Color blocking is a hot look for Spring and gathering inspiration from the school yard doesn’t refer to your latest Lego-project. Chic and modern with sleek lines and flattering cuts, today’s color block is bright and daring with loads of personality; check out these stylish Chictopians and their street style counterparts to find out what your favorite color block combinations say about you!
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• IN LIVING COLOR •
Color blocking is a trend that has been around for a while but this season, it’s truly in full force. The style is one of minimalism and slightly masculine inspired, so don’t go and grab your old Forever 21 color block tank top/waistband dresses just yet. Candy colored suits and maxi skirts are at the height of this look and saturation is turned all the way up.
Have you ever wondered why certain colors provoke images or ideas to us before we even process who the person is or what style they are wearing? Color has been proven to be the leading reason in why we purchase an item, so naturally we have a strong bond to the visual stimuli that is hue, saturation, value, and tint. Colors can evoke different emotions and here is a review on some basic colors and their common connotations, even if you probably already know them.
- Red: Passion, Aggression, Fire, Beauty, Leadership, Blood, Boldness, Sin, Sacrifice, Courage
- [ Red In Fashion: Valentino, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen ]
- Orange: Autumn, Fire, Endurance, Compassion, Optimism, Monks, Warmth, Fruit, Safety
- [ Orange In Fashion: Cacharel, Chris Benz, Hermes, Jonathan Saunders / Spring 2011 Trend ]
- Yellow: Sunshine, Happiness, Warning, Friendship, Electricity, Optimism, Imagination, Submarines
- [ YellowIn Fashion: Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney ]
- Green: Nature, Growth, Hope, Youth, Sickness, Spring, Money, Envy
- [ Green In Fashion: Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Alberta Ferretti ]
- Blue: Ice, Water, Sky, Sadness, Winter, Conservatism, Magic, Peace
- [ Blue In Fashion: Paul Smith, Diane Von Furstenberg, Versace / Spring 2011 Trend ]
- Purple: Royalty, Passion, Rage, Sophistication, Extreme, Trendy, Feminine
- [ Purple In Fashion: Marc Jacobs, Dior ]
- Pink: Femininity, Cute, Glamour, Shocking, Flowers, Happiness, Hallucination, Health
- [ Pink In Fashion: Betsey Johnson, Chanel / Spring 2011 Trend ]
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• PINK •
When browsing for color block inspiration, we noticed that Chictopians love their pink. The color is a great candidate for this trend, being both girly feminine and shockingly bright at the same time. Pink always stands out a unique color for fashion because most people tend to shy away from it, especially in more minimal chic and serious styles of today’s trend. Usually seen as a sign of weakness, the modern uses create a sense of empowerment. Perfect for a fresh take on minimalism, whether fuchsia or salmon, pink is the way to go this season.
For color blocking, pink goes well with just about anything. Here are combinations and the messages they evoke:
PINK + NUDES = Chic, stylish, and simple. Keeping the focus on one bold color and accenting it with a similar but paler cousin allows for a put together look that still retains some playfulness.
→ For inspiration see: Fricky‘s Ice Cream and TheVintageSociety‘s Luck Be A Lady
PINK + YELLOW + BLUE = Adventurous and fun. Not afraid to stand out in a crowd, pairing a bold color like pink with equally bright hues creates a joyful mood, and most definitely shows off your candy-sweet personality. It’s the neon take on primary colors.
→ For inspiration see: HailleDaily’s Color Block
PINK + RED = Daring and sweet. The dichotomy of innocence and fearlessness is one that has interested fashion lovers for ages and this color combination definitely plays on that idea. The colors are infamous for “not matching” but for fashion forward risk takers, it’s all the rage.
→ For inspiration see: LA_Blog‘s A La Marant and Our Look: Leaves & Flowerpot
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• PRIMARY •
The first colors we ever learn are the primary colors, so naturally we feel a child-like nostalgia when seeing this combination. Working in several different ways the colors red, yellow, and blue can be mixed and matched in ways that evoke completely different meanings. Overall, this color combination is great for the kid at heart Chictopian.
RED + YELLOW + BLUE = Wearing all three together can create balance and boldness in a look. This pairing shows off your youthful spirit and happy-go-lucky attitude.
→ For inspiration see: Knock’s Primary Girl
RED + YELLOW = Afraid of looking like Ronald McDonald? Don’t be, this color combination works amazingly well together, even if it does conjure up images of ketchup and fries. (But really, who doesn’t love that?) Wearing this combo shows off your playful risk-taking side, poking fun in a chic way at American icons.
