Category: Daily Living
I have a fairly basic understanding of colours, but find it hard to picture what matches and what doesn't. I know there are a few subtle things that can really cause colours to clash. So I'm wondering if this can be explained in some simple way that will actually make sense. While I realize that colours may never make complete sense to a blind person, I know it's possible to have some understanding, and that's what I'm aiming for here, as well as trying to spare as much potential embarrassment as possible. Somehow, this has just never been explained properly.
I know what you mean. Here are a few basic rules I follow. Keep in mind that i'm of the female persuasion, and so I tend to pay attention to, say, shoes that will have the effect of making my legs look longer and all that jazz.
1. Dark, solid-coloured pants with lighter tops. You often can't go wrong with this, especially if neither item of clothing is patterned.
2. I don't own any bottoms that couldn't be paired with sevderal tops. For bottoms, the only colours I basically own are denim (in all shades, though mostly dark ones as they can give a more professional look, and often match with more tops), beige, and black. Beige can be a wee tricky, as as though it's marketted as entirely neutral, it often works best with solid tops. I do own some fun skirts, but they're often in solid colours so as to give me more choices in the colour of top I wear.
3. This tip is skin-specific. Because I'm brown-skinned, brighter colours that would look hideous on most pale people can look great on me. So I wear things like bright yellow or lime green or orange. Someone who's pale though could probably pull off colours like red, pale blue, purples, stuff like that.
4. This tip isn't directly about matching, but more about finding clothing that flatters your particular body type. If you're heavier around the middle, shirts that barely reach the top of your pants or are very tight across the stomach probably won't be too appealing; however, flowy shirts are wonderful for this body type. Or, if you've got bigger hips and a bubble butt, tiny shorts may not be your thing. We often get very caught up about colour matching and forget about the rest of the package. Wearing clothing that suits your skin-tone and body type can also add to your overall presentation. I hope that was even a bit helpful. Good luck!
Oh, one last thing. If you can connect with a sighted friend whom's opinion you trust and who is also capable of getting an idea of your overall style i.e. the colours and fabrics and patterns you tend to like, have them accompany you occasionally when you shop to verrify that things look good. This is not only helpful for obvious reasons, but can help you determine over time the types of things that are likely to look good together/on you.
I think Skyla has given you some good tips.
Black, white, gray, beige, navy blue, denim, and olive green are are neutrals. Basically this means they are earthy tones that will match a lot of things.
Black: goes well with anything. Looks good with brighter colors. Black pants go well with just about any top except for brown.
Tan/Khaki/beige: Depending upon the shade, lighter tans go well with darker colors like navy blue, red, and darker shades of pink and depending upon the shade, green. Especially an olive green.
Gray: Goes well with pastels like light pink, blue, light purple, red, black, teal, purple and some shades of peach or apricot.
Navy blue: a very deep blue goes well with gray, white, off-white, tan, olive green, yellow (depending on the shade), light purple, and sometimes red.
Olive green: an earthy green that can be light or dark: This is one of my favorite neutrals and it goes with black, gray, white, cream, some tans, light pink, yellow, and maybe even some blues depending upon the shade, same for light purple.
Color combinations to avoid unless you have very specific sighted assistance:
red and yellow (unless you wanna look like McDonald's.
Pink and red (yuck)
Orange and red
red and purple
dark brown and some shades of green like Jade or forest green (you'll look like a tree).
black and orange (you'll scream Halloween).
red and green (you'll probably look like an elf).
Black and brown
Gray and brown.
A good rule of thumb is to wear a neutral with a bright color.
Keep in mind that if you grab a pair of blue pants, doesn't mean you can just grab any color of blue shirt. Colors have different undertones of other colors. Some blues are more red, some are more purple. ETC.
You shouldn't wear more than three colors at once. When in doubt, match your shoes with your pants. Prints are tricky, so it's best to have sighted help. If you're nervous about asking for help, don't be. It's better that you ask than to go out looking ridiculous.
I try to avoid colored pants. Although they're hot right now, I've never figured out how to wear them without harkening back to my elementary school days.
I forgot to mention white. It's the most basic of neutrals, the absence of any color. it goes with pretty much anything. I tend to wear white shirts rather than pants. Don't wear head to toe white, and don't pair it with off-white.
There's lots of great resources on the web to help with color-coordinating. HTH and pm me with any other questions.
hey good topic and nice post blw1978 you certainly made my night and learning it entertaining. It was quite instructive too. I've forgotten my art lessons and don't remember a wheel so this is useful, I was gonna have someone give me some tips about it and tel me what colors match but this works as well. quite useful, so bookmarked.
The person who mentioned different shades of colors not necessarily looking good together is very correct. When I had some usable vision I used to have to turn the light on in my closet and sometimes even use a flashlight for extra help. I had a purple skirt and a purple blouse, but the two purples did not look good together at all. The skirt was more of a reddish purple, and the blouse had blue overtones. Another lesson I learned is that colors often look different under store lighting than they do outdoors under natural lighting or in your home under your own lights. So definitely get sighted help not only in picking out clothes in a store but in putting them away and matching them up once you get home.
very cool topic! Love this! Thank you for posting!
I usually wear nutral colored pants..such as black..cacky..jean..etc. that way I know the top i'm wearing matches. as for shoes, I wear black.
Please don't wear black with brown. It does not go together at all. I mainly have black and white shoes, and this way it will match with just about anything. A big yes to the poster who said denim jeans. They will go with just about anything. I'm big on matching my clothing. This is because I was sighted until I was 13, so a teenage girl is always obsessing about the way she looks. That has not changed. I've had people tell me, "well it's blue, so what does it matter?" If the blues do not match, then it does matter a great deal. Hmmm, also purple and orange. Green and orange, blue and orange. Those are just a few colors that I would not recommend wearing together. I personally don't think they match up very well. I don't wear orange anything. If you have a very light skin tone, then don't wear bright colored clothing. It will make you look bleached out. Ok, I know I kind of went on a fashion rant, but hope you got something out of that. lol
Glimmer, thank you! I do not wear orange anything either. Hahahaha! Wesome!
dude, for men. if you are not sure about styles or cuts, styles ect. wear jeans with a polo type shirt. you cant go wrong! regardless of color! blue jeans go with just about everything! pair with some loafers and u will be a throw back from the 80's! lol use regular tennis shes and you are now surffen in the 90's! so have fun with pairing stuff up! take arisk and wear a pink polo with jeans and loafers and a nice black or brown bbelt. ty for this topic! cheers
As a blond, I'm not one for teaching people things, unless it comes to clothes, shoes, and accessories! lol!
One thing I can say is that if you are total, jeans are good. There are few colors or styles of shirts that do not look good with jeans. Jeans do very in shade of denim but again almost any color is ok.
A general rule, darker pants than shirt goes good, unless your matching the same color.
My favorite color is pink, I'm a girly girl and super picky about my colors. lol! Guys can get off a little easier.
For keeping track of your colors I recommend the braille color tags. Some say its to hard to sew them in, but I'm lazy and have way too many clothes to keep track of so I use safety pens, super easy to put in and remove.