Color me Fine
This article is part 2 in our "Matching Jewelry to your Personal Brand of Fashion" series. To read Part 1 CLICK HERE
“Does this go with my outfit,” is a common question we ask our most trusted fashion companions. We stand in front of a mirror, and try to understand if our jewelry and outfit work well together. Sometimes it takes a second to know we’re on point, and other times, we’re not sure were we went wrong. The hair is nice, the clothes are great, and the jewelry fabulous, but together something doesn’t go. Most times we put outfits together because we’ve seen them worn in a certain fashion with media icons, but don’t know why it looks great on them but not on us. Well, the stylists behind the scenes know how to bring a look to life, and one of the first building blocks is color. Before we decide on the jewelry we want to wear, we must be mindful of the available colors, and which would Blend or Pop our look.
Possible Jewelry colors
Metallic Jewelry: gold, rose gold, white gold, silver, and gunmetal silver.
Stones: Any color imaginable including marbled finishes.
Plastic: Any color imaginable with art as well.
Color Theory
Below is an image of a color wheel, and once you understand this ball of rainbow, you will forever look at colors differently.
Now the center has the Primary colors, which are yellow, red, and blue. Next to the Primaries are the Secondary colors. Last, you have colors that indicate temperature. Anything close to red and yellow are warm, anything closer to blue is considered cold.
Notice how the colors on the wheel move in harmony. That’s because the colors move in a Complimentary motion. They are either a shade closer to the warmer or colder colors. The further colors are on the wheel, the less they compliment each other. The colors that clash the most are found on the opposite side of the wheel, which are considered Contrast colors.
Black, white and grey are not on the wheel because they speak to all the colors on the wheel. However, Black and white contrast each other, and grey compliments both colors.
So what’s all this mumbo-jumbo about colors and a wheel? Well, this concept is very useful in design and fashion. It helps us think about the goal of our look verses just finding a way to look great. Now with jewelry we ask the next two questions.
Do you want your outfit to speak?
If the goal is to have a well-curated outfit that seems to have all items flowing in a nice conversation, we strive for complimentary colors that blend the outfit. For example, a complimentary piece for a red dress would be something in rose or yellow gold pieces.
Do you want your outfit to scream?
If the goal is to attract more attention to where your jewelry is almost calling out the attention of your eyes, use contrasting colors to pop the outfit. Even if it’s subtle the eyes detect the difference in cold and warm colors. So if you’re wearing a red dress, go with silver and gunmetal silver pieces.
Some colors blend, and some pop, just remember to be mindful of your consistency and which items to swap.
Click Here to read Part 3- I Can be Edgy
Lilliana is a local Los Angeles Artist and Creative.
Her experience in art and consulting has contributed to producing digital content writing blogs for Oro Central.
Check out her work at Home | Lilliana Karadavoukian