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We are pleased to be welcoming back Samantha Woodbury, personal stylist. This is part three of four, so you will remember her last guest blogs sharing tips for making a great first impression and an insight into how the arts and craft industry has merged with the fashion world.
Today we are talking about how to create a colourful wardrobe.
Gem: Hi Samantha, welcome back to the Mayinspire blog. At Mayinspire, we pride ourselves on running colourful workshops. What can people do to work colour into their wardrobe?
Samantha:
Adding colour into your wardrobe is the easiest way to re-energise your look. The right colour worn near your face can help brighten your complexion, lift your mood and even make you look younger! The key to choosing those colours is knowing whether you have a warm or cool undertone to your skin, and selecting colours that reflect this warmth or coolness. When I carry out a colour analysis with clients this is the first drape that I use to determine which side of the seasonal colour wheel the client sits.
If you’d like to try and determine whether you are cool or warm toned at home, think about what colour jewellery suits you better; do you look best in gold or silver jewellery? If gold is the most flattering, then it is likely that you have a warm undertone, so colours such as khaki, browns, corals, spring greens and turquoise blues are going suit you better. If silver is better on you, then look for cooler colours such as true pink, emerald greens, deep purple and royal blue, as these will flatter your complexion best. Once you know your undertone you can start introducing these into your outfits.
Wearing colour for the first time can be quite scary if you are used to wearing dark or neutral colours, so I would recommend starting small. Simply adding a coloured scarf, a brightly coloured necklace or even a pair of funky coloured shoes can lift an outfit.
When you are confident with this, try introducing colour through pattern and layer it over or under a neutral colour that you know you feel comfortable in. If you aren’t quite ready for a bold and bright pattern, look for a print with a dark base, but with brighter print details to ease yourself into it experimenting with pattern.
If you are more colour confident, but unsure how to mix colours together, try picking out colour from within the print and use that colour in other parts of your outfit. This could be a cardigan or a jacket with a dress, or a top with a patterned pair of trousers or skirt, or maybe a necklace, shoes or handbag. Not only will this create a cohesive look, but it will really elevate your style, leaving you feeling more confident.
Once you have mastered this, you can try looking at pairing monochromatic colours, and by this I don’t mean black and white. Try wearing different tones of the same colour throughout your outfit, this creates a really stylish look and is also very slimming as it makes you appear taller.
Another way of mixing colours using the colour wheel is by experimenting with complementary colours; colours opposite each other on the colour wheel, or why not try mixing up analogous colours; colours next to each other on the colour wheel. If you are feeling really bold, try experimenting with triadic colour scheme; colours diagonally opposite each other on the colour wheel in a triangle formation, for a really funky look.
Click image to see more. Image sources:
Vogue Runway 'SPRING 2010 READY-TO-WEAR', Rachel Roy [Look 21]
Inside Out Style Blog 'How to Co-ordinate Colours', by Imogen Lamport
Mojintouch 'complementary_colours', by MOJISOLA OBAZUAYE
If you would like to find out more about how to wear colour and what shades suit you best, I offer online and in person colour analysis consultations alongside style personality analysis which help you understand how to wear colour in a way that works with your natural style preferences and tendencies. Simply visit https://www.samanthawoodburystyling.com to find out more or to book.
Samantha Woodbury is a personal stylist based in Southampton, offering personal shopping, styling and wardrobe management services across Hampshire. Find out more about her affordable services at https://www.samanthawoodburystyling.com.
