To Block or Not To Block?

Ever brought a garment that is beautiful but just doesn't go with anything? I know the feeling! You guys have seen my blue shoes (in the previous article, and below) ...  when I brought them, I had absolutely NO idea what to wear with them - I don't have any tops with that colour! However, that problem was solved when I came across colour blocking! Black, blue, pink, purple - random combination? Not when you're colour blocking! Some people think that colour blocking is too 1960's and that some colours just don't go no matter how much you try and enforce it! To an extent I agree which is why I'm going to tell you exactly how to colour block correctly ...

... I first saw the idea when I went shopping and a lady was wearing a pink jacket with bright blue shoes, black skinny jeans and a black top. Even though she looked a bit glamorous, I knew that adapting that idea was the way to approach bright colours! The key to colour blocking is letting this garment make the statement! In other words, work around that colour and plan an outfit where the bright garment will be the first thing people see! For example:

I went to a party the other day and I really wanted to wear my blue heels! So I done just that; I colour blocked! To do this, it's better to have an accessory which is the same colour as the garment. So as you can see, I brought a clutch bag (Newlook, £14) which is the same colour as my shoes. This breaks the colour and helps the outfit to blend in and not look as sharp!

Next, you have to think of a colour which goes with your accessories - the easiest is black. Black goes with everything, however you could face the problem of looking too dull. Anyway, with my shoes and bag I decided to wear black. I wore leggings and a black blouse with a lace panel at the top (Primark, £14). 

To top it off, I wore a magenta colour blazer (Newlook, £5 in sale) which was a risky decision as it might've looked a bit in-your-face, however in this case it made the outfit look complete! This blazer worked really well with the shoes - that was surprising!

Colour blocking is all about experimenting! I didn't think the blazer, the shoes and the clutch would've ever matched however given that the rest of the outfit was quite dull, it looked perfect.  Bright colours do go together, however it's SO important to make sure the outfit doesn't look OTT (over the top).

People loved my outfit so much that at the party, three people asked me how I came about with the colour combination! It really looks harder than it is.  You could also colour block with jeans - colourful jeans (red, burgundy, bright blue, green).
They have recently come into fashion so you have an easy opportunity to look fabulous and get out the clothes that sit in your cupboard and never get worn!

It's all about having a fashionable eye. If you're wearing bright yellow and bright pink I don't think that would go because they're TOTAL opposites however purple and blue aren't too far from eachother on a colour scale. If you need any help with colour blocking, email or comment on this article and I'll be sure to get back to you! Show some originality and come up with your own combinations! I've never seen anyone wear what I wore, but being original is what seperates you from everyone else ... Have fun colour blocking fashionistas!! x