The Subtle Art Of Colour Blocking

2020 has been a pause button for 90% of us and 99% of our wardrobes. I don’t know about you but I literally spent most of my year in a couple of shorts and tees. Even in the outdoors haha. Now that 2021 is slowly commencing and things are opening back, we gotta get back to normal.

Our style was one of the most neglected factors in 2020. Though I wrote a lot about fashion in 2020. Now let’s get to the point. Colours in your style provide you with a vast orbit of space to experiment with.

It's a solid logic that with a stellar number of colours comes a stellar number of combinations. But you cannot simply mix and match random colours and enkindle a gala. See all of have different tastes in fashion, style and colours. But there’s a standard or rule or whatever you wanna call it that you gotta follow if wanna be minimal fashion-loving stylo.

So what’s now?

The best thing to do if you really want to spice it up is Colour Blocking.
For those who aren’t sure, Colour blocking is basically pairing of totally different colours (sometimes shades too), so that it's easy to pull off whilst it is out of the box. It’s not an obstinate definition. Just my perception. Now the thing with colour blocking is that its not everyone’s cup of tea unless you have a proper sense of colours. And for that, I’ve got you covered. Basically, we’re gonna be talking about what colours to wear to how to pair them and pretty much everything in between.

No offence

Most of the “fashion bloggers” suggest colour blocking the complimentary colours. Complimentary colours are those which are placed exactly opposite to each other in the colour wheel. In my opinion, its gonna make you look like a joker or some LKG fancy dress contestant. Also, the key rule we’re gonna follow here is that all the colours are solid ones.
Since there’s already much going on with the colours, we don’t wanna make it larger-that-life with any sort of patters or prints (exceptions still breath).

1. Know your Colours:

And by that, I mean knowing the shade and tone of colours that actually suits you. Figure out the colours that do not match your skin colour. Basically, the ones that aren’t too subtle with your skin tone.
If for an instance, you’re a fair guy, colours like cream, beige or any such pale shade would be too subtle for you. These aren’t your colour. You can surely slay bold as well as dark colours. Red, blue and dark colours are yours! Got the picture?

2. Block Dead/Dark colours

This is the thumb rule I always live by. You can’t simply go wrong with dark shades. Here you have a chance of adding some sort of pattern or possibly print since the colours aren’t loud (in this case) and a slight touch of bling won’t do any harm.
I usually never go for prints but if you can pull it off, go for it.
The colour I would suggest (in case you’re trying this for the first time) are:

• Olive green
• Prussian Blue
• Royal Blue
• Maroon
• Dark Brown
• Grey
• Burgundy

You may try other colours but the ones mentioned above goes well with the others. No need to thank me.

Colour blocking with dark colours is relatively easier.

See I genuinely believe that’s it’s all about that vibe. Don’t wear bright colours of you don’t want that bad boy vibes or if you aren’t really confident in them. Matching Dark with dark? That’s Dope. Bright with Bright? Absolute disaster. That’s not only hard to pull off but also really really weird.
You have to pair a darker/subtle shade with a Dark one.
For instance, you chose to wear a baby blue tee, match it with a Prussian blue jeans. You’re getting the picture right? It's like pairing the same colour but with a totally different and dark shade.
You also may choose a completely different colour other than blue (in the above-mentioned case) only if you can pull it off. The decision is yours to make.

3. Pair with earthy colours:

And by earthy colours, I mean brown, ochre and their different variants.
Now, these are definitely a great alternative to black. And if paired smartly these colours can do wonders. I started with Beige with black and peacock.
Peacock green is a kind of loud colour but beige completely neutralizes its effect and here we are ready with the perfect colour blocked outfit.
I recommend the earthy colour to be that of the trouser.
Warning: Don’t match the earthy colour with Red. You can simply imagine how horrible that combination would look like. Also, blend it with the fact that any shade of green wouldn’t go with any earthy colour (since green itself is an earthy colour). I mean Green with Brown, who would like to look like a tree!
Hunter and Olive green are also two of the finest Earthy Green colours. They can go very well with Black, Prussian Blue and even White. I love wearing Olive green.

4. Prey for Grey:

The best thing about grey is that it goes with every colour. Like, you can simply replace black with this colour, without going wrong.
Which shade of Grey? That’s totally your choice. Each one goes well the others.
Also, the colour is so subtle that it can easily balance out a vibrant one.

What colours can go with grey? Well, I leave that to you. Go ahead!

5: Bling can be the King:

Personally, bright shades aren’t my thing. Can’t pull them off well. But that doesn’t apply to everyone. Tons of Instagram creators under the fashion niche are no exception this. In fact, I’m a really big fan of Tie Dye tees. They just look fresh and cheering up and please to the eye like nothing else. Though I still haven’t tried them and….let’s get back to the topic haha.

Still, if I would have to wear a bright colour I would balance it out with a solid pale one. See, it's all about that balance. The Grey rule applies here too. A bright top with a dark/solid pant.

Soooo that’s it. That was all I wanted to say. One thing I would like to clarify here is that most of the above-mentioned things are just my perceptions and conclusions which I drew after some brainstorming. Neither I meant to persuade you to style the way I do. I wear pale/dark colours because I feel confident in them. I balance the bling with some something jazzy to make things moderate because I want to. It's completely fine if you don’t agree with me. You hold every right to dress like the way you want. Just stay confident in what you wear and you have your status of ‘well-dressed’.