If you had snuck a little peek into my wardrobe about two years ago you would have found a very different wardrobe from that of today.
I didn’t do colour.
Yes, that’s right. The chick who’s now all orange, chartreuse and hot pink crazy used to be a card-carrying member of the all-black wardrobe society.
Well, black and some white and a little beige thrown in for “variety” and good measure.
And you know what?
That was ok.
That was who I was back then. That was my style season. They were the colours – or non-colours – that worked for me.
I had clients who were very much like me and others who screamed colour.
I gave the ones who were like me permission to stick with their neutrals because I truly believe that if that is what makes you feel confident in your day-to-day life then go with it.
Should you wish to try something a little out there, then go for that too.
There was one particular client who I admired – still do – for her wholesale embracement of colour.
Not just any colour. Bright, zingy colour. The brighter and zingier the better.
Purples, greens, reds … no colour combination was out of bounds. And her outfits were show-stoppers. In a good way.
She wore the colour. She owned her style.
But … put those same outfits on me, or some of my other neutral-loving friends and our confidence would have zapped in an instant.
The colour would taken over and worn us instead of us wearing the colour.
And that’s the crux of today’s Unlock Your Style lesson.
Don’t feel just because you think you should be wearing colour that that’s a good idea. It isn’t, if it’s not you.
And perhaps, like me, the real you is a work in progress. In which case, the colour will come.
Which colours?
Now, this is going to get me into dangerous territory … but a bit like my thoughts on body shapes and rules yesterday, I’m not one for believing we have a set of colours that perfectly suit us and that we can never stray from. Ever.
(Are you getting that I’m also not one for imposing too many rules?)
The way I see it is that getting your colours “done”, being handed a print-out or swatches of coloured fabric showing the colours that you should look for only adds to the shopping and change room angst.
What if you can’t find your colours in any given fashion season? Do you just give up and not buy anything at all?
Instead, we need to once again draw on that change room confidence we’re working on tapping into.
When you try on a garment, does the colour of it contribute to making you feel fabulous? You will either have that feeling or you won’t.
New colours and colour combination trends emerge every fashion season. I looked at some of this summer’s most popular here. Plus, I’ve featured chartreuse in just about every second post this season 
But what of the season ahead?
Autumn-winter is usually a time of more muted tones but those of us who love to splash a little colour around will be pleased to know that colour is still there. Think plum, mustard, olive green, burned orange and tans.
In the meantime, if you’re looking to freshen things up a little, one of the hottest trans-seasonal colour combinations hitting the stores right now is blue (shades of cobalt through to navy) - worked back with black, white and stone.
1. Jacqui E blouse $79.95 | 2. Seed tank $79.95 | 3. Saba dress $269 | 4. Urban Originals bag (on sale) $34.90 @ Style Tread | 5. Target Moda top $24.50 | 6. Country Road top $79.95
Of course, the easiest way to add colour to a neutral wardrobe is via accessories (like that bag featured above). We’ll discuss more tomorrow.
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Style work
Want to know which colours work best for you?
Open your newly organised wardrobe, which you’ve colour-coded. What colours do you see most of?
Tell me the colours that make you happy?
PS. Don’t forget if you want to share any of your progress along the way via photos, you can upload them in the comments or share via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #unlockyourstyle and make sure you tag me so I can find it (@stylingyou). Facebook uploads to my page are welcome too.
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** The Styling You Holiday Style Camp {Unlock Your Style in 14 Days} is based on the Styling You Manifesto. If you don’t have your own, you can download it here. I’ll also be giving away a proper printed Styling You Manifesto from The Smile Collective every day to the reader who catches my eye with their comments and participation.
Unlock Your Style in 14 Days (Day 4 manifesto winner): Jools. Jools, could you please email me your postal address: nikki@stylingyou.com.au?
