#colourmatching

Matching clothes well may be a little difficult but understanding colour theory can make life so much easier when matching clothing.  By knowing how colours are related to each other and their hidden connotations, mixing and matching clothing will become easy and fun.

Monochromatic matching

A monochromatic colour scheme features both a lighter and darker shade of the same colour, for example, pairing a pale top with dark blue trousers can be called monochromatic matching.  

Analogous colour matching

Colours adjacent to each other on the colour wheel are called analogous, an example of this is pairing violet and blue items together as they are next to each other on the colour wheel.  A shared colour bloodline helps creating natural matches (two primary colours create a secondary colour, in the colour bloodline, orange can be called the offspring of red and yellow.  Orange shares half of its colour bloodline with red and the other half with yellow therefore pairing an orange dress or romper with a red jacket or sweater is a good match).

Complementary colour matching

Complementary colours are colours opposite each other on the colour wheel and do not share a common colour bloodline.  However, the visual dissonance means that the colours seem to clash and look displeasing to the eye, such as purple and yellow.  By modifying the colour combinations, the pairing of colours won’t look as displeasing, a way to do this would be by using complements of orange with an indigo.  This is because by adding a small amount of the same colour to both of the current colours, the intensity is reduced.  Another way to use complementary colours in your outfits can be by using different proportions of each colour, such as pairing an orange dress with a blue jacket or denim jacket.  By using complementary colours, the outfit becomes eye-catching and draws the attention of everyone else.