Combining clothing colours is easier when you start with one piece: trousers you wear often, a favourite top or a printed dress. You do not need to memorise a colour wheel. Look at the shades together, decide what you enjoy and try the outfit with the shoes you plan to wear.
1. Start with two colours
For your first combination, choose two main colours. A white top and grey trousers create a quiet starting point; navy and beige offer another option. Black and white give a stronger contrast. These are ideas to try, rather than rules about what your body shape or complexion should wear.
The white CADRE square-neck bodysuit, shown with grey trousers, illustrates the first combination. Look through your own wardrobe next. Your shoes and bag can repeat one of the two colours without matching it exactly.
2. Try different shades of one colour
A tonal outfit brings together shades from the same colour family, such as pale grey and charcoal. To keep the individual pieces visible, vary the textures or shapes. Try a matte surface beside a satin finish, or a fitted top with a loose bottom.
Place the clothes side by side in natural light. Two pieces labelled beige may have different undertones: one can lean pink while the other looks more yellow. Colour names and screen images cannot tell you exactly how the pieces will look together.
3. Add a smaller accent
If you want to try a brighter colour, start with an accessory or a top and a bottom you already wear. Burgundy with grey, blue with brown, and green with ivory are three combinations to explore.
Notice how much space each colour occupies. A colourful jacket changes the overall look more than a small bag. Try several combinations in the mirror using your own clothes before deciding that you need something new.
4. Pick a colour from a print
With printed trousers or a skirt, choose a plain top in one of the colours already present in the pattern. A black and beige print can work with either shade. If you would like a third colour, keep the accessories simple while you decide what you prefer.
Browse tops and bodysuits and skirts and trousers by first considering the colours you want to combine, then the shapes.
5. Check the complete outfit
Try everything with the shoes, bag and outer layer you actually plan to use. Look at the outfit in daylight. The most useful combination is one you enjoy wearing, not one that follows a formula perfectly.
Keep a picture of the outfits you like so you can find them again on busy mornings. To build several outfits around a small palette, continue with our guide to creating a capsule wardrobe.