Keep It Colourful - Winter Styling

I have a little question for you; what colour (or colours) are you wearing right now? Are they bright, vibrant and cheerful, muted and understated or rich and dark? I find that as the weather gets colder our colour choices tend to get darker.

In the Summer many of us will wear bright, cheerful shades - I expect because the weather is often bright and cheerful. However, on those cold, grey, rainy days do you find yourself reaching for vivid tones or gravitating towards blacks, greys and blues?

For many of us, it’s the latter - you only need to take a look around the office, the school playground at drop off time or the local shops to see that for many of us Winter equates to dark, neutral tones.

Photo by max-kegfire/iStock / Getty Images

Now don’t get me wrong - I love neutrals! In fact this year more than ever I have been wearing shades of camel and taupe combined with navy, black and aubergine. However I mix in vibrant colour pops here and there and certainly don’t stick to them exclusively - I love to wear colour, all types of colour, as much as possible!

My feeling is that when the weather is grey it is SO important to inject some vibrancy and colour back into our lives through our personal style. Colour, textures, patterns and accessories are all great ways to do this.

I have delivered thousands of colour consultations since I trained as an image consultant in 2012 and every single client has left me with a whole new perspective on how to wear colour (as well as the realisation of how amazing colour can make us look and feel when we choose the right shades).

Colour is a powerful tool for us to have in our style armoury; in the workplace for example, we can use it to portray an image or mood. Wearing red to give an important presentation will convey energy and passion, whereas blue would be a good choice in a 1-2-1 meeting where you want to appear open and calm.

Come rain or shine, wearing colour is a wonderful way to have fun with our personal style and experiment with different shades and combinations. If you don’t wear much colour currently then it may feel a little overwhelming to know where to start so here are my top three tips for incorporating more colour into your wardrobe this season…

Switch your neutrals - if you’re a slave to black at the moment then start by simply switching to navy (a universally flattering colour), charcoal or brown. I find black can be quite a hard colour to wear if you don’t get your fabrics and accent shades right - choosing a softer neutral will generally be more flattering and will ease you gently into some slightly lighter shades.
Start with a pop - don’t go all-in straight away if you don’t want to. Start with a pop of colour and have fun with it; a red bag, a metallic belt, a bright blue stone in your earrings, a hat/scarf or even a brighter lip colour. Starting with pops of colour on your accessories allows you to experiment with a few different shades without spending too much money thus helping you discover which shades you really love.
Trust your instincts - I find a lot of my clients have gravitated towards a few colours that work for them simply through trial and error. A colour consultation will unlock the reasons why those colours have worked and how to do that more mindfully and consistently. If you’ve worn and loved a particular colour in the past and received lots of compliments on it then chances are it is a shade that will be in your palette - so embrace this and introduce it into your wardrobe worn with neutrals to start with.

Remember; there really isn’t any colour you can’t wear - you just need to know how to wear it and what to wear it with, experiment and have fun, it’ll brighten not only your day but that of those around you too!

Top 5 To Buy Now

Here are five ways to add either a subtle colour change or impactful colour pop to your look that you can buy and wear straight away…

1. If you wear lots of neutrals currently then some subtle colour on your footwear will add interest and give your look a little lift. Burgundy is a key colour trend this Autumn and looks great with black, navy and camel tones as well as contrasting beautifully with soft pink shades too. Mint Velvet Boots

2. I think a red bag is so versatile and whilst it’s striking, it’s still a classic colour. This Oliver Bonas bag combines style and function beautifully as you can wear it cross body to keep your hands free.

3. Other Stories Purple Jumper. Purple is a universally flattering colour - whatever your skin tone, hair or eye colour, this shade of purple (which I call Cadbury’s purple - can you tell I love chocolate!) will suit you! I would style this classic jumper with some coated skinnies or a leather skirt, or mix it with a leopard print pleated mini skirt for a more dramatic feel. I also think purple is a great alternative to black in the evening and looks great paired with metallics.

4. Jewellery is the perfect low-risk way to play with colour. I love a statement earring for the evening or to dress up a more casual look in the daytime. Jack and Freda have a great range in a variety of colours so you can take your pick! https://www.jackandfreda.com

5. Don’t forget you can use your nail colour to add a pop too! My all time favourite red is CND’s Wildfire as it looks amazing with absolutely everything but choose any shade you like and be as bold as you want, you can always remove it after a few days if you want to!