Are you looking for a way to make a bold fashion statement? Color blocking can help you express yourself and show off a bit of your personality. Pops of color in your clothes, accessories, and footwear can really add to your visual brand.

What is Color Blocking?

Color blocking is the mixing of colors within your outfit to show both contrast and blending of hues with that you wear. Color blocking takes from the basics of color theory to help build a visually pleasing statement for your outfit. 

Color blocking uses all aspects of your outfit: from your shirt, bottoms, handbag, hat, and even your shoes! 

Why does it work? Color blocking catches the eye and is bold while maintaining visual balance. It’s a great way to show some personality with your wardrobe.

Color Basics

The color wheel is your ultimate guide when it comes to creating harmonious color blocked outfits. By looking at where colors are positioned on the wheel you can find which combinations are balanced. 

• Complementary colors: These are the colors that are located directly opposite of each other on the wheel. These colors have maximum contrast and a visual pop when put together. Some combos of these include: purple and yellow, blue and orange, red and green.
• Analogous colors: Colors that are next to each other on the wheel have some of the most blending potential. For example, yellow and orange, green and blue.
• Triadic colors: When colors are 3 colors spaced away from each other on the wheel. When hues are evenly spaced, the neighboring colors work coherently to create a pleasing visual.
• Monochromatic: This is when one hue is used but different tints, shades, and/or tones are used of the same color. Although not really a color blocking technique, monochromatic outfits still make your fit look intentionally put together.

3 Steps How to Color Block

1. Select up to a maximum of 3 colors; one that will be your dominant colors and 1-2 others to support 

Your dominant color should be what the color that takes up most of your outfit. After you have your dominant color selected, that’s when you can play around with one to two other colors that go well with your dominant color. 

2. Stick with similar intensity colors 

Unless you are going down the monochromatic route, it’s best to include colors in your outfit with the same hue intensity and boldness so that each color can look balanced and stand out. This way, your colors should also compliment each other without looking like one overshadows the other.

3. Accessorize!

The best way to tie all of your colors together is adding a purse, clutch, wallet, or scarf in a fun color. When it comes to a colorful accessory, Karla Hanson has got you covered! Select from a wide variety of colors and styles, from handbags to wallets. Here are some of our favourite products to add a pop of color to your outfit:

Lorine Rose Leather Crossbody Bag

 

Linda Saddle Crossbody Bag with RFID - Blue

 

Lorine Leather Crossbody Wallet - Yellow

 

Delia Leather Crossbody Travel Wallet - Burgundy

 

Ellen Woven Crossbody Phone Wallet - Red

Useful Tips

Start with neutral colors and build from there

If color blocking with bold royal blue and bright lemon yellow is a bit too daunting right now, try warming up to it with neutral pairings. Having a neutral colored base like a white or beige to prime your outfit is the way to start your color blocking journey without feeling like you are jumping into the deep end.

Explore different materials and textures 

Have fun with mixing up differing materials and textures in your outfits. Color blocking is all about playing mix and match, and the fun doesn’t stop at pairing different colors. Try leather, cotton, ribbed, suede, and more!

Keep color placement in mind

It’s important to keep color placement in mind when color blocking so that you don’t overcrowd or imbalance the visual harmony of your outfit. A key tip to avoid this is to try the sandwich method. The sandwich method is when you match something on the top with something on the bottom, and something different in the middle – Like a sandwich with 2 pieces of bread and a filling in between. 

Remember to have fun with it. Although the technique of color blocking can seem daunting, the main purpose of fashion is to express yourself!