Color Choice in Clothing

Using your color knowledge in selecting clothes:

♥ Select a core color for the principle clothing items across the family.

♥ Use accent (second or third colors) colored clothing items from the complementary, triad, analogous or neutral families. Substituting colors from within these same families is fine.

♥ Determine a neutral color preference that will balance your color scheme.

Some Examples:

♥ Monochromatic – All one color. Pairing dark blue jeans with different shades of lighter blue tops. If going for monochromatic coordination it is beneficial to add visual interest by varying clothing textures and patterns. As such, the tops may be cable knit, or feature stripes for different color family members to add variety.

♥ Complementary – Using opposite colors on the color wheel. Sticking with our blue example, we could add orange accessories (jewelry, scarves, tie) to the outfits. The balance between complimentary colors needs to be carefully considered – too much of both will likely be an eyesore. If is possible to reduce this risk by using a complementary color with a paler tint, such as blue with pale gold. The "Rule of Three" might help here. Use shoe, scarf and earrings in the complementary hues.

♥ Analogous – Using accents in the blue green and green colors. For dad, pair a forest green jacket with blue jeans. Mom might add a blue-green scarf while the kids don an aqua cardigan and a green hat. This could work wonders in a group photo!

♥ Triad – Triad colors can often appear very bold, so subduing them with less intense versions is often a good idea. To our blue outfit, add pink (from the red family) or cream (from the yellow) accessories for a lovely subdued triad color theme.

♥ Neutral – Neutrals work well with all colors and may be worn together. Add white accent items or accessories to our blue theme for a classic nautical color theme. Consider adding beige as a neutral if your hair is a light color; black works well if your hair is dark and light grey looks super on those with white or grey hair.

I advocate hanging a color wheel in or near your closet. This is useful information to teach your spouse and/or children.