April Style Challenge - Triadic Colours

This was probably one of the most interesting colour combinations in the Style Challenge, as it involved wearing three colours from the Colour Wheel that are selected by placing a triangle over it.  I could have chosen red, yellow and blue but I went for purple, orange and green instead, as I thought that would be a particularly interesting combination. I liked Imogen's triadic outfit, which was a tunic with red, blue and yellow dots, however I don't have anything like it in my wardrobe.  To be honest with you, I would never have thought of wearing orange and purple together if it hadn't been for this challenge, but I rather liked this look and I may very well repeat it!

Being self-critical, I'm not sure that these were the best trousers to wear with my outfit as they are light coloured and fairly wide, which has the effect of making me look broader and by definition shorter. A darker shade would have been more flattering.

I quite fancy combining red, yellow and blue too.  If I start with navy blue jeans or blue linen trousers, then adding a red or yellow top, with yellow or red accessories to complete the triadic colour scheme, should be simple enough. Have you ever tried these colour combinations?  If so, please share with us how you put your outfit together.

April Style Challenge - Monochromatic

To be honest with you, the idea of wearing monochromatic colours all day seemed a teeny bit monotonous - and also rather challenging personally, but that is the idea of this Style Challenge.  To try out new outfits and different combinations of colour, instead of the "same old, same old". I was relieved to know that I didn't have to wear the exact same colour head to toe, just dark and light shades of the same colour, but even so I was sure that I would find my outfit rather boring.

I had to resist the temptation to wear a bright red scarf or shoes, just to add a pop of colour: they were saved for another day's challenge. However I couldn't resist adding a simple gold necklace and bracelet to give a bit of glitter to my look!

I wore this look for a trip to the city of Murcia, to collect my camera from the photographic department of El Corte Ingles. The weather forecast was for sunshine and a high of 28C, so I wanted a comfortable and cool outfit for the bus trip followed by walking the city streets. My verdict was that the outfit worked well, I think the colours were flattering, however I am still likely to add a touch of red the next time that I wear this!

April Style Challenge - Complementary Colours

My wardrobe is pretty colourful, so I had a good choice of complementary colours to choose from for this outfit.  To clarify what I mean by complementary colours: it's not those colours that, when you wear them, people give you compliments about i.e. "You look great in that green top!" Complementary colours are colours that are opposite each other on the Colour Wheel.  In my case I used pink and green, but I could also have chosen blue and orange or purple and yellow, for example.

I apologise for the quality of the photo, which was taken by my DH using the phone on my camera.  I quite like the soft focus face (who needs Photoshop!) but I think he held the phone at the wrong angle as my legs and feet look tiny!

I haven't worn this top and jeans together before, as I usually wear neutral tops with my bright jeans. I rather like the look, and the green is flattering against my mature skin, however it's not necessarily a good combination for petites. Wearing the two bright colours together chops me in half, and the best look for those of us who are vertically challenged is to create a long, lean line. If I had worn a cardigan or jacket in the same pink, it would have made me look taller. Or a top that matched the jeans, worn with my green cardigan, would have had a similar effect. Unfortunately I don't have such items in my wardrobe.

Still one of the joys of getting older is that you don't worry so much about what other people think. What if this outfit is a bit bright? What if it makes me look shorter and fatter? I like it, so I'll wear it again!

Playing with colour

This week's April Style Challenge is all to do with colour, hence the colour wheel above.  Imogen explains the different combinations and gives some examples in her helpful post.  If you're anything like me, you probably combine a basic shade (navy denim jeans, anyone?) with one or maybe two other colours, and you may have a tendency to wear the same pair of jeans with particular tops. This week, why not look at other colour combinations? Go on, I dare you!

Today's outfit is all about analogous colours i.e. colours beside each other in the colour wheel.  I decided to wear a yellow top, with green shoes and a green ring, plus my dark blue jeans.  When I went out earlier I wore one of my favourite scarves, which has green, blue and yellow (plus orange, pink and white!) flowers, and is ideal for pulling different colours together.

If you decide to try a new colour combination, please let me know what colours you used and whether it is a combination that you would wear again.