The Color Wheel: How to Combine Colors from your Wardrobe

Ever wonder how some of your favorite fashionistas put colors together to create eye-catching and fabulously colorful outfits? Well so does Fashpa Yomi who wrote in asking, “As a recessionista engineer, I cannot afford to buy a new wardrobe for the spring/summer. I have great pieces in my wardrobe already so I want to know how to make the most of my wardrobe by playing around with different color combinations. My mom gave me a color wheel as a gift. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get it right…

 

 

“…Can you please provide tips on how to combine colors for clothes? I saw the awesome post about color combos for makeup featuring Nicki Minaj. I would love to do the same with clothes. For instance, in a recent post Elise Neal wore a fuchsia dress and carried a blue clutch. The fuchsia and blue colors look great together! I would never know to do that. Also, are there certain rules for accessories?

Hey Yomi!

The color wheel is an excellent wardrobe tool! Figuring it out isn’t too complicated. Here’s a quick breakdown:

You can make the following combos using the color wheel as your guide:

1. Colors directly next to each other (i.e. yellow and yellow-orange; yellow and yellow-green; violet and blue-violet, etc.)
2. Colors that form right (90 degree) angles with each other (i.e. yellow and red-orange; blue and violet-red; green and orange, etc.)
3. Colors directly across from each other (i.e. yellow and violet; blue and orange; red and green, etc.)
4. Colors that form a T (i.e. blue, orange, and violet-red; yellow, violet, and red-orange; yellow, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)
5. Colors that form an X (i.e. blue, orange, violet-red, and yellow, violet, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)

Since brown is a neutral, it will go with virtually any color on the color wheel. I love to pair a chocolate brown with cobalt blue or fuchsia or bright red—such a fun and bold combo. Of course white, black, and the hues of blue found in denim are also neutrals that go with just about anything.

Colors that are a part of a “color family” also apply. So for instance, you can substitute pink with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel (i.e. we see that blue and red form a right angle with each other–then in Elise Neal’s outfit she wore fuchsia and cobalt blue). Get it? Good.

As for accessories, I’m definitely not a fan of colored jewelry or belts, but go crazy with colored hats, bags, shoes, or scarves. When choosing jewelry, pair gold (or gold-toned) jewelry with your warm colored outfits. Warm colors have a yellow, gold, or orange undertone to them. Wear silver (or silver-toned) jewelry with your cool colored outfits. Cool colors have a blue, pink, or red undertone to them. Since colors are broken down by hue, temperature, intensity, and tone any single hue can be either warm or cool. Just look at the undertones.

You can also use the color wheel when coming up with color combinations for your makeup. It can help you decide which makeup color to wear so that you don’t match your eyeshadow with your outfit. Check out how Rihanna paired gorgeous purple eyeshadow with her red frock:

Bibire Collections

The summer 2013 collection for Bibire Designs is themed “Faconner Collection” which means shapes in French. This was birthed by the creative designer (Busayo Salahdeen) ‘s love for shapes and everything else architectural built from it. Shapes like triangles, squares, straight parallel lines, zigzag were used to interpret the collection with a subtle use of different fabric designs like leopards, prints, monochromes and bubbly colors such as citrus yellow. All these factors speak of the Bibire woman who wants to remain youthful yet elegant, noticed yet comfortable, trendy yet functional.

Hesey’s Ankara Collection

From Bags to shoes to jewelries, African inspired accessories have been around for a while now and they are definitely taking over the fashion space. These items when paired with the right outfit, add a ‘WOW’ to your look; thus making you stand out. In celebrating its one year anniversary, Hesey Designs, an emerging fashion brand that blends exotic creative designs with African prints to produce unique products, presents to you various ways in which you can rock the Hesey Ankara bag.

Sagoe Sisters’ : ‘CLAN’ 2013 Collection

The CLAN lookbook is finally here.  And the collection has been worth the wait. What a fantastic collection of  wearable art.  With this collection, the brand deserves to be entered into the Nigerian fashion hall of fame regardless of their ‘Sagoe heritage’.

Fat: Adjectival or Derogatory?

 

“Toolz is not fat! She’s plus sized,” says the “plus sized”  Bola across the table. I am so not about to get into an argument with her. Now back to the issue, this article is addressing how to stay beautiful and trendy even if society wants to make you think that only size zeros fit the bill.

One of the keys to great style is knowing what type of clothes work for your body type. It’s important for any woman to accentuate her best parts. There is a lot of information out there about how to dress – and many experts say that women with curves should stay away from bold colors, prints, loose clothing, layering and skinny jeans.

None of this is necessarily true and the best tip for dress up your curves is knowing what works for you personally. Here are a few other tips to dress a curvy body.

 

Find a Great Tailor: Anything you wear should be proportioned to your body, and a good tailor will make sure everything fits perfectly.

Accentuate Your Waist: Show off that tiny waist! Adding a belt goes a long way in making your outfit look more polished.

Avoid Oversize Tops And Dresses: Flowy tops and dresses are not flattering on a curvy figure. They can make you look pregnant and they look sloppy in photos. Try wearing a maxi dress instead.

Embrace Shapewear: Every woman from a size 0-14 should own Shapewear that have a firm control on the body and can make the body look smoother and slimmer under fitted dresses without leaving any lines.

Find The Right Footwear:  A classic pump with a platform makes your legs take a really great shape and elongates your entire body from head to toe.

PS: I actually did not set out to draw the line between insults and descriptive terms (adjectives, noun qualifiers).

 

Stay Pimple-free!

Rita Dominic says this is her nude face….hmmm…ok o. For those of us who dare not go out without without layers of foundation and powder, please read on!

