Color Chic, Terrific Color Trios: Navy + Red + Lavender

Combining colors can be quite daunting, especially when you are unsure how to; even more confusing is referencing a color wheel to decipher computer generated colors in order to match colors which seemingly are uncoordinated.  But it is easier than it looks if you follow basic tried and true pairings!



1.  Merona Trench Coat from Target in Navy
2.  DKNYJeans Soho Skinny Jeans with Tuxedo Stripe in Lacquer Red
3.  GAP Crew Neck T-Shirt in Lavender

Why it works?  Blue and red are both primary colors.  Along with yellow, the three collectively form a color triad.  Choose Two Colors from a color triad to pair: Red and yellow, blue and yellow or in the case pictured above blue trench coat (1) and red skinny jeans (2).

The lavender t-shirt (3) works in this trio of colors because lavender (a lighter shade of purple), is a combination of blue and red.  The eye visually draws on the lavender's blue components when next to the blue and its red components when next to the red, so when paired with both, the lavender unifies these two primary colors.

1, 2, 3 Chic!

1, 2, 3 Chic!

When exploring color combinations it is very easy to go from WOW to WTF; red and blue only seemed to pair well in my kindergarten box of crayons.  With the addition of lavender, another visual element enhances the ensemble, but I don't believe the eye could take much more.  While purple, orange or green would pair well with either blue or red, an additional color would turn this outfit into color overload, and take away from the chic-ness of this navy, red and lavender combo.  So to keep your outfit from going over the top, it needs to be anchored in a neutral color.

Sometimes, even chosing the right neutral can be difficult; I wanted each color in my outfit to mesh well together, yet stand out.  A lighter neutral like tan against the darker navy or red would have shifted the focus away from these bold colors, while a darker neutral like black have anchored the outfit too much taking away from the light, airy, alomst nautical feel of the look.   Finding inspiration in fashion doesn't have to be over thought, and I chose the color of my accessories based on the trimming on my jacket's buckle: the dark brown leather-ette trim made these brown shooties and oversized bag and easy pairing choice!



How I Styled It?

1, 2, 3 Styling is a lot of fun when you can do it with colors; and one on essential styling tool is a color wheel!  Daunting I know, when you see the colors run the length of the spokes, then you are supposed to follow T-rules or X-rules to find out which colors match best.  Here enters the color wheel by Academichic!  With a color wheel made entirely of dyed fabric, and modules to explain exactly how to combine colors, any novice color-phile can quickly turn expert in a couple of quick reads.  Why this color ensemble works, I've explained above, but I chose these pieces because I wanted a transition outfit that was warm enough for the morning's low temps, yet cool enough for the midday heat!  SN