Colour combos that can breathe life into ordinary outfits

The art of dressing and colour has been ignored for a long time, especially in the African continent.

I remember when I got my first job and went out shopping for affordable official clothes; my priority was to get the most clothes at the cheapest cost.

So I played out that trick we all play when dressing up on a limited budget. I bought three different black pants and many tops, with the intention of just swapping the tops to change up the look from day to day.

Then reality hit me a few days into the job when I found myself having a monotonous style. A colleague sent me an indirect hint saying: “you really love wearing black, huh?”

I looked around me and realised that most of my colleagues had something black on. I dare you to look around your office right now, there must be someone dressed in something black.

How then can we adjust our outfit colours and still look totally fabulous and good enough for the office?

The first lesson here is to find out how to incorporate colours, that is, how to balance bright colours with neutral colours without letting the bold colours overwhelm your look.

It is the beginner’s approach to colour play, and a great way to make a statement piece shine. But, from the hints we’ve been getting from last Fashion Week, we all could stand to step it up in a big, bold, and rebellious way. But with these fashion tips, you’ll be sure to pull off great colour combinations. Here’s how to do clothing colour coordination using the Colour Wheel.

• Colours directly next to each other (yellow and yellow-orange; yellow and yellow-green; violet and blue-violet, etc.)
• Colours that form right (90 degree) angles with each other (yellow and red-orange; blue and violet-red; green and orange, etc.)
• Colours directly across from each other (yellow and violet; blue and orange; red and green, etc.)
• Colours that form a T (blue, orange, and violet-red; yellow, violet, and red-orange; yellow, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)
• Colours that form an X (blue, orange, violet-red, and yellow, violet, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)

Brown, black, white and denim blues are neutral, so they can generally be paired with any colour on the Colour Wheel.

So the idea is, next time you can’t think of what to wear, instead of heading to the shops and emptying your wallet, just pick up a Colour Wheel and look at your wardrobe again. You can create great colour combinations with these fashion tips. Whenever you are going out, try out different clothes first and see if they look good in the mirror.

For sure, a part of you will know if something does not look quite right. Browse some fashion magazines and gather tips on colour blocking. And before you experiment on a combination, ask a friend for comment so that you will know whether the colours you matched look right.

Fashion tip: It is advisable not to wear more than three colours on the same outfit to maintain a coordinated look and avoid looking like a clown.

In order to have good results or if you are in doubt, use the colour wheel to help you choose the colours. But remember: “Less is always more”.

Avoid matching: green and blue, maroon and black, red and pink, black and navy blue.

Here is my colour blend I wore it to work and got compliments. Don’t be the boring person who wears black.

Lets play the colour blocking game. Follow me on: Instagram @liz_anyango5 Facebook: Liz Anyango and Twitter @lizanyango5.