→ For inspiration see: CoffeeandaCardigan’s Ketchup & Mustard
BLUE + RED = The most classic of any color combination, blue and red are a favorite among many fashion-lovers. Reminiscent of many national flags, the look evokes your loyal, proud, and classic personality.
→ For inspiration see: BoopIt‘s Color Block
YELLOW + BLUE = This look reminds us of school spirit, but that’s because our school’s colors are blue and gold, haha. To most others, especially when looking at Lydia’s fantastic ensemble, it evokes an image of a very chic little Parisian girl, Madeline. Blue and yellow show off your playful and fun side, while giving a taste of your ultra classy edge.
→ For inspiration see: Lydia’s It’s Daffodil Season
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• CONTRAST •
Color theory time! Complementary colors are ones that are opposite to each other on the color wheel (the basic ones are Red/Green, Blue/Orange, and Yellow/Violet). These colors pop out against each other and pairing opposites makes your look stand out in a crowd. When putting together opposites both ways rule: matching saturation or going with a darker + brighter look.
ORANGE + BLUE = This color combination is extremely modern and feels so right for right now. It evokes a feeling of joy and adventure. Blue, which is a calming cool color, and orange, a warm exciting color, work against each other to balance a look. This color combination means you are free and fun loving.
→ For inspiration see: StylePantry’s Max’d Out
MAGENTA + GREEN = Pinkish colors are opposite to greens. This color combination evokes a calming and feminine feeling. It’s the colors of a fairytale. Both leaning more on the cooler side create a contrast in color but a unison in feeling. You’re harmonious and bold in this complementary color duo.
→ For inspiration see: Sissy’s Just Trying
PURPLE + YELLOW + BLUE = This combination is complementary in two ways. While blue and yellow aren’t complementary, yellow is close enough to orange to warrant a complementary look. The true contrast lies in the purple and yellow, a true complementary combination. This look is super bright and pairs well with neutrals (like black or white for even more contrast). It’s a bit cartoon-y which shows off your ability to have humor in fashion.
→ For inspiration see: FashionSweet’s Color Block and InKARLcerating’s Addicted To Looklet
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• ALIKE •
Don‘t you love color theory? Well, this trend does, and this use of the color wheel is probably our favorite way to go. Pairing like colors (like blues with greens, yellows and oranges, or pinks with reds) creates odd color combinations that seem entirely fresh. This way of color blocking takes the look to a whole ’nother level in style.
PURPLE + PINK + RED = Tonal qualities to an outfit add depth and interest. This combination pairs all of the girly colors you could think of and makes them modern and sophisticated. This look shows off your love for fashion while playing with a girly femininity that no other combination could pull off. It’s evocative of royalty and sophistication. Red and purple aren’t just for the over-50 crowd anymore!
→ For inspiration see: StyleCurrant’s Berry Crush
BLACK + BLUE = While black is technically out of place in this post, we loved this color block look too much to let it slide. Reminiscent of Michael Kors’ Pre-Fall 2011 collection, this mixture of graphic black with bold cobalt blue hits all the right notes.
→ For inspiration see: KellyShoestrings’ Colorblock Fembot
YELLOW + GREEN = How could you not love this color combination when it brings up thoughts of lemon lime soda? This look shows off a freshness that other looks can’t beat. Yellow and green show off a calm and collected feel, people will know that you’re always put together.
→ For inspiration see: Miss_B’s Quick One and Our Look: St. Patrick’s & Shamrocks
ORANGE + PINK = Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed. Legally Blonde references aside, pink and orange can definitely coexist in candy-coated heaven! This look brings to mind the Prada SS11 collection and it’s pop-arty look. This look says the wearer is cute, fun, and artsy.
→ For inspiration see: Anna Dello Russo, ChicFaced’s Yellow Wall and Our Look: Raf Brights
YELLOW + ORANGE = On the cover of this article, we‘ve featured the sunshiny colors of yellow and orange. Eternal warmth and freedom are two thoughts that come to mind when thinking about this color combination. Warm, friendly, and exciting is the wearer of this color combination.
→ For inspiration see: AtlanticPacific‘s Tonal Volume
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MORE COLOR BLOCK INSPIRATION
- Chictopia’s Color Block Trend Gallery
- Zara April 2011 Lookbook
- Prada Spring/Summer 2011 Collection
- Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2011 Collection
- Vogue Germany Editorial: Color Up! by Sebastian Kim
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Everybody Is Ugly By Iris & Daniel
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