Lighten Up for Spring!
Posted Apr 08, 2010
With a breath of fresh air, we shed layers and feel a renewed optimism in the air…it’s Spring! Spring is full of wonder. It’s the sight of fabulous high heels, thousands of variations of beige, unexpected bursts of bright color, and of course, white – pure and simple white. People are lightening up their colors and springing up their mood so I thought it would be a great time to offer some tips on how to style it up and light(en) up for the new Season.
Those who know me know that I like to wear black. Not always, but it’s just what I have a tendency to reach for, especially when I’m very focused. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I have a strong personality and the other part is that I’m constantly creating, designing and working with colors and shapes…so my outfit needs not to be a fauvist distraction. Mind you, black on black texture can be fabulous, but as Spring comes around, I thought it would be nice to give the grays and blacks in our wardrobes a rest, and lighten up a little. Maybe you’ll agree, and even dare to….
I find that often people are afraid to wear color and have trouble figuring out what goes. Here are a few tricks that can help:
1- One bold color, paired with one neutral (or several shades of the same neutral):
Match warm brights with cool neutrals: examples: Red, Fushia, orange, yellow with cool grey. Cool brights with warm neutrals: light blue and khaki, ice green and brown, lavender and rust.
2- Black with ONE multicolored accessory:
Take a look at our Lamb Melbourne Satchel, now pair that with a black day dress and easy wear black or neutral skin-tone sandals, and you’re done.
3 – Bright accessory, neutral shoe, white blouse, jeans:
This is a uniform every woman should know about. Think candy apple patent bag, fetish school-girl shirt, dark washed jeans and buff shoes.
4- White is hot and bold, when paired with a soft color, and a dark anchor:
White and buff, white and gunmetal grey, white and washed purple…The anchor is usually a black shoe, belt, bag or shrug. It helps keep the eye of the person looking at you from getting lost in your pale brightness.
5- All white, with one neutral twist:
The twist is belt, a detail on a bag or accessory like a scarf. It keeps you from looking like Mrs.Clean.
6- If it works in nature, it will work for you:
Sand and blue sea, Brown and green trees, Volcano ash and orange lava…you get the drift. Nature is perfect.
7- Complementary colors if the mood is particularly bright:
In other words, opposites on the color wheel: red/green, blue/orange, yellow/violet. When doing this, make sure that only one is saturated, bright and popping, while the other is darker and more faded.
I hope this inspires you to try on some color, but most importantly, experiment to see what works best with your skin-tone, hair color and attitude…and make your own rules!