Signature colours
A 101 of 101's kind of guide
From tastefully decluttering your wardrobe to shopping for a capsule wardrobe you'll stay in love with or just getting an idea of how colours work, reading this explains useful approach to colour selection for clothing.
Hello (Nigeria) my people(s)!
• WHAT ARE 'UNDERTONES'?
They are small component of your skin colour but not as obvious as the coloration that distinguishes people by race and whatnot.
Undertones simply mean a natural colour tinge (bluish/reddish/cool, yellowish/warm or just neutral) that your skin has. It's okay if this makes no sense. Maybe it shouldn't even. But I had to sha introduce it.
• WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING UNDERTONES?
Undertones help explain some common mysteries about why a certain colour shade may look better on one of two people who may have the same primary skin tone.
Wearing cool colours when you have a warm undertone (or vice versa) MAY make you look pale, ill or just not your best. And we don't want that 🤍
• HOW CAN WE DETERMINE UNDERTONES?
If your vein colours are visible, they're blue(or pinkish) if you have a cool undertone and green if you have a warm undertone. People with neutral undertones may see a mix of both.
Another way is checking if gold (for warm undertones) or silver (for cool undertones) (or both for neutral undertones) jewelleries look best on your skin. You can ask someone to help you check.
My last resort is often to just ask people what they think of cool and warm coloured clothes you have intentionally selected on you.
P.s. I haven't found a Nigerian with a cool undertone upon checking. Let me know what your undertone is, would you?
Now we ask...
• WHAT ARE COOL AND WARM COLOURS?
Although they may overlap sometimes, in this colour wheel, I'd say originally cool colours range from 76°/Chartreuse to 267°/dioxazine and every other colour passes as warm. Even that is overly simplified but at least you get the get the idea… I hope.
Tip: Just search the web for “warm/cool shades of {insert colour}” whenever you're in a bind.
•HOW TO PICK YOUR SIGNATURE COLOUR(S) (Using the analogous colours approach)
1. Main colours
Easiest (and my preferred) option is to just pick out one pyramid ( a sector is more mathematically appropriate but pyramid sounds better 😌) of colours from the colour wheel. If you want, you can work with three to four consecutive ones as long as you know your colour theories, matching and stuff.
The important thing is that the pyramid(s) you pick should be from the side of the wheel corresponding to your undertone. That is, warm colours for people with warm undertones, cool colours for cool undertones and any of them for neutral undertones.
A good trick is picking a pyramid that includes the colours you get the most compliments on when you're wearing them rather than the ones you simply like. ("Miì ní pé k'ẹ́ ṣe ó... But I'm juss finking" 👀)
2. Neutrals
Like non-neutrals, neutral colours also have warm, cool and neutral tones that suit warm, cool and neutral undertones respectively.
I know, all these things na wahala. Ndo.
I believe it is best to stick with just one or two signature neutral shades. I happen to love white and my preferred neutrals are off-white/ivory which are warmer variants.
Now that you have read some of what creating a carefully curated wardrobe entails I hope that in the nearest future, you will be creating one.
Rooting for you! 🤍
Thank you for reading till the end!
Thank you for all the love on my previous post and for supporting this baby girl's work. Have an amazing week full of confidence 🤍✨
-Love, Mariam xx
Beautiful insights!
Superb