Wearing COLOUR (2)

How-to Wear the Most Elegant Monochrome Looks

What does monochromatic mean in fashion? A superfast way to change up your look, whilst remaining in trend, is to mix different gradients of one colour. Monochromatic dressing isn’t a new trend, as such, it’s been something many have chosen to wear since fashion began. Current key trending looks include bright shades of yellow, blue and green – and we love them all! The choice of wearing one colour may make you feel like a walking faux pas, but when done right it can look amazing. A few of our favourite looks hit the catwalk recently showcasing their monochromatic pairings. Images by Max Mara 2022 Spring Runway. Images showcasing Alexandre Vauthier 2022.   Choosing your monochromatic spring look Before you throw on a solid colour, it’s a good idea to find out what colour is for you and works best for you. We all have different undertones in that just because you may have the same skin tone as someone it doesn't mean you have the same undertone. Skin tone can change in various ways, including lotions, sunlight, scarring etc. but the undertone will always remain the same. Sourcing what our undertone is allows us to pick the best clothes that complement our skin and therefore can make us feel confident in what we’re wearing. What colours suit my undertone? There are typically three undertones that we talk about when labelling what ‘group’ we belong to. Cool Neutral Warm There is a shade for everyone. Where you might find that you can look washed out when wearing, for example, a solid black colour, you might find that choosing a lighter black, like charcoal or even a darker grey, will work better for you depending on the undertone. So, how do I know if I have cool or warm undertones? Masterclass recently shared how they suggest you find out what your undertone is. Our favourite way, which is really simple to try, is using a white sheet of paper against your face whilst in front of a mirror. They say that you should be '...In a place with bright, natural light, [and] hold up a piece of printer paper and look at how your skin reacts to it. If your skin looks pinkish against the paper, you probably have cooler undertones; if your skin looks yellow against the paper, you’re probably a warm tone. If you do not see an undertone at all, you likely have neutral undertones.' Cool Under Tones Cool skin tones are best paired with colours that are, coincidentally, on the cool end of the colour spectrum. Colours that suit this type of skin tone include darker greens, deep purples as well as bright blues and pinks. What're more, lighter shades of yellow and red can pair perfectly too when going into spring and summer. Celebrities with cool under tones include Mindy Kaling and Anne Hathaway.   Warm Undertones Warm skin tones are, naturally, best paired with colours on the warmer part of the colour spectrum. Additionally, they work best with earth shades when looking for the right colour. The best colours a warm undertone could wear would include the likes of deep green and mustard yellows. Of course, there are other shades on this spectrum that would work just as well, and these include coral within the cooler palette and darker shades like moss and olive when looking for warmer colours as we head away from summer and into Autumn/Winter. Celebrities with warm under tones include Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.   Neutral Undertones Having a neutral undertone is definitely the best of both worlds, it means your wardrobe can be flexible because any shade will suit you! You shouldn’t have to worry about looking washed out, as most colours will complement your tone. Just be sure to choose the right ones, especially when stepping away from clothing and choosing makeup – it’s essential that although you can choose any type, you want to make sure it is relative to the shade of your skin. Celebrities with neutral under tones include Kristen Stewart, Miranda Kerr, Kerry Washington, Selena Gomez and Julianne Moore.   Another way to find out your undertone Another way to identify your under tones is by checking the inside of your wrist and the colours visible. Cool Undertone Monochromatic Looks Making the best looks using the cool undertone rulebook we took some items we loved. Here, we took our Branwell Pencil dress in Powder Blue, paired it with these Mango Audrey Asymmetric Stiletto Court shoes in blue (John Lewis). Adding to these two, we next chose our Weston Sleeved Bolero in the shade Cobalt Blue. And, finally, we got our eyes on this cute bright blue Ted Baker Bagira Leather Crossbody bag (£77 from John Lewis). Next up, is the prettiest colour of the season – purple. Combining our favourite looks, of different shades, can work perfectly when dressing formally or casually. Firstly, we chose this Rina Tank in shade Gentle Lavender from All Saints and paired it with these Hot Squash Purple Luxe-Lounge Wide Leg Crepe Trousers! Finishing the summer look with these Zara Lilac High-Heel Court Shoes (£29.99) complete the lilac look. For the perfect summer evening cover-up, we also loved the look of this lilac denim oversized shirt which is affordably cute at £25.99 from New Look.   Warm Undertone Monochromatic Looks Following the suggestions above we’ve searched for some super cute, and chic, dark green and mustard wardrobe looks. To start, this Extro & Vert sweetheart bralette vest co-ord in dark green at ASOS for £15 and matching Extro & Vert oversize jersey blazer is on-trend right now. Pair these with the Extro & Vert wide leg jersey trouser co-ord to complete the look. Each image has the model pictured in various other garments, however, with these combined along with a relative shoe you're on your way to a stunning monochromatic combination. For footwear, we suggest these ASOS DESIGN Panda tie leg block heeled shoes in forest green for £32. We're loving the summer festival vibes with this strappy corset detail flippy mini dress in mustard yellow. You could pair it with sunflower yellow converse or go elegant in these high espadrille wedge sandals at £28 (Pre-sale: £50) Finally, pairing our Chesterton Swing dress with these dark olive wedge espadrilles (net-a-porter £85) is a cute way to make the dress work for you casually, whether it be as a wedding guest or out date night dinner. Both combined with this Whistles Bebe Leather (Selfridges, £59) purchase, you’re on to a winning green mixture. Neutral Undertone Monochromatic Looks   If you have a neutral undertone then it should be the law that you must take full advantage of it! We adore the roaring trend of wearing bold red, and even more so when it is showcased in a winning statement suit. Here, we've found a leg-lengthening pair of super-high-waist wide-leg tailored trousers from Collusion (ASOS) that would pair perfectly with our Fulica Long Sleeve Jacket and these Simply Be Wedge Sandals.   For our next neutral look, we decided to check out our favourite coral peach pieces. Here, we're going for the relaxed fit wardrobe that includes this Only Knitted Cardigan in a peachy shade. Under this, we felt this American Eagle Hi-Point Solid Vest top was pretty cute with these ASOS design straight leg peach trousers (note: we need everything in shade peach immediately!) Then, last but by no means least, we finish with these super cute ASOS Design France jelly flat sandals, also in peach.   Have you enjoyed this article? Let us know on our social media feeds and we'll be sure to make more!

