It might be a stereotype, but on the cloudy days of fall, it does seem like every woman we see is decked out in neutrals — or just black. (Okay, and maybe some millennial pink).
This is hardly surprising. A small survey of 1,000 people in 2015 revealed that men and women preferred the color black on prospective romantic partners. On Tinder, numbers reveal that most users wear white and black, followed by blue and gray. Just look in your own closets. Anecdotally, we find that even those who proclaim to love colors and patterns have a healthy portion of their wardrobes dedicated to blacks, whites, and neutrals.
But after passing the hundredth person on your commute in the same black leather jacket, you can start craving some color. "Changing or challenging your color choices can be one of the most uplifting things to change in your wardrobe. It can change your mood, change your impression, change how other people see you," says Tonya Blazio-Licorish, a research assistant at the Met and lecturer at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
But while some people just intrinsically get what colors go together, some of us need some guidelines. To understand how colors work together, we chatted with two professionals who know their color theory for a crash course on the most basic way to make a statement with your outfit.
What exactly is color theory?
Essentially, color theory is the study of how colors change due to various factors (intensity, value, light) including whether or not other colors surround them. "In 15 words or less, it's basically the science of using color with colors," says Marcie Cooperman, a color theory expert and author. "When viewed simultaneously, colors have an effect on each other."
Colors often have relationships with each other that we should keep in mind. This is why some colors are jarring to the eye (neons next to neons, for example), while other combinations are clean and crisp (like, navy and white). "There is harmony and distraction, and all that depends on how you choose to use your color palette," Blazio-Licorish says.
But there are a LOT of colors — an endless variety. So that's where the color wheel comes in. "The color wheel helps people visualize colors, and understand what to do with all the opportunities," Cooperman says.
The wheel itself is essentially a circular rainbow, mapping out how three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) interact with each other to create orange, purple, green, and all the colors in between. So what about shades that aren't available on the wheel? Click through to find out what those are...
Learn to use neutrals.
The color wheel showcases how two colors can be mixed together for a myriad of results. But what about colors that mix three or more? Enter neutrals. "Neutrals could either be black, white, gray, brown," Cooperman says. "They have red, yellow, blue, all together mixed in. They’re really called broken colors, because they’re not represented on the color wheel." That's why neutrals are so easy to complement — they usually contain traces of any accent color you choose.
"Distractors are the colors that force your eyes to concentrate a little bit more on actually seeing the color, like neon, and neon colors are the hardest to translate into something that is wearble," Blazio-Licorish says. "But a pure neutral like black or white, with neon touches, can look fantastic. It’s not a complementary tone, but the white or black will take it away from its height of its crazy. It makes it more wearable."
Pro Tip: That crazy neon-green belt you have would look lovely with a pair of black pants, a white shirt, and your camel coat.
See how colors play with each other.
The biggest rule in color theory is that different colors are going to have different effects on each other. "Every color tries to make the colors around it look as different from it as possible," Cooperman says. What does this mean? Well, red next to purple will almost take up all the red, meaning the purple will look more blue. "But if you put blue next to purple, it will make the purple look more red."
What does this have to do with clothes? Say you have a millennial-pink shoe, a mixture of peach, pink, and orange. Next to red, the shoe might look more orange. But next to orange, it might look like a reddish pink. It's the same color, but the pairings can vary how it is perceived.
This can even work with neutrals. "If you put white next to purple, the purple will try to make the white look as different from itself as possible, so the white might end up looking yellow," Cooperman notes. "So when you're pairing clothes, you have to think about what your goal is. If you want a crisp white, and you're pairing with purple, maybe you want a bluish white, which will counteract that effect a little bit."
Pro Tip: Try a blue shirt with grey jeans, to make the blue extra vibrant.
Learn how to pair strong colors together.
So why does purple end up making white look yellow? Enter, the strongest relationships on the color wheel: complementary colors.
These pairings describe colors directly opposite each other. As you can see, the color that is the most different from purple is yellow; the color that is the most different from blue is orange.
"They will help enhance each other," Cooperman says, especially because they don't have to fight each other to maintain their color identity. "So, orange and blue: The orange will make blue as blue as it could possibly be."
At their brightest and boldest, however, these pairings can be visually jarring.
Pro Tip: To REALLY accent a color, pair with the color opposite on the wheel. For instance, that purple skirt you have would look great with a mustard blouse.
Play with colors in the same family.
If you're not into making a statement, you can also play with colors that share hues. Enter: analogous colors.
"These feel really great together because they have something in common. So blue, purple: Both have blue. Red and purple. Yellow with orange. They just feel like they’re part of a family," Cooperman says.
This is what Blazio-Licorish would call harmonious pairings, with color combos that are typically found in nature. At the same time, you might find that you're losing the true color thanks to their shared hues.
Pro Tip: Try a blue dress with sea-green jacket, or a purple jumpsuit and cool-pink shoes for a colorblocked look.
Add a third.
Finally, if you're interested in playing with more than two colors, look for the triad colors.
These are the colors that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel: Red, yellow, and blue; or green, orange, and purple.
"They can be very strong combinations," Cooperman says. "Think blue jeans, a pale yellow shirt, and a burgundy belt: It might feel surprising, because people might not expect to see those three together, but it could look really wonderful together."
Pro Tip: Don't be afraid of primary colors. One surprising combo? Navy blue, dusty pink, and Easter-egg yellow.
Think about how pale and how bright you want your colors to be.
The color wheel only tackles true hues, but we (and Pantone) know that far more colors exist on the wheel than the original 12.
When we talk about the color wheel, we're looking at "hues," or the straight colors. But there is light blue and navy blue, dusty blue and bright blue. The term value, which explains how light or dark a color is, accounts for those differences.
A color's "value" determines how much black or white it contains. And it's these distinctions that can be incredibly useful when dressing specifically for daytime, nighttime, fall, or summer.
"We know how spring should feel, so the tints of the colors are lighter," Blazio-Licorish says. Think light pink, pastel yellow. "The values are different. But in the fall, the colors are warmer and intense," she says, like burgundy, maroon, or emerald green.
While value discusses how much white or black is in a color, saturation explains how much gray is added in. This is how colorists create a dusty pink, or a bright blue, and the intensity of the color adds a lot to our interpretation of it. Take pink, for example. "Pink can play in many different ways," Blazio-Licorish says. "You can look at the pastel of ‘50s couture. Then you can look at Barbie. You can see how the symbolic use of the color can change."
Of course, there are plenty of other factors that affect colors: patterns, texture, lighting, fabric. There is a reason people dedicate their entire lives to the study of color theory, after all. "When you think about color, it’s a fantastic labyrinth," Blazio-Licorish says. "How we learn to see it is what makes a big difference. Don’t be afraid of it."
Pro Tip: Try monochrome with different shades of the same color: burgundy with brick red; millennial pink and coral.
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