How to put an outfit together by wearing colour
As a Personal Stylist in London, my most common question is how to put an outfit together. I can confirm as a London stylist that there is no quick ‘one size fits all’ answer to this question…typical hey?!
Putting an outfit together is so overwhelming. The reason for this is because it is so personal and it has to be right for the situation. The outfit must reflect our lifestyle, our personality and the biggest battle I experience as a London stylist is clients figuring out if they even like what they are currently wearing.
Factors that make it even harder to put an outfit together are things like big life events - a new job, having a family, experiencing a big life change whether that's positive or negative, and even reaching a new decade.
The changing seasons and trends also influence us whether we are aware of that or not. The other thing to consider is that as we develop within ourselves, our tastes and preferences change. Our style evolves with us, but it is usually the first thing to go as our priorities change.
What do you have to think about when putting an outfit together?
I like to think of it in 3 phases and it is also how I work with my clients as a Personal Stylist
Phase 1
There are some basic foundations to putting an outfit together that will give you the confidence to pull new looks together from your existing wardrobe.
Understanding which colours suit you and how to pair colours together
Understanding your frame and how to dress your body shape
Understanding the styles you like, which suit your lifestyle and reflect your style personality
Once you understand these foundations you can move on to the next phase of styling. If you are unsure of any of the above I recommend having a colour analysis, body shape and style personality session. You can find out more about that here.
I also have some blogs in my archive on colour, body shape and style personality which are hyperlinked to each word (hope that makes sense, it does in my head but I can only ask my cat Walter if it does and TBH he's not much help) or have a browse through my blog pages here.
Phase 2
Part of my role as a Personal Stylist is to help with style foundations which we have now covered. Phase 2 of putting a look together comes down to the following;
Wearing print - figuring out if you like it or which kind of patterns you love then and understanding how to pair or clash them
Accessoires - understanding which ones are best for you and how to utilise them
Fit - there’s nothing worse than having to pull down your skirt or worrying about buttons popping off. If twigs don’t fit, get them tailored or sell them and replace them with the right size.
Finish the look before deciding if you like it or not. What I mean by this is instead of trying a skirt and top and thinking ‘Nah I hate it’ put tights, boots, a belt, a jacket, and your jewellery on. You'll never like your skirt and top with odd socks on halfway up your calves. LOL.
Phase 3
The final phase of putting an outfit together is to be logical about it. Getting dressed can be emotional right ? By following the below, it will keep you on track and focused on creating a look you love and want to wear again and again.
Plan ahead - the night before is best (unless it’s a special occasion more prep will be better)
Follow a clothing routine
Take pics of outfits you love and save in an album for when you are in a rush
When you have a few looks you are happy with, the next time you want to wear them change 1 thing about it eg the top or the accessory to mix it up and keep it feeling new and exciting. This breathes new life into your wardrobe and makes it work hard for you. Don't forget to document the outfit for next time!
Outfit repeat!!!
Make a note when you are trying things on if you think ‘I wish I had an X’ or ‘An X would make this work better’ This note can be turned into a shopping list so that when you shop you shop with intent instead of just aimless browsing for hours and buying stuff you already have, never wear or only use once.
How to Put an outfit together based on just colour
As putting an outfit together is pretty complicated, within this blog I am going to focus on putting a look together based solely on colour. The next blog I release will be on body shape and follow the phases that I have written about above.
If you have had a colour analysis with me already (thank you!!) which is a service I offer as a personal Stylist in London, try to keep to your season. If you aren't sure of which colours work for you beginning wearing colours you simply love. If colour is too scary, which i totally understand, start with neutral colours.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about wearing colour, I have a blog from my archive to get you up to speed here. It explains about what on earth colour is and its benefits.
5 ways to put an outfit together based on wearing colour;
1- The easiest and quickest ways to add colour to your outfit
If you are stuck in a rut of black, grey, navy and white but scared to wear colour my advice as a london stylist is to start with an accessory. Accessoires are shoes, belts, bags, scarves, jewellery and headbands. The quickest thing you can add is a metallic, for example, a top with a gold thread running through it or a skirt with silver studs on. If you love print, you could add a printed accessory, I LOVE a leopard print boot.
Animal print and metallics (gold, silver,bronze) are neutrals and work with any neutral or print.
A classic example here would be a black dress with a gold belt and leopard print boots.
2- The simplest way to add colour to your outfit
The most simple way of adding colour to an outfit is starting with your top half. Simply throw on a colourful jacket over jeans and a plain white t-shirt instead of a black jacket.
If a jacket feels too much start with knitwear, a tshirt or blouse as they will also do the trick.
Style Tip; You could add a gold belt or leopard trainer here to up the look.
3- The most effortless way to add colour to your outfit
Something I discuss during my colour analysis session with my clients is how to introduce colour into your wardrobe in a way that you like and feels right for you. Two ways of wearing colour that clients love are block colour and following a monochromatic palette.
Block colour is one colour head to toe, think a blue dress. Its a one a done look. You can then add on a neutral jacket and a metallic belt and printed shoe to keep it interesting.
A monochromatic palette is wearing 3 of the same colours but in different shades. For example the block colour blue dress, navy blazer and a mid blue belt. You can start with just 2 colours as it makes it much easier and cost effective to style. The main comfort of monochromatic colours is that any version of the same colour will always suit the same colour but a different variation of it. It's a fail-safe way of pushing colour without having to mix different colours.
4- How to mix different colours in your outfit
This is slightly more tricky to get your head around so take note of the colour wheel below to help you with this. The easiest way to successfully wear 2 or more different colours is to follow a tonal palette. This means 2 or more colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel. For example, blue and green. The reason they work as a colour combination is because they both have blue within them, so the blue harmonises both colours and creates balance between the two colours. Think denim blue jeans and a green top.
This can also be achieved with accessoires, think the same blue dress as before but with a green shoe or green bag (or both!)
5- How to clash colours in your outfit
When you are ready to clash colours together within your outfit I suggest following a complimentary colour scheme. This means colours that sit on opposite sides of the colour wheel. For example, blue and orange. Imagine your blue jeans with an iconic orange jumper, gold belt and an animal print trainer. Done.
From my experience as a stylist in London, people feel more inclined to clash colours for big events. Keeping the example of the blue dress, you would have an orange bag or jacket/accessories to make the outfit have an amazing complimentary pop.
The softer the colours you choose the more subtle the clash will be. Imagine a pastel blue and orange - soft and delicate compared to an electric blue and tangerine orange. Start soft and build it to as bright as you like.
How to put an outfit together based on wearing colour is a tricky business, start with step 1 and as your confidence and understanding of what you like grows, you can work your way through the steps until you find your sweet spot of putting an outfit together.
I'll be talking about putting looks together based on body shape next so keep your eyes peeled for that one!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, it truly makes such a difference to my business so thank you. I’d love it if you could share my blogs with a pal who you think will benefit from it too.
Go play dress up!
Stylish wishes,
Sian
Personal Stylist, London.