Picture this: You open your closet, and while there’s no shortage of options, nothing seems to match.  You need a color expert to help you create a perfectly coordinated outfit, but you’re not looking to call in a professional. You want to be able to do this yourself. Enter the color wheel for clothes for best color combinations. This handy tool can help you mix and match your wardrobe effortlessly to create outfits that reflect your style. In this article, we’ll teach you how to use the color wheel for clothes to develop a perfectly coordinated wardrobe that excites you to get dressed in the morning.

WhatColors's AI personal color analysis app simplifies creating coordinated outfits with color. It helps you create personalized results that suit your unique style preferences. Let's explore how this innovative tool works. 

Table of Contents

• What is Color Theory?

• Color Theory and the Color Wheel

• How to Use the Color Wheel for Clothes

• How to Choose a Color Palette for Your Capsule Wardrobe

• 20 of the Best Color Combinations for Clothes to Try Right Now

• Try AI Personal Color Analysis For Free Today
  
  

What is Color Theory?

Color theory explains how colors interact with each other and how they can be used to elicit emotions and feelings. Designers use color theory to create unique palettes for their collections, which can evoke specific moods in the viewer. Several color theory models exist, but the color wheel is most commonly used in fashion design. The color wheel is a circle divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. 

Primary colors are:

• Red

• Blue

• Yellow
  
  

Secondary colors are:

• Orange

• Green

• Purple
  
  

Tertiary colors are created by mixing primary with secondary colors. By understanding the relationships between colors on the color wheel, designers can use color combinations to create a specific mood or feeling in their collections.

The Use of Color in Fashion History

Throughout history, color has been used in fashion in various ways. In the 1920s, for example, the Art Deco movement greatly influenced fashion, and the so-called flapper girls of that era wore rich colors and beads. In the 1960s, Yves Saint Laurent heralded the birth of bold, solid colors, which were considered revolutionary at the time.

In the 1980s, neon colors were popular in fashion, and in the 1990s, minimalism and neutral colors were en vogue. Each decade has its unique use of color, and understanding these historical uses can help designers create modern and timeless collections.

The Use of Color in Contemporary Fashion

Fashion is not afraid to play around with color, and it is used in increasingly interesting ways in various fashion houses and styles. Some designers use bold and bright colors to make a daring fashion statement, while others use soft, neutral colors to create a more understated, gentle look. 

An increasingly popular use of color is color blocking, where a single color or shades of one color are used in one outfit, creating a striking visual impact. One fashion trend that is resurfacing on catwalks and high streets is the use of pastels. These soft, muted shades create a feminine and delicate look. Designers like J.W. Anderson and Victoria Beckham have been incorporating pastel shades into their collections to great effect. Manufacturers and designers are also beginning to produce colors using more sustainable methods. 

Adoption of Sustainable Dyeing Practices in the Fashion Industry

Fashion brands are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of their production processes and are beginning to incorporate sustainable dye methods and natural dyes. This reduces the negative environmental impact of the fashion industry and creates unique and interesting color palettes. 

For example, natural dyes like indigo, madder, and cochineal can create beautiful and unique shades of blue, red, and pink. These natural dyes are environmentally friendly and have a long history in textile dyeing. Sustainable color practices such as:

• Low-impact dyes

• Upcycling

• Recycling contributes
  
  

The fashion industry needs to change its approach to environmental and waste issues, not to mention unique and interesting color palettes.

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• Color Wheel for Clothes

Color Theory and the Color Wheel

Color theory is a practical combination of art and science to determine what colors look good together. A color wheel is a systematic arrangement of 12 colors that helps understand color variants, their mixing, and harmony. 

Isaac Newton invented the color wheel in 1666, mapping the color spectrum onto a circle. The color wheel is the basis of color theory, showing the relationship between colors. 

Color Combinations: What are They and Why Do They Matter?

Colors that look good together are called color harmony. Artists and designers use these to create a particular look or feel. 

You can use a color wheel to find color harmonies by using the rules of color combinations. Color combinations determine the relative positions of different colors to find colors that create a pleasing effect.

The Two Types of Color Wheels

There are two types of color wheel. The RYB, or red, yellow, and blue color wheel, is typically used by artists to help them combine paint colors. The RGB, or red, green, and blue color wheel, is designed for online use and refers to mixing light, like on a computer or TV screen. 

The Basics of Color Combinations

Two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel provide a high contrast and high impact color combination; together, these colors will appear brighter and more prominent.

