The word of choice this week seems to be ‘clash’. Somehow, most people have some kind of preconception of certain colours that ‘clash’ or should never be worn with each other. I have no idea how these notions were planted in our heads. Examples being pink clashing with orange, never wearing black and brown together. It could have been subconscious absorption of magazines telling us not to wear this colour with that colour when growing up, or mothers telling us those two colours SHOULDN’T go together. As much as it is in my nature to go against the ‘shouldn’t’, of course I don’t completely ignore the staunchly established rules of colour matching. However, there are times when I abandon the rules without consciously thinking about it but because the rules don’t even occur to me. As Gemma at Catwalk Queen quite rightly pointed out, there are always exceptions to the supposed rules. Why is brown with black so bad? Does it not depend on the garments and how they are put together? Take this outfit I wore today as an example. The green silk top comes head to head with the red leather bag with some subtler greens and reds in the shoes and skirts. I had grabbed the outfit in 2 minutes and it never really occurred to me that the combination of the colours might look a little odd, until I heard someone on the tube saying ‘Gosh…that girl is wearing red and green together.’ to her friend thinking I was listening to the my iPod (I had a podcast on low volume….). It was then that I was reminded that there are still boundaries in style yet to cross, yet to let go of – colour combination rules being one of them. Just as fashion etiquette like not revealing petticoats under your skirts to people has eroded, will our conceptions of what colours are supposed to look good together ever shift?
How many colour-rule breakers do we have here I wonder…..
I don’t know what the big deal is about black and brown…I wear that combo all the time and it looks fine to me. However, I think certain colors will clash if each of them is bright and glaring.
I clash all of the time without even thinking about it, both colours and patterns. I’m a firm believer in the mantra ‘its not what you wear but how you wear it’ in fact today I wore a zig-zag dress with a flowery jacket and a polka dot bag. It rocked.
my whole life is pretty much based on championing “clashing colors”. 😀
Funny that you should write about this because I was wearing the black brown combo today: black shirt and a brown leather bag.
Rules are meant to be broken. And if it looks good and you can carry it off…then theres no harm.
I wonder about these rules a lot of times, specialy when I’m shopping. Here are a few that I have listened while growing up: brown and black or dark blue and black are a no no; blondes shouldn’t wear yellow cause they will look like lemons; red and pink don’t walk together; white stays in the closet during Winter. I would say all these rules are to strict and most of them really depend of the outfit and/or the tones.
I believe there’s nothing that can’t be worn nowadays, it only depends the way how’s adapted and matched.
I love to clash! Ever since I realised that it’s not a sin against humanity I’ve felt much more liberated and adventurous about my style!
i love clashing! but i do have one color rule, not because they neccessarily look bad together, but because they remind me of other things (red and green never to be seen! becauce of its christmas connotaions-note variations on the colors like pink and green/mint and red whatever are o-k. so i would have been okay with your outfit but your bag doesn’t work for me).
when i was a kid i loved wearing magenta and orange together…plus i think breaking the rules is what makes style interesting.
I wear brown and black together the whole time and it looks ok to me…but what’s the whole thing about blue and green? Do they really clash so badly?
For me, clashing is less about the colour and more about tonal value or saturation, so for example, a mint green looks amazing with red, because they are tonally different but a cherry red and a primary green do clash because they have the same tonal value (same tonal value’s will often create strange optical illusions – like primary blue and red – when you look them together it can appear blurred). So I think any colours can be worn together if one is less saturated than the other – it’s just a variation of wearing light and dark colours together. That said, I really don’t see the problem with brown and black or navy and black at all.
hello! red and green are complimentary colours. they look fantastic together given that the pieces are not tacky or kitchy.
come on!
I cannot believe that the girls on the tube was goshing over you’re outfit, who cares about the colours ‘clashing’ you look good, which i think is pretty much all that matters.
Ooh-er… some clashing over my clashing here. As most people have said, it really is dependent on what you are wearing and the general consensus seems to be that some of these so-called rules are a little dated – black and brown, black and navy…..
I really like to wear clashing colours and patterns, but often it really is down to how you wear it. If you stand there looking awkward and self-conscious, people are going to be more critical. If you wear them with confidence, then it really does make the outfit! I guess it does sound cheesy, but I really believe that.
I personally think your outfit was great, really unusual and quirky. Seriously, how can you have fun with fashion if you’re constantly restricted by all these rules?!
i wear blue and green/brown and black together. what should i do?? do those colours really look so bad?!
I have a deep but bright purple dress i was wearing to a friends party. at the last minute i decided to throw a flourescent yellow jacket over the top. people gave me funny looks at first, but in th end everyone was telling me how great it looked and well done for standing out. clashing colours rock!
hey! i have a friend and she’s always getting at me for wearing brown and black, but what’s the big deal? they’re both neutral tones, so i think they look great together. they’re both kinda dull, but some girls pull it off well. i’m a firm believer in wearing brown and black together. oh! and i wear green and blue together a lot too. i’m obviously a clasher 🙂
Gone are the days when wearing discordantly different colours warranted you taunts. Clashing block colors in fact has become all the rage, inspired by African tribal wear and Sub-continental culture. Think Masai and Thar. Doing this color combo conga well reflects self-confidence, an airy free-spiritedness and most importantly of all, a sense of fun and adventure! Here Xpozé shows how to color clash correctly
Tips on How to Color Clash:
• When wearing contrasting colors in an outfit, think about using different fabrics and textures. For example pair a cobalt blue ruched peasant skirt with a fuchsia satin shirt.
• The more unusually disparate the colors, the better. Use colors in different color spectrums: lime green and tomato; fuchsia and tangerine; pale yellow and indigo.
• You can even combine three or four colors together by adding fun accessories, but be careful not to look like a Crayola set.
• Keep your make up to a minimum and follow the maxim: a strong eye OR a strong mouth. For example if you are opting for a turquoise and damask pink combo in your dress then opt for some blue shadow and a nude lip OR a soft pink mouth and minimum color on the eye.
• Wear a solid block color on your feet when color combining. White wedgies are always a good option to balance lots of color.