Style – Page 3

December 10, 2012October 27, 2014

Colour of The Year 2013

Pantone has revealed the colour of the year 2013. And the winner is Emerald, a graceful green-blue hue.

Picture courtesy of Pantone

Well, this choice was quite unexpectedly anticipated as different shades of green were showing up across every fashion retailer since October. And more blueish green shall be awaited considering the jewel-toned colours took off on fashion runways for Spring-Summer 2013. Can bet a dollar, winter collections will be no exception.
Appropriate for every occasion as stated in the official report and, indeed, Emerald is not such overpowering hue as its predecessor Tangerine Tango is. It is versatile and will flatter considerably more people than orange. And that’s the best thing I like about Emerald: it looks as good on a background as it does being an accent colour.

So what to pair the Emerald with?

I suggest to wander away from traditional combinations of green, orange or red. Yes, they do work well together, but why not to try something just tiny bit different?
The rich redish-brown hues are perfect substitute for red shades. They are close enough to the classic, yet distinctive to be considered a specialty. For example, Burgundy, Firebrick, Oxblood Red or Rosy Brown are still vigorous and energetic, but more noble than plain Red or Pink.
Colour swatches of Emerald with Burgundy, Firebrick, Oxblood Red, Rosy Brown

For subtle and airy look the analogous colour scheme will be a good choice (read using shades of green or blue with Emerald). I especially like how colour of 2013 looks next to Blue Gray (first swatch below). But try not to overdo it with greens unless it is St. Patrick’s Day.
Colour swatches of Emerald with different shades of blue and green

If I had to choose just two pairs, my personal favourites will be emerald with grey and nude. Imagine a jewel-green knee-length dress teamed with nude patent leather heels and half an inch thick belt. Elegant and crisp! *Shall I consider this to be my Christmas party outfit?
Colour swatches of Emerald with nude and grey
And don’t forget, we can always use textures to add some extra creativity into the emerald sets (e.g. leather and lace, or jersey and silk). With this trick even classic green + red will get another chance to shine.
One more thing to remember: green makes red hues appear brighter (as it is a complementary colour for red). In practice this means that people with a redish skin undertone might need to opt for green accessories rather than a full green gown (e.g. wearing green bracelets or an emerald scarf around the handbag, point is not to wear green shades close to the face).

You may also like to read about:
How to Coordinate Colours in Outfit, Designer’s Method

November 27, 2012October 27, 2014

The Timeless Principles of Pattern Mixing

Every season style blogs are filled with reports of trendy prints and the ways to mix them for the perfect outfit.
There is a myriad of tips like “Look for patterns that complement each other” or “Limit patterns to two” and even “Leopard goes with everything.”
These might be great examples of what works, but in this article I will cover the logic behind it, why it works. And why it doesn’t when it doesn’t.

“So, what principles considered the base of a perfect pattern combination?” you might ask.

First of all, in a well-designed outfit you would straightaway notice the strong, active print (or a color, shape) that sets the theme. The other details are working to reinforce that. An outfit needs to be structured to make it easier for the viewer to perceive the parts of composition. A glance will go to one part after another, starting from the most active (accent) to the quietest and neutral one creating the feeling of agreement and consistency.

That’s why an outfit that contains two or more identically intensive patterns causes visual confusion. The observer will be switching between them unable to identify the main and the subtle one.

Two identically intensive patterns
At first glance the garments above are combined according to the basic rules of mixing patterns. The scale is right – polka dot on skirt goes well with large circles of the top. The color combination is fine, complementary hues are used. But something just doesn’t feel right, isn’t it?

That’s because they doesn’t follow the main principle of print mixing: to achieve the harmonious look patterns should be of different intensity.
Below are the rules that will help to identify which of two patterns is dominant.

The balance in pattern mixing could be achieved through

Levels of pattern coherence:

Size. Bold patterns are dominant over fine ones. That’s why they say “pair same patterns in different scale”.

fashion illustration of top and shorts with different scaled floral patterns

Colorful floral print mixed with subtle organic pattern

Complex (structured) forms dominate over simple ones – paisleys are usually more eye-catching then dots. Other examples of potentially active prints include bold florals, detailed damasks or compelling geometrics.

fashion illustration of floral jacket and polka dot skirt

Jacket’s floral print is more complex so it becomes the centre of attention for this set

Color saturation. Pure hues are more prominent then gradations – pure red stripes are more eye-catching then maroon ones.

