So we’ve covered the basics of clothing colour theory, and we’ve gone over the five easy flatter tips to boost your wardrobe, now what? Well it’s time for you to apply what you’ve learned to your own closet, and really reap the benefits! I’ll be here to help you along and provide some further examples to make things just that much easier.

We’ll start off by going over the Five Flatter Tips, and build a basic colour scheme to follow, with my own examples.

#1 :: Know Your Strengths
There are many ways to find out your strengths, but I’m sure you can think of a few already. One way is to “have your colours done” and find out your seasonal colour type. Some people like it, some people don’t fit into it, but it can be a great starting point. Another way is to just hold up swatches or pieces of fabric of various colours and see how they interact with your skin, eye, and hair colour all together; just like in art, and jewelry design, the interaction of all the colours together changes how we perceive them. It all depends on the exact colour hue, so don’t just disregard an entire colour because one shade is unflattering. As well as knowing your strengths, keep in mind your weaknesses and steer clear! Just be aware of what works for you, and what doesn’t.

#2 :: Keep It Simple
Stick to a simple colour scheme with the majority of your wardrobe to maximize your options and make all of your outfits stronger and more cohesive. To narrow down your focus, remember what colours were flattering from the first step, and pick a few colours that you are going to base your wardrobe around. Here is the formula, based on my own choices.

Choose two or three neutral tones for your basic foundation:

(These three have never failed me.)

Three or four perfect shades that really flatter you for your central look:

(I look dashing in most blue-green hues, but Teal is my
favourite. This Burnt Orange has always been a standby
for me. And while blue-tinted purples are no good for me,
this warm Byzantium purple is fabulous.)

And one or two highlight hues for your accessories to get that extra pop.

(I’ve lately been fond of reds, particularly
Rosewood, and it looks sharp together
with my other colours.)

#3 :: Mix And Match
Now I know we just narrowed down your colour choices to around ten very specific hues, but you can always keep an open mind about these things and feel free to mix it up a little once in a while! I recently picked up a green-and-white striped hoody that has absolutely no place in my colour scheme, but it’s playful and cheeky and works well with some of the other colours.

Matching should be pretty self explanatory, but it’s important not to mix different hues of the same colour, or to over-do it! And if you are matching clothing or accessories, it’s best to spread them out over your body, so that they aren’t all clumped up together in one blob of colour. For example I often match red accessories, but I use the colour on my necklace, my shoes, and my purse.

#4 :: Keep It Interesting
Don’t forget to be inspired! Do what you want, change it up, add a wonderful accent to your hair or wear a crazy elaborate necklace. You can do anything you want, I just want you to look great doing it! So keep it interesting, just be mindful of what makes you look your absolute best. Have fun with it; be adventurous!

#5 :: Love Your Look
As I told you before, this one is definitely the most important step of all: love it! The more you love your look, and the more confident you are that you look utterly fabulous, the better you really look! Comfort, confidence, happiness, they are what pull the whole thing together. So don’t just put something together that doesn’t suit you, make your wardrobe work for you. Love the way you look.

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Now look at the photo at the top of this post. Can you see where I utilized all five steps to create a unified outfit? How well do you think it worked?

Your Assignments: I’m not going to grade you on this, because you can’t fail. Complete these five easy assignments to get a better understanding about colour theory and how you can benefit. Feel free to share your findings in the comments, I’d love to hear what you’ve learned!

#1 : Strengths Take some of your clothes, and a mirror, and evaluate what colours really work for you–doing it in natural daylight works best. Hold the fabric up just under your face, and look at how the colours make you look. Do they make you look good, or do they make you look ill, pasty, or just unflattering. What are three colours that look great on you?

#2 : Simple :: Using the formula as shown above, and following what you’ve learned in the first assignment, choose 2-3 base colours, 3-4 central colors, and 1-2 highlight colours to create your colour scheme. What is your colour scheme?

#3 : Mix/Match :: Now looking at your closet with that knowledge in mind, do you have some alternate colours to mix it up once in a while? Do you have something you like to match, like shoes and purse? Is there something you can add to your wardrobe to match your existing favourite accessories? How are you going to Mix and Match?

#4 : Interesting :: What are you going to use to make it fun? Got a funky necklace you love to juxtapose against your shirts, or a skirt you adore but think is too out there? What piece of clothes or accessory are you going to use to add some pizazz? What are you going to do to keep it interesting?

#5 : Love It :: And finally, what do you love about what you’ve created? How does this colour scheme make you feel? What about these colours makes you happy? What do you love about your colours and your wardrobe?