Read more
How-to Wear the Most Elegant Monochrome Looks

Wearing Yellow All Year Long

The meaning behind the colour Yellow Notably, the colour yellow is the most luminous shade on the spectrum. With it being both a bright and happy colour, it can be the key go-to choice when picking out a colour to wear come Spring and Summer. Colour psychology tells us how the shade can bring on feelings of warmth, brightness, energy and attention (which goes to explain why school buses, taxi cabs, and traffic signs are painted yellow and black). Like all colours, there are different feelings and emotions behind each of their uses. With yellow, when thinking positively, it stands for freshness, clarity, optimism, remembrance and loyalty. On the other hand, the use of yellow could also be viewed as both cowardice and sickness. The choice of wearing yellow is one you can do so confidently, as the shade in itself can make you look youthful and healthy. Reasons You Should Wear Yellow With the choice of wearing yellow looking more promising, we thought we would take you through more reasons as to why you should wear yellow – besides the fact that it’s a stunning, happy colour! Yellow goes with lots of colours Using the colour wheel, which we’ll go into more detail below, you’ll find that this shade can go with various other colours – even bold colours like blue. You can make a statement A bold suit, or dress, in one solid colour – is something anyone can powerfully carry off when making a statement. Opting to wear one shade, like black, whilst professional can be taken a step further by wearing a bold shade like yellow or red. You don't have to branch out into other colours Whilst yellow is one of those shades that go with pretty much anything, you can opt to allow for it to be the statement shade. So whilst your dress or top may be the main colour, you could opt for neutral shoes and accessories. Doing so allows the main garment to do the talking, with the pressure of other shades taking a back seat. There is a shade for everyone Whether your skin tone is light, medium or dark, there is a yellow shade for you. From mustard to canary, from butterscotch to lemon and from corn to gold - there is a shade for every skin tone out there. We go into more detail on what shade suits you best below! How to Wear Yellow The colour wheel is a visual representation of colours, with hues arranged according to wavelength. Colour wheels allow colour relationships to represent geometrically and show the relationship between primary colours, secondary colours and tertiary colours – Invision App Using the colour wheel for the colour yellow Using the colour theory wheel, you can use both complementary and analogous schemes to combine into the perfect outfit. Complementary colours of yellow include shades that are opposite it on the wheel, which would be pink/blue/purple. The shades on either side of yellow on the wheel, the analogous colours, include those orange and green tones.  The outfit looks that we’ve found which follow the ‘colour theory wheel rules’ include these gorgeous looks: Complementary Colour Looks Left: Woman pictured walking down a sidewalk wearing a stunning royal purple coat, black vest top, bright yellow chino-style trousers and leopard print shoes. Right (set of 3) image cred: blog.luulla.com.   Analogous Colour Looks Wearing Yellow in all year round Luckily, this colour is perfect all year round! Whether it’s a yellow spring dress or waterproof hunter wellies for walking your dog, you can get your yellow fix 365 days of the year. Our favourite yellow looks and how you can wear them include:   The Best Ways to Wear Yellow (by our customers!) Image Credit to: @carlamodeamsterdam wearing our Chiswick Pencil Dress in Blazing Yellow. Image Credit to @mandyvictoriab wearing our Ubrique Pencil Dress in Blazing Yellow.   