Fashion is full of unwritten and seemingly secret rules and, unfortunately, knowing what suits you will be a case of trial and error, but it’s always a good idea to stick to the invisible rule book wherever possible. Of course, if everyone blindly followed everyone else we’d never have any new fashion trends – but how about we leave ground-breaking styles up to the designers? There’s nothing worse than having everyone staring at you because you’re trying out a homemade new look that (clearly) doesn’t work.
Mismatching colours* is one of fashion’s biggest faux pas, so if you happen to have plucked a blue skirt and an orange sweater out of your wardrobe and thought they looked absolutely fabulous together, think again. However, wearing one shade from head to toe is also a fashion disaster waiting to happen.
To stop you from stepping out looking like you’ve suddenly gone colour blind, here are some of the worst colour matches you should always avoid:
Orange and blue
As mentioned, orange and blue make a hideous match. Avoid at all costs.
Purple and red
These two colours do not complement each other – they’re both too brash and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that can pull them off well.
Green and pink
You’ll end up looking like a clown, or like you just stepped out of the 1970s. Even if you think you’ve found an item of clothing with a pink and green pattern that works, put it down and walk away.
Black and navy
You might think these would go together, but they don’t. They’re too similar and will make you look like you tried to wear either all black or all navy, but didn’t quite get it right.
Cream and white
It’s a similar story here for cream and white. Both great colours on their own … not so hot when placed together though.
So how do you stop yourself from making a mistake with your colour matching? Well, you should always start with a central element. By this I mean that you should pick, let’s say, a fantastic pair of lilac-coloured pastel skinny jeans. You should work up from this by adding complementary colours, instead of deciding that you’d really like to wear your hot pink strappy vest with your lime green shorts, even though you know they don’t work well together.
With lilac jeans, you could add on a white vest, white blazer, white court heels and possibly some black accessories, like a necklace and chunky bangle. It’s always a good idea to include three complementary colours in your outfit – more than this and there’ll be too much going on, less and your outfit might look a bit flat.
So, there you have it – do you have any other ideas for awful colour combinations, or tips for how to ensure your clothing colours always match each other?
* NOTE: Ignore all the above rules if you are going for a colour block fashion.
About the author
Francis Lawson is a regular fashion blogger who likes to keep up with womens fashion online while keeping up with all the latest looks, such as skater dresses.
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