Choosing colours that work together

Outfits look put together when the colours have a plan. You do not need a trained eye, only a simple structure.

Start with neutrals

Black, white, ivory, beige, grey, navy and olive go with almost everything. Pick two or three as the base of your wardrobe and buy your trousers, skirts and layers in them.

Add one accent

Choose one stronger colour per outfit, such as rust, deep green or maroon, and let it appear once: a top, a scarf or a bag. One accent reads as a choice; three read as noise.

Tone on tone

Wearing lighter and darker shades of one colour, such as sand with camel, looks calm and expensive and is very hard to get wrong.

Prints

Treat a print as your accent. Pull one colour out of the print and repeat it in a plain piece.

Check in daylight

Colours change under indoor lighting and on screens. Look at a new combination near a window before deciding.

If you are unsure, take a photo of the outfit. It shows what the mirror hides.