Contrast – both colour contrast and value contrast can be quite tricky concepts to grasp. Once you see it you can’t go back, but learning to see what is and isn’t working and understanding why can sometimes take a little time. I’ve explained how to figure out your contrast levels in this post – with…
2021 was a busy year, even though I spent a considerable time in lockdown (again), but it didn’t stop me from aiming to dress with style most days of the week as I know there is a relationship between mental health and self-care, and what you wear is part of your self-care routine each day.…
For my last look back at 2016 I thought I’d share some of my favourite blog posts and also favourite outfits I wore last year. I’ve chosen a favourite for each month of the year just in case you missed them! January 1. What are you holding onto – January 2016 This one was…
Following on from my post on how to find your ultimate contrast levels, here are some examples of putting together outfits and choosing patterns for a lower contrast. Whether analogous, or neutral plus a colour, you can create a low value contrast with light, medium or dark colours. Here I’ve used a column of colour…
Some people feel at odds with the colour palette that flatters. For example, a bold or dramatic personality (loving bright colours) whilst the colours that flatter may be softer and smokier and lack that obvious drama. Ideally you want to create balance between the inner you, your personality, and the outer you, your appearance and…
Did you identify with colour style number 4? These are the Creative Personality Style Colours Creative colours are varied and don’t come from a particular palette, but more of willingness by the wearer to try out all sorts of interesting mixes of colours, not just red, white and blue together. They are less likely to…
In interior decorating, there is a concept of the 60/30/10 rule – that is percentages of different colours to use in a decorating scheme. 60% + 30% + 10 % proportion formula is considered to be a timeless decorating rule that can be used to mix different colours in a balanced way in a room.…
So you’re a bit scared of colour and you tend to wear black and grey and then combinations of black and grey as you’re just not sure how to add colour and you really don’t want to look like a clown. Now neutral outfits in black, white and grey abound on our city streets and…
Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discussed some of our mental processes in putting together outfits each day here. We talked generally about how we think about what to wear and then in a broad way how we made decisions. But I know you also want to know, what are the exact steps…
When you think about the value of someone with a darker skin tone, usually they have also darker hair which makes their overall value down the deeper darker end of the value scale. But what is their value contrast and colour contrast? Frequently their colour contrast is monochromatic – one colour – dark brown eyes, skin…
Colour contrast tells you how to put colours together for you to wear in outfits that flatter your natural colouring. Your colour contrast is defined by how many colours you have naturally occurring in your colouring and how different they are from each other. You can discover your colour contrast here. Colour contrast is a…
In this video: How many crossover colours are there between the palettes? Are babies who are born looking very pink cool and with yellow skin warm? How to wear white bottoms such as capris and shorts in summer? Crossover or Universal Colours Universal Colours – How Universal Are They Really? What are Universal Colours? White…
Reader Question: How much of each colour should you wear – what are the proportions when putting an outfit together? Balance and Harmony You want to create a balance between the inner you, your personality, and the outer you, your appearance and natural colouring. You want to feel like you when wearing your colours…
High contrast is the easiest of the contrasts to master as it’s the most obvious. You can find out how to discover your contrast here. Working with low contrast here and medium contrast here. Here we have an achromatic (black and white) high value contrast. A monochromatic (one colour) high value contrast. A complementary (high…
Are you tired of staring at your closet full of clothes and feeling like you have nothing to wear? Or maybe you’re just overwhelmed by the idea of putting together stylish outfits every day. Well, fear not! Developing a core capsule wardrobe could be the solution you’ve been searching for. So, how can you create…
Not long ago I went to the David Hockney exhibition a the National Gallery of Victoria (you can read about it here) and watching the way he builds his paintings from the background up (watch the time lapse video I created to see how he does it), I thought, why not think about using this…
Dazzling Blue is a cobalt blue and cool in its undertone. If you’ve been enjoying emerald in the past year, you’ll find that adding in some Dazzling Blue garments you can mix them easily with your emerald. It will also look fabulous with the Turquoise garments you may have picked up the year before. Alternatively,…
I’d like to welcome blogger Josephine from Chic at Any Age who divides her time between London and St Tropez as she shares her Stylish Thoughts with us today. What is the secret to great style? The ability to choose clothes that enhance your natural beauty. Attention to detail. What is the one thing you…
Following on from my post about the Style Rules I’d never break, with some great comments about your style rules, it led me into thinking about all those rules out there, should you or shouldn’t you? Style Rules You Should Break 1. Blue and green should never be seen – I break this one all…
2016 was my year of renovation. We added a second story to our house (4 bedrooms and a bathroom, plus living area for the kids) and gutted the entire house (except for my office), remodelling it, moving every room’s location, except for the laundry. It’s been huge. So many decisions to make on the fixtures…
Ideally, choosing prints and patterns that are within your ideal colour contrast level is the best solution to looking in harmony with your outfit. But should you choose to go outside of those levels, how to pull off the look so you wear the pattern rather than the pattern wearing you? We all have favourite…
