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  • Writer's pictureEleganceredefinedbysejal

Colours: The least understood element of clothing...

Updated: Jun 12, 2020


What is it that we need to understand about Colour...


Colour is the most creative, complex and confusing element of design and the least invested in time by people.

•Colour has the power to evoke every type of feeling-

from femininity and masculinity, to emotions and cravings.

• A Canadian study found 90 percent of consumers’ first impressions are based on colour alone.

•And in a Business Insider compilation of several studies, the research found that the colour of your clothes are completely capable of communicating your status and level of intelligence to others.

• These kinds of dressing decisions don’t only influence what others think of you, but they influence what you think of yourself.

•Every colour also gives out a different message.

Colour plays a major role in creating illusions for looking slimmer and in enhancing and receding of body areas as per our likes and dislikes.


Before we begin,

let us understand what is a HUE.


•It is the dominant colour family of a specific colour.

•The hue is a base in all colours except pure colours of red, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple.

•Black, white and grey cannot be a hue

•Eg. In burgundy colour , red is the hue.

•Eg. when warm colour like yellow is mixed with a with a green, it forms a lime colour. you can say that lime has a yellow hue with a green colour .

• Hue can be warm or cool.

The 3 primary, 3 secondary and 6 tertiary colours forms the base of all hues.


Types of Hues


Primary : Red- Blue- Yellow

Complementary : mixing of 2 pure colours equally :Violet-Green-Orange


Tertiary : colours made by mixing one primary and one complementary colour equally:


Red-Orange

Red-violet

Yellow-Orange

Yellow-green

Blue-Green

Blue-violet


Brewster’s colour wheel helps us to identify the various colours made by mixing the colours in various proportions


Colours : Tints -Tones -Shades


Three TRUE/ PURE colours (Primary)

•RED

•BLUE

•YELLOW

They cannot be obtained by mixing any other hues.

All other colours/hues are made with the mixture of these 3 pure colours.


Tints: Adding white to hue.

They are light and high value.


Shade: Adding black to hue.

They are deep and low value.

Tones: Adding grey (Black +white) to hue.


Pure: It is colour that has no addition of any other colour. It is also called clear colour.


What are Neutrals?



1. Black, white, and grey in their true form are neutrals.They do not have any hue or colour .They are also called achromatic colours and are purest of the neutrals.

2. There are some colours that are /are not part of the colour wheel that are also classified as neutrals. These are dull and muted colours which are the basics for dressing.

3.The neutrals can be classified as warm neutral or a cool neutral. It depends on the proportion of warm or cool colour/hue added to it.

Eg. Tan, Charcoal grey, brown, Olive green, khakhi , ivory are neutrals.









COOL NEUTRALS












WARM NEUTRALS








To understand and apply the rules of colours in your appearance and attire, do read about Value and Intensity- the other two dimensions of Colour.


  • Images taken here are for reference purpose only.

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