I constantly get questions about how to incorporate more color into daily outfits and how to avoid monotone looks out of fear of making mistakes. There is no right or wrong when it comes to colors, but there are certain visual rules that can help us make more harmonious looks, so I decided to explain the basic rules for styling colors, based on color theory.

The basics of color theory

Color perception is subjective, personal and based on our emotions. It depends on the context, our associations and memories. But to illustrate the relationships between colors based on light and demonstrate how they blend, contrast and complement each other, Sir Isaac Newton invented the color wheel in 1666. You don’t need to know all the technical details, but understanding these relationships between different colors makes it much easier to mix and match items and create balanced looks.

If you look a the color wheel you will notice colors are divided in two groups: warm (reds, oranges, yellows) and cool (blues, greens, purples). You might wonder why there are no neutral colors there as well: like black, white, gray, beige and brown. Black and white are not colors in the traditional sense - white is the presence of all light colors and black is the absence of light. Grey, beige, brown and all the other neutral hues don’t have a strong color of their own, they come from mixing different colors or adding black/white. But there is one difference when it comes to clothes. Navy and olive are considered neutral colors in clothing because they pair easily with almost any other color, just like black, white, gray, and beige.

Complementary colors: These are the colors that are opposite to each other on the wheel:like blue and orange, red and green, yellow and purple. They enhance or complete each other, creating a balanced and vibrant contrast.

Analogous colors: These are the colors sitting next to each other: like green and blue, red and orange, yellow and green. They share similar hues and create a more harmonious and pleasing effect when you use them together.

Monochrome colors: These are all the colors that are related because they come from one color family. Let’s say the base color is blue, in that case the monochromatic color scheme would be: light blue, royal blue and navy blue. These combinations feel balanced, calm and consistent.

These are the basics you need to understand so you can use more colors in your outfits.

Color in styling

The relationships between colors help you choose and match those that work well together. A lot of people enjoy high-contrast looks but realistically, using complementary colors together can be tricky and make the outfit very heavy. If you do go for complementary contrast, it's best to keep it simple and create this contrast between one piece of clothing and one accessory. For example pairing a blue sweater with orange socks or a hat. In my opinion, contrast is much easier to achieve with two neutral shades that have strong tonal differences (like crem vs. dark brown or white vs. navy). Another effective approach is styling one neutral color with one contrasting shade from the color wheel.

This is just the foundation and the first article in the color series. From here, I'll be talking more about colors in styling - starting with how to get comfortable using them, take the first step, and begin incorporating them into your outfits.