Complementary colors

Three shades, tones, and tints of one base color provide a subtle and conservative color combination. This versatile color combination is easy to apply to design projects for a harmonious look.

Monochromatic colors

Three colors are side by side on the color wheel. This color combination is versatile but can be overwhelming. Choose one dominant color and use the others as accents to balance an analogous color scheme.

Analogous colors

Three evenly spaced colors on the color wheel provide a high-contrast color scheme but less so than the complementary color combination, making it more versatile. This combination creates bold, vibrant color palettes.

Triadic colors

Four colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. Tetradic color schemes are bold and work best if you let one color be dominant and use the others as accents. The more colors you have in your palette, the more difficult it is to balance,

Breaking Down the Color Wheel: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Colors

There are 12 main colors on the color wheel. In the RGB color wheel, these hues are:

• Red

• Orange

• Yellow

• Chartreuse green

• Green

• Spring green

• Cyan

• Azure

• Blue

• Violet

• Magenta

• Rose
  
  

The color wheel can be divided into primary, secondary and tertiary colors.

Primary Colors

Primary colors in the RGB color wheel are the colors that, added together, create pure white light. These colors are red, green and blue. RYB color wheel: primary colors can’t be mixed with other colors. 

There are three primary colors:

• Red

• Yellow

• Blue
  
  

Secondary Colors

Secondary colors are colors that result from mixing two primary colors. There are three secondary colors. In the RGB color wheel, these are cyan, magenta and yellow. When you mix light, red and green make yellow, green and blue make cyan, and blue and red make magenta. In the RYB color wheel, the secondary colors are:

• Purple (red mixed with blue)

• Orange (red mixed with yellow)

• Green (yellow mixed with blue)
  
  

Tertiary Colors

Tertiary colors are colors made by combining a secondary color with a primary color. There are six tertiary colors. In the RGB color wheel are orange, chartreuse green, spring green, azure, violet and rose. The tertiary colors in the RYB color wheel are:

• Red-orange

• Yellow-orange

• Yellow-green

• Blue-green

• Blue-violet

• Red-violet
  
  

Warm and Cool Colors: How Color Temperature Affects Color Combinations

The color wheel can also be divided into warm and cool colors. A color's warmth or coolness is also known as its color temperature. Color combinations found on a color wheel often balance warm and cool colors.

According to color psychology, different color temperatures evoke different feelings. Warm colors are said to bring to mind coziness and energy, while cool colors are associated with serenity and isolation.

• Warm colors: The colors are from red through to yellow. These colors are said to bring to mind warmth, like the sun.

• Cool colors: The colors from blue to green and purple are said to bring to mind coolness, like water.
  
  

Shades, Tints and Tones: The Color Wheel's Underlying Color Structure

You can create shades, tints and tones of a color by adding black, grey and white to a base hue.

Shade

A shade is created by adding black to a base hue, darkening the color. This creates a deeper, richer color. Shades can be quite dramatic and can be overpowering.

Tint

A tint is created by adding white to a base hue, lightening the color. This can make a color less intense and is useful when balancing more vivid color combinations.

Tones

A tone is created by combining black and white or grey with a base hue. Like tints, tones are subtler versions of the original color. They are less likely to look pastel and can reveal complexities not apparent in the base color.

Hue, Saturation and Luminance: What They Mean and How to Use Them

A hue is any color on the color wheel. Using a color wheel or a color picker, you can adjust the saturation and luminance of a hue. Saturation is the intensity or purity of the color. We've established that tints, shades, and tones are less intense than their respective color hues. 

Hues are considered the "true colors" on the color wheel, and black, white, and gray are not on the wheel. They must be added separately to create:

• Tints

• Shades

• Tones
  
  

This level of intensity is called a color's saturation. A color is desaturated if it appears dull and grayed out, and more saturated if it seems brighter. Luminance is the amount of brightness or light in a color.

Palette Creations: Getting Started With Color Combinations

Let's showcase how we utilize this tool to create color combinations that work well together. We must introduce a few more terms related to the wheel itself to do this.

Monochromatic Palette

This straightforward palette option takes a single color from the wheel and applies tints, shades, and tones to create different possibilities. Selecting only Orange from the color wheel.

Complementary Palette

Complementary colors are located directly across from one another on the color wheel and have the most contrast because of their distance from each other. These colors look great when paired together and work well to provide balance when putting together different outfits. Blue and Orange is a classic pairing.

Split-complementary Palette

Similar to complementary colors, this palette starts with a single color from the wheel and its two direct correlative colors of that single color's complement. For example, red-orange and yellow-orange are the split complementaries of the primary color blue (see below).

