How to Combine Colors in Your Outfits
- trulyhuestyle
- Aug 12
- 5 min read
No art degree required. Just a few easy tricks for putting your colors together beautifully.
Remember the color wheel from elementary school art class? Or did you skip art class? Either way, we're bringing it back today because that little wheel is surprisingly useful when you're standing in front of your closet wondering what goes with what.
This is something I talk about in almost every color analysis session. Once we've figured out which colors make someone look amazing, I like to spend a little time talking about how to actually put those colors together and how to combine colors in your outfits. Because knowing your colors is one thing. Knowing how to combine them is where it starts getting really fun.
And don't worry. You don't need to understand a bunch of complicated color theory. The same basic principles used in art and home decorating work for clothing, too. A few simple tricks can make putting outfits together so much easier and may even give you ideas for combinations you never would have tried before.
So, back to art class we go.
I promise there won't be a test.
1. Monochromatic and Tone-on-Tone: Classy, Elegant and Easy
Let's start with one of my favorites.
A monochromatic outfit uses variations of the same color. Think light blue with medium blue and navy, or several different shades of green worn together.
And you don't have to follow the definition quite so literally. I love a good tone-on-tone look, too, where you're combining closely related shades and different depths of color.
There's something instantly polished about this kind of dressing. It's simple without being boring - and elegant without looking like you tried too hard.
The colors don't have to match perfectly. In fact, it's usually more interesting when they don't. Mix lighter and darker versions and play with different textures to keep everything from looking too flat.
You can do this with neutrals, too. Cream, camel and chocolate can create a beautiful tonal look. So can shades of gray, navy and denim.
This may be one of the easiest color formulas to pull off, but don't mistake easy for boring. A great tone-on-tone outfit can look incredibly sophisticated.
2. Analogous Colors: The "We're Best Friends" Colors
Now take a look at the color wheel and choose colors that live next door to one another.
Those are analogous colors, and they're wonderfully easy to wear together.
Blue and blue-green.
Green and yellow-green.
Coral and orange.
Pink and red.
Because they're neighbors on the color wheel, they naturally play well together. You can combine two of them or bring in several related colors, and it's pretty hard to go wrong.
This is one of my favorite tricks for someone who wants to wear more color but feels a little nervous about combining it. Just look for colors sitting beside each other on the wheel and give them a try.
Easy, pretty and no advanced art degree required.
3. Complementary Colors: Your Little Fashionista Secret
Okay, this is the fun one.
Complementary colors sit across from each other on the color wheel:
Blue and orange.
Purple and yellow.
Red and green.
And yes, I know what you're thinking.
Red and green? Am I dressing for Christmas?
Stay with me.
The magic isn't necessarily in wearing two complementary colors in equal amounts. It's often about using one as the main color and the other as an unexpected pop.
Imagine a mostly navy outfit with a fabulous orange or coral handbag.
A green dress with a pink shoe.
A plum sweater with a golden yellow scarf.
Suddenly an otherwise simple outfit looks much more intentional and inspired.
This is one of my favorite little fashion tricks because it can make you look like you really know what you're doing, even if you don't consider yourself a fashionista at all!
You don't have to know what's walking down the runway in Paris. You just need to know what's sitting across from your color on the wheel.
And we can just keep that little secret between us. 😉
4. Split Complementary: Or, "What on Earth Do I Wear With This Blouse?"
This one sounds much more complicated than it needs to be.
Technically, a split-complementary color combination starts with one color and then uses the two colors sitting on either side of its complement.
But I don't usually expect anyone to stand in front of her closet wearing three completely different solid colors just because a color wheel said they work together.
Where I find this idea much more useful is when you're working with something that already has several colors in it.
Let's say you have a beautiful patterned blouse with two or three colors. You love the blouse.
And then comes the question:
What pants do I wear with it? What color blazer? What shoes?
Instead of automatically reaching for black, beige or jeans, take a look at the colors already in the print and see where they fall on the color wheel. A complementary or split-complementary relationship can point you toward a color you might never have thought to try.
And suddenly that blouse you've always worn exactly one way has three new possibilities.
That's where understanding the color wheel becomes really useful. It isn't about memorizing color formulas. It's about giving yourself more ideas when you're standing in your closet thinking, What goes with this?
But What About Neutrals?
Please don't read this and think I'm suggesting that every outfit needs to contain three bright colors.
We're getting dressed, not trying to look like a box of crayons! 😂
Your neutrals are still incredibly useful. Navy, cream, camel, chocolate, gray, denim, white and black can all give an outfit a foundation.
Color theory simply gives you another way to decide what to add to that foundation.
Maybe it's jeans and a colorful blouse.
Maybe it's a neutral dress with a complementary handbag.
Maybe your whole outfit is tonal and the interest comes from texture instead of contrasting colors.
You get to decide how much color feels like you.
How to Combine Colors in Outfits Using Your Color Season
Here's the really fun part.
The color wheel can help you figure out which colors work together. Your color season helps you choose the versions of those colors that work beautifully on you.
So a complementary blue-and-orange combination doesn't have to look the same on everyone.
A Spring might wear turquoise with a warm, lively coral.
A Summer could interpret the same idea with a softer blue and muted rose-coral.
An Autumn might choose a rich teal with rust.
A Winter could turn up the contrast with a clear blue and vibrant red-orange.
Same basic idea. Completely different effect.
And this is one of the reasons knowing your colors can make getting dressed so much more fun. Instead of looking at an entire store full of colors and wondering where to begin, you have a palette that's already been narrowed down to colors that suit you. Now you can start playing with how you put them together.
Now Go Play With Your Closet
The next time you're putting an outfit together, try looking at color a little differently.
Go tone-on-tone and create something elegant. Grab two neighboring colors for an easy analogous combination. Add one little complementary pop and pretend you're a fashionista. Or take another look at that patterned blouse you always pair with the same thing and see what other possibilities the color wheel gives you.
You don't have to memorize any of this, and you definitely don't have to follow it every time you get dressed. It's simply another tool to help you have a little more fun with your wardrobe and find new ways to wear the colors you already love.
And if you're still not quite sure which colors belong in your closet in the first place, that's where I can help. During a Truly Hue Color Analysis, we'll find the colors that make you shine, and I'll show you how to start putting them together in ways that feel like you.
