Easy ways to wear more colour
One of the questions I was asked recently on the Instagram Live I did with dating photographer Saskia Nelson from Hey Saturday was "How do I introduce more colour to my outfits?"
Saskia recommends to her clients to wear some bold colour for their dating profile pictures as it helps them to stand out when people are scrolling through loads of profiles.
The guy who asked the question ahead of our 'live' on Instagram, said "I wear mainly neutrals and I’m so ready for a change… but I don’t know what suits me or where to start. Please help."
This is something a lot of my clients also ask, and whether they're single or married, wearing more colour is a great way to stand out from the crowd.......especially on all those Zoom calls we're finding ourselves on at the moment.
So if you're ready to introduce some more colour into your wardrobe and outfits, here are a some suggestions of easy ways to do it:
Wear colour in a pattern
A colour in a pattern will also probably have some neutral colours mixed into it. This makes it much easier to know how to wear as you just match up the neutral colour that's in it. So with the one above, they've picked out the white to mix it with but you could just as easily put it with black or grey as they're also colours within the check. So black jeans or grey sweatpants would go perfectly or dark blue denim would go too. You could keep the white t-shirt for some contrast or switch it for a black one. If you want to keep things even more subtle, choose a shirt with a check that has mainly neutrals like black/grey/white/beige and just a dash of colour.
Blue patch checked brushed cotton flannel shirt - Folk at Mr Porter - £130
Choose a colour that suits most skin tones
I've done a lot of colour consultations in the time I've been a personal stylist and there's a few colours that I think suit almost everyone. Deep purple, pine green and burgundy look good on lots of skin tones, and they're also really easy to incorporate into your wardrobe. You can put them with navy, black, grey, beige, white and denim, so if this is what you mainly have in your wardrobe, you'll find them super easy to slot in.
Once you've got used to doing wearing them with your neutrals, then you could try them with patterns or a much lighter tone of the same colour. For example - you could put a patterned sweater with a touch of the purple in it over the dark purple shirt, you could wear a check jacket that has the same dark green in it over the sweater, or you could wear a pale pink shirt under the burgundy sweater.
Purple Tomlin slim fit button down collar cotton blend shirt - Rag & Bone at Mr Porter - £170
Green merino wool mock neck sweater - Mr P at Mr Porter - £140
Burgundy cashmere sweater - Altea at Mr Porter - £315
Try out a new colour in a t-shirt
If you're feeling nervous about colour then the easiest way to test it out and see if you like it (or if other people comment when you wear it) is to get a brighter colour in a t-shirt. It's an inexpensive way of trying it out and if everyone says you look amazing in it, then you'll feel more confident to buy something in the same colour when it's a bigger investment.
Check out how the guy above has brightened up his navy outfit with a little bit of the yellow t-shirt showing at the neck and hem......you don't need to have a suit on like he does either - you could just as easily combine the t-shirt and sweater with jeans and a bomber jacket. I also like how the tan shoes are in the same colour family as the yellow so they blend in really well. Or you could wear a bright t-shirt under an open shirt in summer - perhaps a chambray one with navy chinos or shorts (like this).
Yellow organic cotton jersey t-shirt - Entirewold at Mr Porter - £24
Add some colour with your accessories
And perhaps the easiest way of all? Get some coloured accessories to add to your neutrals. Red and orange blend really well with black, navy and charcoal and look great with denim too. Or you could also mix them with tan, camel or dark brown too.
The glasses are a bit more of a statement but I once heard a story from a guy who'd bought some red glasses and they'd enhanced his life immeasurably! He wasn't in a great place in his life at the time so it was a brave move for him to buy them, but when loads of people complimented them, even strangers, his confidence was massively improved.
Orange ribbed melange cashmere beanie hat - Brunello Cucinelli at Mr Porter - £230
Red 'Coram' glasses - Cubitts - £125
Red ribbed cashmere scarf - Johnstons of Elgin - £150
So, has that got you thinking that you'd like to start wearing some more colour but you're still not sure where to start? Then let me help.......all my Online Styling & Shopping services are all on sale until February 14th, so if you'd like to get an idea of what colours will suit you, have some suggestions on which items to buy, or get an opinion on something you already have in your wardrobe and what to wear it with, then click the button below to check out the options:
And here's an email I received from a client I did some online shopping for recently:
"Thank you for your amazing work. I've already bought 20 items, and 20 more items on my shopping list. It was pleasure to work with you. I really enjoyed it. Thank you very much)"
Like this post? You may also enjoy these:
Men's styling tips for your online dating profile pictures
5 x ways to style an overshirt