Vermillion (Red-Orange) and Amber (Yellow-Orange) are the Split-Complementary to Blue.
Split-complementary colors allow for the same contrast level as complementary colors but provide more variety.

Fun fact: To create varying tones of brown, we would need to mix two or three split-complementary colors.

Analogous Palette

One of the most attractive palettes is the analogous color combination, which consists of two to four adjacent colors on the color wheel. Blue and Green are your personal favorites. 

Discover Your Perfect Colors with WhatColors

WhatColors helps you find what colors to wear based on your skin tone. Finally, our patented color match technology lets you get your season based on your skin tone. Get the perfect colors based on your season. Avoid colors that are a definite no. Based on your skin, eye, and hair color, find the perfect nail colors with our WhatColors nail color generator. 

Get your color analysis done within 60 seconds with WhatColors’ AI personal color analysis app. Download our app for free today on the App Store or Google Play store.

How to Use the Color Wheel for Clothes

It helps to remember the color wheel when picking colors for an outfit. The color wheel is a visual representation of colors and how they relate. Color theory tells us that colors work well together when they have harmonious relationships on the color wheel. For example, complementary colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. When paired together, they create high contrast and bold looks.

On the other hand, analogous colors are located next to each other on the color wheel. When combined, they create more subtle and monochromatic looks. Learning how to use the color wheel can help you break out of your outfit rut and create exciting new looks with the clothing you already own.

Keep It in the Family 

One fundamental principle for matching your clothes, or anything, is combining colors that work in harmony. And that’s what we must remember while designing or putting our outfits together. Keeping it in the family is a mantra you need to remember. The safest way to do this is by blending shades of the same color. 

This type of chromatic dressing will inevitably become monotonous and boring very soon. Remember how we discussed complementary colors? (Red and green, violet and yellow, blue and orange.) Play around with a combination of these colors; they will look great when combined. 

The Ombre Test 

Ombre is taking over everything from hairstyles and cakes to nail art, decor, and, to remember, outfits. Party-wear outfits, bridesmaid dresses, or simple jeans and tops in ombre can turn heads. Diminishing shades of the same color in ascending or descending order works great. 

If you are sporting separates, you must bring them together with the top, bottom, shoes, and accessories in sync. Wear ombre outfits for your Christmas or winter parties; they match the theme and weather. 

Monochrome Looks 

It seems like a no-brainer because it’s just one color in the same shade for the outfit. However, this color coordination is the hardest to pull off for obvious reasons. The good news is that monochromatic looks have caught up and are no longer considered weird. Start with comfortable and neutral colors like:

• Grays

• Blues

• Whites

• Blacks
  
  

Then progress to pastel undertones. Monochrome looks can be customized depending on the season or occasion. If it’s a formal setting, stick to neutrals, blues, or whites; otherwise, explore pastels, yellows, or even brighter shades. 

Split Complement Colors 

Split complement colors are also pleasing to the eye. To find the split complement colors on the fashion color wheel, start with a color, then find the two colors next to its complementary color (the color on the opposite side of the wheel). Surprisingly, these colors often provide a pleasing balance of color. 

For example, using the wheel below, we can see that green is the complementary color for red. The two adjacent colors, yellow/green and blue/green, also work well in a predominantly red outfit. As you can see in the dress below, the colors indeed work well together. 

One Thing at a Time 

Let the print take over if it’s a printed or patterned outfit. Prints and patterns usually combine one or more colors, so you must leave it at that. Keep the accessories in the neighborhood; more colors only make it clumsier and unruly. 

The Balancing Act 

Another trick of the trade is to balance out any colors you choose to mix carefully. Anything done proportionately is a foolproof way of coordinating your outfit. Like they say, too much of anything is good for nothing. 

An enthusiastic fashion blogger known for her insights into clothing and style, she expresses her admiration for different colors, styles, and prints. When talking about color combinations, she says. “I love the way the two dark colors come together and give me one long line. And I love the warm richness of this combination. Brown and black are both classic neutrals which means that they go with everything, including each other (i).” 

Match It with Your Skin Tone 

Just like some colors work better together than others, some colors work better with certain skin tones. But remember, there’s no rule to fashion. And if you find that your favorite color isn’t doing you justice, you could still use it as an accent. 

Determining Your Skin Undertone 

You must know your skin's undertone to match your clothes to your complexion. Skin undertones can be categorized into warm, cool, and neutral tones. This isn’t necessarily linked to how dark or light your skin is but rather what colors come through your skin from underneath the surface. 