Color temperature. Patterns in warm hues dominate the ones in cool.

fashion illustration of orange top and light blue shorts

The warm orange top is dominating blue shorts

Color intensity. Tints dominate shades, the lighter color is getting the attention first.

fashion illustration of dark top and light coloured skirt

Light-patterned skirt paired with dark top

Contrast. High contrast objects look more fascinating then low-contrasting ones.

fashion illustration of high contrast hounds tooth jacket and low contrast floral skirt

Hound’s tooth jacket has higher contrast and dominates skirt

These rules of pattern mixing work well considering all other characteristics are equal. In other words, between two patterns of equal size the lighter one will dominate. Between warm and cool ones of similar brightness conspicuous will be the one which is more pure and “warm”. Few visual examples below:


Here are two organic prints both of a similar size. The dominant one is a skirt as it appears lighter	Out of these two patterns zigzags are more noticeable due to a higher contrast and more complex geometry

Q: If we have two dramatic patterns of a similar color shade and tone, would it be possible to wear them together and still have a balanced look?
A: The answer is yes.
Q: In that case which of them will be accent?
A: Neither. Our vision is very good at noticing objects that stand out. Have one butterfly printed on the shirt and it will be the first thing everyone will see. Have a hundred of them and a tomato sauce stain and guess what people will look at. Same is here, we would need something to stand out. It could be plain color or accessory, e.g. nude shoes, a tan leather bag or big brown sunnies.

Now, let’s get back to the example described at the start of the article and think how we can fix it.

fashion illustration of top and skirt with equally intensive patterns

previous illustration with switched colour on patterns

The set on the left feels a bit “undecided”. And indeed, it breaks the main principle of mixing patterns of different intensity. The polka dot, in spite of its size, is conspicuous by color while top’s circles dominate by size. So these garments are disputing on the level of color and scale. Two active prints are clashing and cause viewer “to jump” from top to skirt and back again while being unable to decide which of them has the priority.
If we simply swap the colors, – make a polka dot pattern in shaded blue, and circles on of the top in pure red, the harmony will be achieved. Now bigger and warmer print has full control over the smaller and cooler one.
In real life where we cannot easily change the color of our clothes (tomato sauce aside). I would then suggest to find another pair to either skirt or top. Or, try to add the accessories to improve the look. More shopping to be done in any case!

It may seem difficult at first to keep all these things in mind. But it’s like learning to drive a car. When you first get behind the wheel you are overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to do at once: following the rules, checking the signs, keeping the speed and changing the gear (if you unlucky enough to have a manual). Once you get a bit of experience it becomes too simple. Suddenly you are a pro driver ready to show anyone few tricks, think you can do it with one hand while drinking a coffee with another. At the end, it is all about few simple rules and a bit of practice.

You may also like to read about:
How to Coordinate Colours in Outfit, Designer’s Method

October 23, 2012October 27, 2014

Simple Shoe Classification, Part 2: Toe Styles, Brogues

About a month ago I’ve posted a Simple shoe classification – a comprehensive guide for identifying men’s classic shoes.

Today I’m about to extend it a little. And firstly I am going to talk on a topic of a toe style.

Toe style

There are 5 basic toe styles each of them imply different degree of formality. Have a look at the table below that shows what each one is about.

Most classic and versatile are captoe and plain toe shoes, they are suitable for any attire and could be found on vast varieties of styles.
A grade down are Moc (Apron) and Bicycle toes. They are mostly used in semi-dress foot wear, on those occasions where shoe discipline is not so crucial (think relaxed Friday lunches).

And at the last comes Wingtip toe (my favourite one at the moment) which is most often worn with a casual style. Wingtip shoes usually have brogueing (perforations) as decoration.

Brogues

All perforated shoes are brogues either they are oxfords or derbies. By the amount of perforation and toe style brogue shoes themselves divide into 4 categories.

If oxford full brogues or semi-brogues have wingtips and cap toe (and sometimes the lace panels) in contrasting tones we can tell they are Spectator shoes.

Not to be confused with another 2-tone low-heeled casual shoe – Saddle shoes!

These are usually plain-toe oxfords made in white or tan leather with a darker saddle-shaped piece sewn across the mid foot. The “Saddle” part is traditionally black, brown or red, although who could really stop shoemakers doing something new?

Well, I have expanded original Simple shoe classification a little bit to cover almost all types of men shoes by now. Hope you find it useful.

And remember, they say you can tell personality of 90 percent of all the people just by looking at their shoes. So, it could be even a psychological tool for those who master it.

On the pictures below there are some models from selected e-stores just to illustrate the idea and give you a hint what to look for.

Brogues, Full Brogues, Semi Brogues — Leonardo Principi Dark Brown Full Brogues — Fratelli Rossetti dark Brown Semi Brogues

Quarter Brogues, Long Wing Brogues shoes — N.D.C. Made By Hand Camel Quarter Brorues — MFW Collection Black Longwing Brogues

Black and white Spectator shoes — Dsquared2 Spectator Shoes

You may also like to read about:
Simple Shoe Classification. Part 1: Shoe Styles

October 14, 2012October 27, 2014

Basic Principles of an Outfit Layout: Focal Point

My recent post about relations of peplum and pants has touched an important principle of an outfit layout – the subject of a focal point.