Image Credit @agentblonde.007 wearing our Penny Pencil Dress. Image Credit to @style_illuminated wearing our Bodiam Pencil Dress. Image credit to @susanne.schoene wearing our Lakewood Pencil Dress. Image credit @julesstandishcolour wearing our Reggie Flute Sleeve Dress in Mustard Yellow & Vanilla Cream.   Image credit @SerendipityBoutiqueKilkenny wearing our Cloud Off Shoulder Pencil Dress in Blazing Yellow. Yellow on Skin tones and Undertones Before we go into detail, we thought we’d briefly discuss the difference between your skin tone and your undertone. An article from Skinkraft, it shares with us how your skin tone is the surface skin colour, whereas skin undertone is the subtle hue underneath the surface. So, to sum up, you can have a cool undertone both light and dark skin, just like you can have a warm undertone with light or olive skin. So, does yellow suit my skin undertone? To identify your undertone all you need to do is check your wrist. Where you see your veins, make a note of how you see them. Are they a shade of purple? This means you have cool undertones. Whereas, if your veins look more green then you're considered to have warm undertones. If, however, you find your veins being neither or a mix of both then you might find you're in fact... neutral. It doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But wait... it is! Neutral tones are fortunate, read on to find out why! Cool Undertones Cool undertones should be wary of bright yellows, to prevent washout, and instead stick to lighter shades of yellow, like the pastel yellow behind this text!   Neutral Undertone Neutral Skin Undertones are fortunate in that they can wear pretty much any shade of yellow, whether dark mustard or bright yellow and suit it perfectly. Having a neutral undertone means that your undertones are roughly the same colour as your actual skin tone. Our favourite is the silk Cornsilk Yellow Shade for this undertone!   Yellow and Your Skin tone  Whether you're a yellow lover or hater, there is a perfect yellow tone out there for you - the key point is finding it! Yellow and Pale Skin Cooler skin can wear yellow, however, it is important to try the shade of choice out against your skin. It's quite easy for a solid yellow print to wash out a cooler skin tone, which can lead to the person looking tired and pasty. So, if you're looking for ways to incorporate yellow, without fully wearing it, you could choose to add it to your accessories - like a handbag or on footwear.   Yellow and Neutral/Olive Skin According to InStyle, they suggest if you have a neutral skin tone then you should try to avoid yellow shades that are too bright or vibrant. Due to this, they suggest you wear a softer version like corn-silk or buff. Shades like lemon print or chartreuse work perfect with the skin tone.   Yellow and Dark Skin The best shades of yellow when you have warm skin, include darker yellows like mustard, dark gold and medallion. Adding these types of shades to your look could include our Lydia Short Sleeved in Mustard Yellow. What’s more, you could incorporate brighter tones into your accessories like earrings or even makeup, like the one below. You can get this exact look here.   Celebs in Yellow by Skin Tone Warm Skin Tone Warm skin tone celebrities include Beyonce, Jessica Alba, Kim Kardashian and Viola Davis - to name but a few!  Neutral Skin Tone Celebs Neutral skin tone celebrities include Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Kerry Washington. They all equally show how to empower through yellow! Cool Skin Tone Celebs Cool skin tone celebrities that you may feel easiest to reference to, in their love of yellow, include Mindy Kaling, Nicole Kidman and Cara Delevingne.  Have you enjoyed this article? Let us know via social media using our links below!

Read more
Wearing Yellow All Year Long