Warm Tones vs Cool Tones 

Your skin tone is warm if you have greenish, yellowish, or golden undertones. People with warm skin tones typically have brown, amber, or hazel eyes. And their hair is likely to have hints of red, copper, or gold tones. If you have bluish undertones, your skin tone is cool. 

This group ranges from fair to dark and can be recognized by ash undertones in varied hair colors. There is also a chance that you simply cannot determine whether you have a warm or cool skin tone, in which case you are neutral. 

Use the Paper Test 

Besides analyzing your hair and eye color, the paper test is a simple way to determine your skin tone. Make sure your face is void of makeup and creams. If you’ve just washed it, wait for any redness or irritation to subside. Once your face is au naturel and ready to go, grab a white piece of paper and step into a space with natural lighting. 

Hold the piece of paper next to your face and examine the contrast. Your skin tone is warm if it appears greenish, golden, or yellow. You can count yourself amongst the cool kids if it leans towards blue, pink, or rosy. And if you’re picking up grey or ashen undertones, you’re joining the neutrals club. 

Examine Your Veins 

The paper test can be ineffective with acne-prone skin or hot flushes. In this case, we recommend looking at your veins to determine your skin tone. Green veins are usually a sign of warm undertones, while blue veins are a sign of cool undertones. If you can’t decide, your skin tone is probably neutral. 

Think About How Your Skin Reacts to the Sun 

To many of us, our skin tone is unmistakable. Just think of how you react to the sun. If you tan easily, you have a warm skin tone. And if you burn easily, you likely have a cool skin tone. Somewhere in between? Yep, you guessed it, you’re neutral. 

Err on the Neutral Side 

Some people prefer muted and subdued colors, opting for neutral shades. This is a great color combination for a dress, especially for formal occasions. If this is you and you do not want to change drastically, go with one cool or warm color and leave everything else neutral.

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How to Choose a Color Palette for Your Capsule Wardrobe

The first step to building a color palette for a capsule wardrobe is identifying your style or preferences. This means becoming aware of which colors you naturally gravitate towards and which ones you want to include in your style concept. 

This step is entirely personal. You may even want to start by researching or creating a mood board to help you pinpoint your preferences. Once you have a color list that expresses your style, it’s time to get practical and decide how to use these colors in your wardrobe.  

Is Your Color Palette Wearable?  

The number one thing you want to avoid is choosing a color palette that’s nice to look at but not wearable. I may love all shades of orange and yellow, but except for a few brighter accent shades here and there, I prefer a neutral color palette for my outfits. 

Ask yourself for each color in your palette: Do I want to wear this shade, and in what doses? An easy test for this is to imagine the types of items that could potentially be a part of your capsule wardrobe should you implement the color palette in question:  

Main Colors  

Your primary colors should be ones that you can see yourself wearing a lot, and they would work exceptionally well for your key pieces, such as:

• Jackets

• Shoes

• Trousers

• Coats  
  
  

Neutrals  

Pick neutral colors that suit your basics, like:

• Simple tops

• Trousers

• Cardigans, etc.
  
  

Black, white, cream, tan, and all shades of brown and grey are obvious choices, although any other shade that creates a neutral canvas is also good, like a muted light blue for example.  

Accent Colors  

Accent colors should work for accessories and single items, like tops or skirts, that you would pair with your key pieces or basics.  

Are the Colors in Your Color Palette Mixable?  

If your goal is to build a compact versatile capsule wardrobe, the individual colors in your palette should be as mixable as possible, to maximize the number of outfits you can build. The best way to check whether your palette is mixable is to do a little thought experiment and consider a few possible color pairings. Your color palette should fulfill these criteria:  

Neutrals  

You want your neutrals to be able to act as a blank canvas for the rest of your colors, so each of your two neutrals should go with every other shade of your palette.  

Accent Shades  

Each accent color should work with each neutral and at least two of your main colors. Bonus points if they go with each other as well. 
 

Main Colors  

Each main color should work with each neutral, each other main color, and at least two accent shades. If your color palette ticks all of these boxes and instantly makes you think of lots of different outfits or color pairings you could wear, you’re on the right track!  

Is Your Color Palette Varied Enough? 

A closely defined color palette means being free of the same look daily. A well-chosen color palette should give you plenty of variety yet still express the overall theme you are going for. The meaning of variety will differ from person to person. If you know you want lots of options, make sure you choose a range of different (ideally complementary) hues for your accent colors, as well as a mix of light, medium and deep shades for extra contrast. 