Pimples (acne, zits, spots) affect the skin of the majority of teenagers and a significant number of adults. Some individuals are lucky and have occasional breakouts, while others may experience ongoing (chronic) problems. The presence of pimples on the skin, especially the face, may cause anxiety and/or embarrassment.

Experts say that acne should be treated promptly, especially if the individual is prone to getting pimples.

 

 

Self-help pimple treatments

• Washing your face about twice each day – not more often. Make sure you have a mild soap. Use warm water. Wash gently; do not scrub the skin. Experts advise the use of an OTC lotion which contains benzoyl peroxide.
• Do not pop (burst) the pimple – there is a risk you may push the infection further down, causing more serious blockage and worse swelling and redness. Popping pimples also increases the risk of scarring.
• If you need to get rid of it – if you have an important event, such as a public-speaking engagement or a wedding and it is important to get rid of a sightly pimple, get a specialist to treat it for you.
• Touching your face – even though this may require some willpower, try to refrain from touching your face with your hands. If you are using a telephone, do not let receiver touch the skin of your face – it may have skin residue or sebum on it. Before touching your face make sure you always wash your hands with soap.
• Hand hygiene – keep your hands and nails as clean as you can by washing them regularly with soap. Keep your nails short.
• Glasses (spectacles) – glasses collect sebum and skin residue; clean them regularly.
• Loose clothing – if the pimples are on parts of your body covered by clothing, such as your back, shoulders or chest, wear loose clothing. Whenever possible, avoid wearing headbands, caps and scarves – if you have to wear them, wash them regularly. In short – allow your skin to breathe.
• Make up – make sure you have taken all your make up off when you go to sleep. Only use makeup that is nonceomedogenic or nonacnegenic(urrr..check that up! Ain’t sure what that means, the doctor got me confused too)
• Hair – sebum and skin collects in hair. Keep your hair clean. Try to keep your hair away from your face.
• Sun exposure – overexposure to sunlight may sometimes result in the production of more sebum. Some medications used by people with acne may make your skin more prone to sunburn.
• Shaving your face – be careful when you shave. Either use safety razors (make sure blade is sharp) or an electric shaver. Before shaving, soften the skin with warm, soapy water before applying the shaving cream – the skin is softer straight after a warm shower.

Deola Sagoe

Deola Sagoe is an haute couture fashion designer from the Ondo State in Nigeria. A mother of three who studied at the University of Miami and University of Lagos with a Masters in Finance and Management, Sagoe began designing in 1998 and has gained international notoriety for her lively, and colorful designs.

She was recently appointed to represent Nigeria in a new international campaign organized by the United Nations World Food Program. The campaign, titled “Catwalk the World: Fashion for Food.”, began in Nigeria in April 2006 and recently staged an event in Ghana which brought celebrities like Damon Dash, his wife, designer Rachel Roy, and Ghanaian-born, London-based designer Ozwald Boateng. The campaign’s goal is to raise money towards halving the number of hungry people in the world, particularly children, by 2015. Sagoe frequently exhibits her couture collection at Cape Town Fashion Week and has been an invited guest of New York Fashion Week in the past. Sagoe has won the “Africa Designs” and the MNET/ Anglo Gold African designs 2000 awards for which she was nominated by Andre Leon Tally, US Vogue editor. She has also has famous fans such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.

She has been on the cover to TW magazine(A Nigeria based magazine that supports women) and has showcased at various fashion shows. Her most recent display was at the Ebony Life Tv Launch at Eko Hotels.

Below is her Komole 2013 collection. Exquisite, I must say!

I AM my Hair!!!

 1. A well-balanced diet is the best way to keep your hair healthy and strong. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, nuts, brown rice, beans and pulses,  and you’ll ha

ve tresses in top condition in no time.

2 Use the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type. Pick a combo

Orange Wednesday

Firstly, I must admit that my least favourite colour is orange. The only thing orange that I own is a pencil, and that wasn’t by choice. Secondly, orange, in it’s brightest, boldest form is a Huge trend for the upcoming season. Sigh…I’m either going to have to embrace it or put on a pair of dark sunglasses to avoid the orangyglare.

Tina Lobondi

Tina Lobondi is a London based Womenswear Designer specializing in High End women’s ready-to-wear.

Born in Kinshasa (Congo), she grew up in  Lorraine (France) where she studied Fashion Design Realisation.

After 3 years and her Diploma in hand, the designer moved to Paris and started internships in various designer’s studio in the area of La Goutte D’or.

In 2006, the designer moved to London, aiming to pursue a career in her field. Another Fashion Design degree at the prestigious London College of Fashion will help in the pursuit of the dream of creating her first collection showcased to help raise money for the Princess Diana Foundation, at the event ” Finding Your Feet”.

Since 2010, she created a label under her own name, Tina Lobondi, located in Notting Hill. The collection is based on exceptional attention to details and finish, classic and chic designs. Elegance with timeless style is the aim she wants to achieve. The fabrics and materials are sourced from all around the world, Mauritania to Paris and London.

The Made-to order service offers you the possibility of choosing your designs and fabrics, to create your individualy crafted One-Off piece.

With a clientele including Grammy Award winner and NewYork based singer Angelique Kidjo, London based singer Lianne La Havas and “Eastenders” actresses Shona McGarty and Hetti Bywater.

The designer has received press interest from Marie-Claire and ELLE Magazine South-Africa, British Soap Awards, PROFILE Event, LOOK Magazine, OK Magazine, Miss Ebene Magazine, PRIDE Magazine, to name a few.

Below is her Summer/Spring Collection for “2013.