Colour was HUGE on the Spring runways for 2011.So today I am going to show you four ways you may or may not know on how to wear colour in the trendiest way possible.
Some of the key ideas you must have in mind are:Proportion,architecture,design,print.Quite mathematical,some of them.But in the example of proportion,there are some which are desired.Everyone wishes their legs were longer.
It's not rocket science.Architecture-the way the fabric drapes your body,the way it is constructed.Design:the cut,how it looks when you move.
Print-whether it be simple monochrome stripes or swirly whirly ones.
My first look is using only one key colour.This was seen on Jil Sander Spring 2011 and it is something anybody can emulate.Its very simple,very minimalist,but it makes a huge statement and is incredibly chic.
Here a simple white cotton T-shirt,which everyone has,is paired with a gloriously soft pink long skirt.Don't let ANYONE tell you that long skirts and dresses are not to be worn during day.They are.
I am going to emphasise on the material here.Any white t-shirt in which you can see your own bra through should not be worn-the underwear worn as outerwear trend was so last year.It still is sort of relevant but over here,its just not a good look.The material should be thick enough.
The skirt-look hard for something like this,because it is just fabulous.And as always,if you don't see what you're looking for,GET IT MADE.Its simple in design-its a very structured long skirt,
no-frills,straight but doesn't stick to the skin.In other words,perfect summer dressing.
Another way of wearing this trend without going for a full length coloured skirt is opting for a midi length-that's the sort that hits your knees or just below it.Here,proportion,architecture and design are important.
Proportion:If you are going to have a midi length skirt,half of your entire leg will be shown,that is your calves.
Whereas the longer skirt paired with the t-shirt keeps the look flowing-your legs,stomach and chest are covered,here there is a break.So match it with another break.Your stomach.
So why not crop your top?If you have the tummy for it,you should try.Let's CRUSH the statement "Ayo,li ene pitin,tout so vent dehor".
I realise that these are difficult to come by.Just take a shirt/blouse that you don't wear anymore,and if you are pretty skilled with needle and thread,crop it by removing some of the material at the bottom and neatly stitch at the hem.
When I say crop,I do NOT mean make the top barely cover your bust.I mean the ones which are cropped slightly above your belly-button-but the latter should not be shown.Why?Because the skirt should fasten at your waist,so the belly button is covered.,hence the gap between your cropped shirt and the skirt is small but still makes a statement.
I would prefer the architecture of the blouse to be quite strict,made of material which does not float around.
As for design?To add more elements to the look,the skirt could have soft pleats.In addition to colour, which you can vary(but always go for something that will pop for spring like pink.Keep in mind that it is one block colour.It should stay the same throughout),the skirt can have layers.Say one layer of material and another of organza.As for the shirt,balance the look out by having sleeves that hit the elbow.
And finally-shoes.I would opt for a wedge here-something thicker.And the wedges should be quite high up and if you can find them,in colour.Don't be tempted to play safe and wear the same colour shoes as your skirt.Try to find another colour in the same spectrum.Don't contrast entirely,either.The easiest example is if you are going to wear a pink skirt,go for purple wedges.
My second style is wearing the same tone throughout.Here,I cannot stress enough on how architecture,fabric,and design are important.
Your aim is to have one tone,say pale pink,and work with it throughout,keeping the same tone,because if you added something red or purple the look will go wrong.The tone can be expressed through different fabrics,textures and designs.
So start with a pale pink soft blouse.If the material is transparent,add another sort of very wispy blouse over the first one but keep it unbuttoned.The layering of the two blouses must not darken the pink.
Here's are two examples of a pale pink blouse.The tones are slightly different.
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Add a pale pink skirt,like the one shown above-but don't keep it maxi length.Shorten it to mini,or midi.Play with the texture,adding pleats and sheets of pale organza to give definition.But you must avoid going frou-frou.
As an alternative to the skirt,go for shorts.But please,no coloured denim.Denim should range from white to blue to black.
Here are some examples of skirts:
The last skirt is obviously in another tone completely,but it's what you should be searching for.It avoids frou-frou Barbie completely and looks so chic.
Finally,add perhaps some pale pink sandals.
As for accessories,go for a pale pink bag,in a different material altogether,perhaps leather.
I admit this is probably the hardest look to get right.One simple mistake and the whole thing can look terrible.
Probably one of the most popular ways to wear colour-Colour Blocking.This is my third style.
Here,your aim is to think like you are building blocks of colour ,but this time I'm going to use tonal colour, that is using different tones of the same colour,variating between spectrums of the same colour range.
Here,you have to be careful on the construction of the look.I will illustrate this by the pairing of a blazer,a loose top that finishes around the hips,and a skirt.Proportion is important.One would want to look long and lean.
The blazer should be quite long in length,and in a very bold,dramatic colour.I will be working with blue this time.I love a blue blazer-it echoes the masculine-feminine trends that have been everywhere this season,as well as looking chic and stylish.But which tone of blue?This tone is not as dark as navy but it isn't exactly light,either.For a blazer,as long as the colour is bold,dramatic and captures the eye,its good.
It looks too formal for day with the sleeves like this.So try rolling or scrunching them up.
Then go for a top which is quite airy but still structured and thick enough,but that finishes after the hips.It will give the desirable illusion of a leaner torso.
As for the tone of the top-don't match it exactly to the blazer,but don't contrast it too entirely either.
Just have some degrees variation between the colour of the blazer and the colour of the top.
Next,go for a skirt which has blocks of colour printed on it but in horizontal stripes.The skirt should be rather full,but again not frou-frou.It should just have volume and rather short in length-rather short meaning a couple of centimetres above your leg,not on your butt.
Unfortunately,I couldn't find the skirt I was looking for on the internet.So here is the general idea:See how the skirt has white bits in the middle?Those can be splashed with different colours of blue:Majorelle blue on the first,Bleu de France on the second layer,Ultramarine on the third and so on,separated by black stripes.
And finally for the shoes:Go for a shoe that has a really big heel-not necessarily very high,just very large in width.It finishes the look off beautifully.In colour of course.Here I would go with purple.
The fourth and final style is colour with print.You just have to make sure that everything doesn't seem out of place or too much,which is why I approach this one with minimalism.
Its very simple.Take a plain,coloured T-shirt.Say orange.
Add a very long skirt,which is white and printed with black or dark blue horizontal stripes.
Add a belt where the t-shirt finishes-this should be round your waist.Don't make the belt too big in width-it should be skinny.
Proportion here is basically super long legs and a small torso-and it works.
As an alternative,you can use a dress and wear the shirt on top of it.
Add wedges and voila!