If you prefer a less varied palette, try including a few colors that share roughly the same hue but differ in brightness or saturation, e.g., a deep purple and a mid-tone purple. Regardless of which colors you choose, always double-check that your palette is cohesive overall to simplify mixing and matching.

20 of the Best Color Combinations for Clothes to Try Right Now

1. Pink and Green

Green and pink are classic combinations. The green offers an earthy tone that perfectly balances the pink, which gives floral hints. Wear a pink top with green bottoms to look like a rose. 

2. Green and Blue

The two darker tones go well together because blue is one of the primary colors used to make green (the other is yellow). Pair it with a white shoe to add a lighter tone.

3. Pink and Red

Pink and red isn't a color combination only for Valentine's Day. A red crocheted sweater is fashionable over a pair of pink metallic pants.

4. Yellow and Pink

Wearing the primary color yellow with a softer color like pink is also a great way to color block. You can incorporate prints to give the outfit more dimension.

5. Green and Purple

We must admit we're surprised by how well this color combination works. However, we love that the green skirt supports the blue and purple in this outfit's top.

6. Purple and Orange

Purple is also a great complement to a bright orange. The outfit photographed above pairs a purple turtleneck with an orange leather coat, which plays with colors and with textures.

7. Green and Yellow

In addition to playing with color blocking, this outfit also layers beautifully. The long, canary yellow blazer covers the hips of the ruffled green skirt, elongating the upper body and brightening up the outfit at once.

8. Pink and Blue

Pink and blue go together: cotton candy, a beautiful sunset, and nurseries. Why couldn't this also be applied to clothes? We're fans of how this look blends the femenine and the masculine.

9. Blue and Orange

Color blocking isn't limited to wearing a top in one color and bottoms in another. As this model illustrates, you can also color block by accessorizing your top. The orange vest brings warmth to the cool tones of the blue.

10. Orange and Yellow

For an outfit that makes you look like a flame personified, consider pairing orange with yellow. The model wears an orange top with a yellow skirt, but you could also do the reverse.

11. Orange and Green

If you want to look more like an orange tree than a flame, then combine orange with green. The warmth from the orange will be countered by the more muted green and it'll give you a down-to-earth vibe.

12. Purple and Pink

If you want to look like a vision from Barbie, your best bet is to pair pink and purple together. You might do that by wearing a pink skirt with a purple top. Or, as the model does here, covering up a pink dress with a purple button-up top.

13. Yellow and Blue

Like orange and green, blue and yellow go very well together because one is bright and the other balances out that brightness. We suggest pairing yellow pants with blue shoes and a blue jacket, lest the yellow gets drowned out.

14. Blue and Red

Since red is also a warm color, blue is good to pair with it for a color-block look. While you could pair a navy with red, brighter blues work better for this technique.

15. Red and Green

On the color wheel, red and green sit directly across each other, making them opposite. Opposite colors work really well when color blocking because they make a cohesive look.

16. Red and Yellow

Two primary colors, like yellow and red, tend to go together. This outfit pairs a bright red dress with pastel yellow pants. We recommend this approach when combining these colors. Otherwise, it can look a little like a fast food chain.

17. Pink and Orange

Two bright colors also go well together and help call attention to your 'fit. While the model in this photo is wearing a hot pink hoodie with peach orange pants, you could also wear a skirt and top as well as a dress with a blazer or coat on top.

18. Red and Orange

Velma from Scooby-Doo was on to something when she paired an orange turtle neck with a red skirt. These two colors are great for each other since they are both on the warmer side of the spectrum.

19. Purple and Yellow

The model wears a light purple coat over a darker purple dress with yellow boots. You might also consider making the dress yellow and the boots purple. There is truly no shortage of ways to combine purple with yellow.

20. Red and Purple

Red with purple gives retro vibes and we're fully here for it. A red and purple jacket, like the one shown here, is fabulous, but you can also wear this color combo in patterned pants or in a maxi dress.

Try AI Personal Color Analysis For Free Today

Nail colors are a fun way to express your personality and style. You can change them with the seasons, customize them for special occasions, and even match them to your outfits. That’s why picking the perfect colors that suit you is so important. 
WhatColors helps you find what colors to wear based on your skin tone. Finally, get your season based on our skin tone, thanks to our patented color match technology. Get the perfect colors based on your season. Avoid colors that are a definite no. Based on your skin, eye, and hair color, find the ideal nail color with our WhatColors nail color generator. 

Get your color analysis done within 60 seconds with WhatColors’ AI personal color analysis app. Download our app for free today on the App Store or Google Play store.

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