Creating fun, colorful attire can sometimes be challenging, especially when you want your outfit to look good and represent an effective color palette. Even in dopamine dressing that focuses on freedom of self-expression through vibrant clothing, there are some rules for creating color combos for your daily looks. So if you are asking yourself: How to Color Coordinate Outfits, in this article I will share some tips and tricks that can help you create fun and well-composed color combos.
It is all about having fun and understanding how colors work in fashion. Trends in color combos might change, but there are some universal rules for creating palettes that are foolproof and look good in every season. Let’s get to know them!
Why Color Coordination Matters?
Everybody knows how much a first impression means – so imagine that your well-composed outfit is 50% of that first impression. Whether you’re heading to a job interview or a brunch with new friends, good color coordinating skills can come in handy.
Such knowledge can also be used beyond fashion – think interior decorating, organising parties, even designing websites. Colors are present everywhere, and it is beneficial to know how to use them well.
Also, when you are wearing an outfit that combines different shades well, you automatically feel more confident and fashionable. You can incorporate your favorite colors, and learn how well they balance each other. For example, I love pink, and my second favorite color is yellow. I’ve learnt what shades of them to choose to coordinate both pink and yellow into my outfit. The result? More happiness and satisfaction from wearing what I love – and believe me, such a color combo looks incredible!
On the other hand, poorly chosen color combos can truly harm your look. Muted earthy green and a neon pink, for example? Well, let’s just say it’s not the most stylish combo. Of course, fashion, especially colorful, offers us a lot of freedom in composing attire. Yet, as with everything, it has some rules that can be broken once in a while, but it is good to know them anyway.
How to Color Coordinate Outfits? Color Wheel
Let’s start from understanding how colors work – and what better way to comprehend it than via the ultimate color wheel?
Colors can be divided into these categories:
- primary: they are like the VIPs of the world of colors. You can’t create them by mixing any other colors. Think of them as parents who create a base for other shades. Primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.
- secondary: they are “babies” of primary colors. So, you can create them by creating 2-3 shades from the previous category. For example, red and yellow give us orange. If you combine blue and yellow, you’ll receive green. And red plus blue creates purple.
- tertiary: they are cool shades in between. They are usually between two well-known colors and usually have cool names. Like turquoise will be placed between green and blue, and so on.
Understanding these categories is the first step to color coordination. Among primary, secondary, and tertiary shades, you can find tones that belong to one of these two categories:
Warm Vs Cool Tones
Warm tones are all colors that have the majority of yellow in them – for example, orange, and some shades of green. These colors give cozy, fiery vibes. And they always combine super well with gold jewelry. They make you think of sunset and warm, autumn leaves.
On the other side, we have cool tones – they contain the majority of blue. Such shades are fresh and serene so to say. They also pair much better with silver. They make us think of a quiet winter day.
Can you combine warm and cool tones? Yes, but with caution. It is much safer to combine cool tones with other cool tones and leave warm ones to the same kind. Of course, some shades are natural – the sweet in between – that can be combined with both cool and warm colors.
How to quickly tell them apart? Trust your intuition! If a color makes you think of the sunshine – it’s warm. If you associate it rather with water or even ice – it’s cool. When you think of both – then your color is most probably neutral.
How to Color Coordinate Outfits? 3 Techniques
There are three most popular ways to combine colors like a pro. All of them leave you with a slightly different final effect, so choosing which one to use is very individual. In dopamine dressing, they are all “allowed”, but a method based on complementary colors is favored. Simply because it creates the most vibrant and interesting look. Yet all 3 of them have their advantages. Let’s analyze them:
1. Monochromatic
This is the easiest method, but it requires you to have multiple clothing items of the same color. Just combine different shades of one color to create a fun, color-coordinated outfit. For example, blush pink pants with a fuchsia blouse, and gentle candy pink flats. Add a neon pastel pink purse, and voila, you’re looking like the queen of pink. Browse our collection of Colorful Blouses to create a similar outfit.
This method of how to color coordinate outfits is great if you like accessories. They can serve in accent colors – so, for example, for your pink outfit, instead of a pink purse, you can add a white stylish bag. This way your jewelry and other items can shine. That’s also a great way to break the monochrome path of your look – stylish, fun, and works all the time!
2. Analogous color combo
Analogous colors are shades that are next to each other on the color wheel. They blend in together and create a unique, harmonized look. For example, wear a green skirt with a blue top. Blue heels and a green hat will tie the whole outfit nicely. To achieve a similar look, explore our Colorful Skirts collection.
You can truly create masterpieces with this method. If you combine yellow and orange, you will look like a sunrise. When green meets blue, one can look like the ocean breeze. Perfect method of color coordinating for artists! And the good news is: shades don’t need to be the same. Slight differences in them actually can make it even more fun!
3. Combining complementary colors
Complementary colors – as the name might suggest – are shades that complement each other in a very sophisticated and joyful way. They create a contrast that is always so desired in every branch of fashion. You can make the colors pop, and give your outfit another dimension.
Using this method requires some skills, but fear not, I will explain to you how to use it step by step. First, pick your dominant color – the more specific, the better. For example, let’s take vivid purple. Look at the color wheel and find a shade exactly, or close to, opposite to your main color. In this case, it will be vivid yellow. Combine them in your outfit to achieve a dopamine-boosting combo.
Using complementary colors can go with the monochrome method – for example, to our vivid purple vivid yellow we would add pastel yellow. It would give an interesting spin to the attire and give another layer to deciding how to color coordinate outfits.
How to Color Coordinate Outfits Based On Your Beauty Type?
That’s a fun question! There are several beauty types, majority of these labels are based on color analysis. I believe it’s a useful tool if only used with moderation. Don’t let any labels limit your creativity in expressing yourself through clothes!
But at the same time, it is beneficial to know which color combos expose your best features. So, how do you do it? First, figure out if your beauty type is warm or cool. Warm beauty types look best in gold; they have warm skin tones, usually brown or ginger hair, and deep, rich eyes. Cool types have cool complexion, blonde or black hair, and muted grey or blue eyes. This is a simplified explanation, but this is enough to know if you should rather aim for color palettes centred around warm or cool shades.
Natural beauty types with neutral tones in their skin, hair, and eyes can create color combos with both warm and cool tones and look equally great. Of course, these are just tips – you can be a cool beauty type yet simply feel fantastic in warm, saturated shades – and it will show!
Colors Are Your Friends, Not Enemies
Treat information from this article as an inspiration, not strict rules you have to follow. It is good to know how to color coordinate outfits for various occasions, yet what is even more important is having fun with fashion. Dopamine dressing is all about expressing yourself with colors and fun patterns. Explore a variety of dopamine-boosting clothes in our store, Marysia’s Colorful Closet.
Remember to be yourself and enjoy creating color combos that express your beautiful soul. If you have any more colorful fashion-related questions or simply want to chat about fun clothes, do not hesitate to leave a comment.
Be playful. Be unique. Be colorful.
