams. This intel means I focus on strong colours with a semi-neon finish to them. All of this knowledge has been collated through trial and error. There isn’t a right or wrong colour either. Get comfortable with working out what shade suits you best. Try everything on. Don’t get it into your head too much about it. And, please, don’t think about getting your ‘colours done’, who needs more rules introduced into their life at this stage?

Find The Connection

The next point is the connected to the first one. Each item of clothing you wear on your body, needs to ‘speak’ to each other. That’s how a fabulous outfit is distinguished from an o-kay one. This can be achieved through establishing a connection between the items’ colours. For example if you have a tweed coat, look at the weave, see the tones within it (this works for graphic print pieces too). If there are oranges, reds or greens in it, try wearing an item of the clothing in the same shade, rather than pairing with it a pair of black trousers and/or a white top? These small changes deliver big results. The more you do them, the less scary these types of sartorial decisions become.

Start Small

Incorporating colour into your look needs to be authentic. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of thing. Try adding one blast of colour to your outfit to see how you feel about it. I like to wear scarves in bold shades, which I pair with my day to day uniform of cropped jeans, striped long sleeve top and chunky rib jumper. The colours in the scarf influence the accessories I wear with the outfit, such as a brooch, bag, and shoes. It’s a non-threatening way to feel out what colours are right for you. You can build up from there.

Go Tonal

Once you’re comfortable with wearing a little bit of colour in your chosen shade you can take it to the next level and go tonal! Try building a look with at least three pieces in a favourite hue. It’s not about going matchy-matchy, rather it is about blending similar shades together, to give your look a textural effect. Start with one item, say a jumper, and match the shade with a corresponding jacket and scarf. The rest of the look can be as simple as you look.

Go For Gold (or Silver)

There’s one final element of colourful outfit building I’d like to share. Don’t forget about your accessories. I believe every outfit looks better with a belt. It’s the final flourish that brings it all together. In my experience a belt with gold or silver detailing, like a buckle, studs or rivets, brings the rest of the colours in the outfit into focus.