In fashion, like in art, focal point (centre of interest) is where the viewer attention is naturally attracted.
Proficient arrangement of focal points can turn a plain outfit into a good one. It is a sort of visual magic when a scarf thrown over a shoulder resuscitates the entire look. The question is how do you know what trick to use where.

Every garment independently of the outfit has its own centre of interest – it could be a collar, a pocket, a yoke, pleats, gatherings, you name it.
On the image below the shirt catches the eye and it is the focal point of this look. But both skirt and blouse has their own centres of interest – it is a slit and a yoke respectively.

So, in an outfit the focal centre can be:
-a certain garment (blouse, T-shirt, shoes, shorts)
-a detail or accessory (collar, pockets, sleeves, brooch, bangles, and necklaces)
-a set of clothes (hat and scarf, scarf and gloves, shoes and skirt)

There are 4 basic approaches to emphasise something as focal point:
-by colour
-by texture
-by shape
-by complex trimming or other striking elements.

fashion illustration of woman wearing silk dress with sophisticated sheer sleeves

fashion illustration of woman wearing dark skinnies and bright top decorated with frills

The number of centres in an outfit can vary from one to as many as desired as long as they are hierarchically coordinated.

Multiple focal points add interesting complexity. The diversity and elegant balance of details get attention of viewers. Most of the times we don’t even know why, but we can tell there is something in that look.

At the same time there should be a clear connection between individual parts of the design. They should be sending the same image message.

The cohering elements of an outfit can be present on different levels. Every one of these is a big subject and deserves a topic of its own, so we’ll keep it simple here.

-Proportion: consider how to vary placement of garments so they articulate strong message and the outfit has its centre of interest. The size of focal point must complement the proportion of the garment (e.g. you might not be the only one who thinks that a big bow on slim evening dress looks ridiculous).
-Colour scheme: coherence on this level works best when one accent colour dominates the look and the others work to support and add interest to an outfit. Have another look on that red blouse above. That’s it.
-Shape: sophisticated and irregular shapes cause strong sensory responses so they must be balanced within an outfit to avoid undesirable effect.A decorative blouse with plan paints works well.
-Texture: textures influence our mood. We make assumption according to certain textures about age, personality, lifestyle, degree of sophistication. Textures are also perceived according to hierarchy. Smooth and glossy fabrics are catching attention first.
-Pattern and decoration: some of them are active and dominant while others are not so strong.

Let’s have a look on the example. Below, a light patterned shirt is teamed with a plain skirt in matching colour. This outfit is well-adjusted on the levels of colour, pattern and texture. Here all the attracting attributes of each level belong to the shirt and that makes the look balanced. It might be, however, lacking a certain degree of sophistication, but that’s easily corrected by adding accessories.

Getting a balanced look is not an easy task as it may seem. But as most of things, you get it with a practice. A good rule of thumb here is: if you are uncertain about something just make it simpler. The safest way to mix clothes in an outfit is to start basic, use one focal point, or one accent.

September 27, 2012October 27, 2014

How to Wear Peplum With Pants

This summer peplum is again on the top of the fashion wave! And according to the fashion weeks taking turns in northern hemisphere this embellishment will be a trend at least one more season.

Now it is presented in the most refreshing and outstanding way since its appearance – it is teamed with pants and shorts.
I find this tendency to be a great subject for a field study.

Close observation of peplum+pants combination on the streets, fashion blogs and catwalk photos lead me to a number of ideas.

Peplum itself is a dominant feature highlighting the waist-thigh area and pants in their turn are doing the same. So, put together they make lower body the centre of attention.

There are several ways to make the look more balanced. Fist way to reduce the number of glances towards the hips would be to wear well-fitted pants without any visible fly-fronts, fasteners, pockets and other distractive details. The minimal number of lines and visible details creates lean appearance.

Second option is to use long peplum. This will help to conceal fragile to attention area.

Another method to attain a light image is to shift a focal point to the upper body.

This can be done by using colour, pattern or accessories. A waist accentuated by peplum and plain top emphasize slim torso and drive attention to other areas.
Inverse also works. Patterned pants with plain top help to create desired silhouette and disguise lower body. The trick is that decorated surface attracts attention and at the same time provides a camouflage.

The right arrangement of decorative motifs and colour blocks become crucial in this situation.

And the last, but not the least approach for the graceful peplum look is to use single-colour combination.
Add a pattern and we have even more streamlined silhouette.