As spring is welcomed here in the UK, the colours are bright and abundant. This is usually the time when people yearn to add colours to their outfits. If this feels alien to you, and you are wondering where to start with colours, then I am here to help.

If you are just beginning to dip your toe into adding colours to your outfits, or haven’t yet tried to do so and are feeling overwhelmed, then here are my tips for adding colours to your wardrobe.

Play with colours that match your neutrals

If you want to make your colours feel appropriate for a look, investigate the colours that work with your neutrals. As a part of a colour clinic with us, we provide the base neutrals and complementary colours to work with them in your very own colour palette. This can be taken with you in your handbag so you can quickly pick and choose colours that go together.

If you don’t yet have one of these, here are a few of my favourite complementary colours that go with specific neutrals:

Colours that work with black:

Considered one of the most versatile neutrals, black is in fact one of the hardest colours to wear. Breaking up this basic colour with an additional colour within your colour wheel will make a huge difference to your look.

Some of my favourite colours to put with black are:

• ●Dusty rose
• ●Fuchsia
• ●Green
• ●Metals (copper, gold, silver, platinum)
• ●Lilac
• ●Red

   

  Colours that go with navy:

  Navy is a great base colour in particular for professional outfits as it isn’t as harsh as black.

  Some of my favourite colours to put with navy are:

• ●Pink
• ●Red
• ●Orange
• ●Lime green
• ●Mustard yellow
• ●Gold

  Colours that go with beige:

  Perfect for the warmer months, beige is a light, airy colour that can be an excellent neutral in your wardrobe.

  Some of my favourite colours to put put with beige are:

• ●Rust
• ●Aqua green
• ●Burgundy
• ●Olive green
• ●Mauve / lilac
• ●Pastel pinks

Start with the extremities

There is nothing more daunting than an entire outfit full of colours. This is why for those of you who want to dip your toe into adding colours to your looks may be stepping back.

The first way to approach colours can be starting with your extremities – such as your hands, feet or head.

These smaller areas of your body can take on a little dash of colour, while the rest of your body remains neutral, permitting for that colourful flash to be more approachable.

Shoes & bags are often the best place to start as they come in so many different colourways and patterns. Shoes can be covered gently with wide leg trousers or boot cut jeans meaning the colour peaks out.

Bags can be swapped out easily between outfits (as long as you remember to swap out your essentials!) so you can play with whatever look you feel like. Take a bold bright bag one day, and more composed look with a colourful handle the next.

Another option is to add a colourful headband or earrings, which can also quickly and easily be swapped depending on the occasion.

Break up the colours with your layers

Now you have your neutrals and your accessories set, you can look to adding additional pieces to your outfit. You can break up the colours in your outfit by wearing layers such as a blazer, a jacket, or even hosiery.

For example, if you want to bring a dash of colour to a summer dress, you can pair a neutral dress with a colourful blazer. You could also add an underlayer to your dress such as a thin long sleeved mesh top in one of your colours.

For your two-piece, why not add a colour through a slogan tee under your neutral suit? Pick out the colours from the tee and pop on a pair of shoes or a bag which has a colour that is in it.

Monochromatic looks

Just like your neutral suit feels less daunting than a bright one-off dress, you may find that monochromatic looks can be an excellent solution for adding colour to your outfits.

Picking one colour and seamlessly utilising it across your outfit can be a beautiful way to make an outfit feel approachable yet bright and inviting.

Consider a green suit, or match a pink dress with pink shoes and accessories. Picking out different levels of the colour can make it more dimensional as a look, too.

If you are looking for someone who can help you discover the perfect colours for you to add to your looks so you can shine, our colour clinics can be an excellent solution.

And if you can't meet us in person, we could help through our Online Colour & Style Clinic.

As we head into a new year, often we may feel refreshed and invigorated to stick to goals we have set ourselves! If one of your resolutions is to feel more stylish, confident, or even work on making new connections, get a new job, or build your business – one way to start can be understanding your wardrobe and style in a better way.

Where to start with a new personal style

The first step to discovering your new style, is to understand what you want to portray through your fashion. A few questions I always ask my styling clients are:

• What are the first few words you’d like people to think of when they see you?

• Who are your style icons or inspirations?

• Do you feel a certain way in particular colours?

When you know these, it can help you start developing a sort of style mood board, which is what I create with my personal styling clients on Pinterest, to help you see a selection of options in one space that will help you with future purchases.

Remove items from your wardrobe that don’t fit within your style

When you know the type of style you want to portray through your clothes, that you feel confident in and showcases the personality you’d like to convey, you can then start to edit your current wardrobe.

Having a wardrobe detox helps with several things when it comes to developing your personal style:

• It will save you time each day – no more wondering what will go with what!

• Your wardrobe will work smoothly together as full outfits that you can mix and match easily.

• You’ll no longer have any clothes that you don’t feel comfortable in – removing items that don’t fit you is one of the most important parts of this process, as well as the ones you don’t love or feel confident in when you put them on.

Once you have a wardrobe of items you already own, that work within your style you can move onto the next step – finding new items that work with your current ones!

How to find clothes that work with your personal style

Now you have a wardrobe that you can maximise outfits from, that makes you feel your best, and you have a curated mood board for your style inspiration, you can begin your shopping journey!

As a personal shopper myself, I am sure you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I think making a shopping experience fun, enjoyable and functional is the most important part of your shopping experiences! You’ll want to make sure you do a few things before heading to the shops (whether online or in person).

• Note which items you want to purchase to create outfits from your current pieces in your wardrobe.

• What new items do you want to get to create new outfits?

• What is your budget for this particular shop, or perhaps your quarterly shop? Knowing your finances that you are happy to spend each season for particular items will make sure you know what you can invest in and what you need to save for.

• What colours do you want to add to your wardrobe, if any?

• Which accessories would be a great addition to your collection to help develop fuller more diverse outfits? Whether it’s a belt, a bag, shoes, jewellery, or hair pieces, accessories can transform a look and finish an outfit!

When you have a plan, and an understanding of the style and messages you want to convey through your styling choices, your shopping experiences should be more economical and more useful for you. When we reactively buy because of new year’s sales, a sudden need for something quickly, and without thought, it can cause us to buy items that we ultimately don’t wear. Fast fashion, trends, and garments that don’t last cause us to spend our valuable money on pieces that don’t suit our style for the long term. Taking time to consider what you want your style to showcase, why you want to create that style for yourself – perhaps for your work wardrobe, your confidence, journeying into a new age bracket, or merely to feel great – can truly make a huge difference to how you feel.

Clothes and fashion should work for you – not against you. I hope you will walk into the new year with more confidence and joy each day, and if you’d love help to do this using fashion as one of the tools to manage this, please get in touch.