Colour blocking 101

Hello!

So I posted a picture on Instagram lately, and asked if you guys would want a post on colour blocking. And quite a few of you said yes. So, here it is! 

Colour blocking is here to stay. It’s been evolving a lot lately and everyone’s donning the trend, be it with bright bold colours, pastels or contrasting accessories! For my post today, I’m colour blocking a yellow-green skater dress three ways. I love bright colours, so styling this post was really exciting!

Before we begin, I got this dress from Zara in the sale at a complete steal of 990 bucks! I love the colour and the fabric, and it fits like a glove! I chose this dress because the colour is quite bold, and it’s not very versatile either, and doesn’t go very well with a lot of colours. So working with this colour was a learning experience for me too, and by the end of it, I could come up with at least 10 ways to colour block it!

Now, let’s talk colours. We’ve all been taught the basic colour wheel in school, with primary colours and secondary colours. If you don’t remember this, what were you doing in art class?! Some of us don’t know tertiary colours though. Below is a picture of the colour wheel that you can refer to while colour blocking. 

To begin, choose the base colour or the colour that will hit the eye first. In this case, the colour is a yellow-green. Below are the three ways I colour blocked the dress and how and why I chose the colours.

LOOK 1

Dress : Zara, Sling : B Gaga, Ear cuff : H&M, Arm cuff : Coming soon on The Snob Shop, Sunglasses : Forever 21, Heels : Primark

For the first look, I’m only using one added colour. Colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel are complementary colours. They usually form a nice contrast and add vibrance to a look. To complement the colour of the dress, I wore these red-violet block heels. I added a floral printed sling of a similar shade for a little break in the monotony of the dress. 

LOOK 2

 Dress : Zara, Sling : B Gaga, Necklace : H&M, Heels : Done by None

For this look, I went with triadic colours. They’re three colours that form a triangle on the wheel. So, added to the yellow/green, I wore deep blue heels and since I didn’t have anything in a shade of orange, I went for a coral sling that I got from B Gaga. They make the cutest bags! Then, I added a statement necklace to complete the look.

LOOK 3

Dress : Zara, Bag : Colaba, Shoes : Aldo, Watch : Michael Kors

For my last look, I decided to keep it a little simple. Not everyone is comfortable wearing too many bold colours, so if you’re a little apprehensive about that, you can stick to neutrals with one bright colour like I did. I wore the dress with an off white blazer, a brown and black bag and brown flats. If you notice, I used 3 different colours here, brown, black and off white. But since they’re all neutral, it didn’t look chaotic and worked pretty well. The neutral colours made the dress the highlight of the look and really brought out the colour. I added my clear frames with this look, just cause I think this outfit can be worn to work or meetings as well. 

If you are colour blocking, don’t just go by what I’ve done above. There are a million different options to colour block. I can think of so many just as I’m writing this post! You can pair two bright colours with one neutral colour, or use different hues and tints of the same colour for a monochrome effect.  Or even add pastels to a bold colour! The possibilities are endless! If you think two colours look good together, just be confident and you can definitely pull it off! You don’t always need the colour wheel for reference. 

Here are some tips you can keep in mind while trying this trend :

1. Make sure to have at least one bright colour in your look. If you stick to all kinds of neutrals, your outfit may look drab.

2. Many dresses or blouses available in stores are already colour blocked. You can also wear one of those pieces. This way the designer has already done the work for you!

3. Wear colourful accessories. An eye catching necklace or striking shoes work very well.

4. Colour blocking needn’t be only solid colours. You can block with prints too!

5. Make sure not to use more than 4 colours to colour block. I try to stick to 3, but I think you should draw the line at 4. Anything more than that, and there will be too much going on with the outfit.

6. Be confident with what you’re wearing.

I hope you guys find it easier to colour block now, or that I have at least helped you get a basic knowledge of it! If you use any of the tips I shared, or would like to add something for the others to know, do mention it in the comments below or tag me on Twitter or Instagram!