Don’t be afraid of colour – here’s how to wear it
Celebrity stylist Gayle Rinkoff shares a few top tips for embracing brights
WE ALL have a colour we tend to steer clear of when it comes to picking clothes. Maybe orange doesn’t match your skin tone, or green washes you out, but if you’re keen to up the intensity of your wardrobe, spring is the ideal time to be a little more sartorially adventurous.
AND NO, YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO FULL NEON OR ALL OUT KALEIDOSCOPIC
Need a little help? Celebrity stylist Gayle Rinkoff — who has styled the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Zoe Ball, Nadine Coyle and Made In Chelsea alumni Binky Felstead — is keen to help us brighten everything up in manageable ways…
USE COLOUR TO ACCESSORISE
Avoid feeling – and looking – overwhelmed by starting out slowly. “Introduce something small to your outfit in a bright colour,” says Rinkoff. “It could be a scarf, a pair of socks, a belt or simply just painting your nails a brighter shade than your usual French manicure.” A brightly coloured bag or earrings would work too.
Beaded polka dot pouch bag, £12, Accessorize (www.accessorize.com)
EASE INTO IT
It’s tough going from nought to hot pink, so “wear your chosen coloured item a few times to get used to it and for other people to get used to seeing you in colour,” suggests Rinkoff.
DON’T TOTALLY SCRAP NEUTRALS
“If you are a lover of neutrals you can still inject some colour by wearing khaki, blush pink, deep mustard or strong camel,” says Rinkoff – it’s all about wearing what works for you. “It is a good way of adding some colour in a palette that you are comfortable with.”
TRY PRINTS
Prints can be your sartorial friend. “A good starting point to add some colour into your wardrobe is
with a print on a neutral colour background,” notes Rinkoff. “That way you are not completely in new territory. Think about what you like in a print; is it a floral, something abstract, geometric?”
NOTICE WHAT IMPACT COLOUR HAS ON HOW YOU FEEL
What we should wear should make us feel good about ourselves, and that can have as much to do with the colour as the cut and style. “If you do venture into wearing colour, think about how it made you feel that day and how many people noticed what you were wearing,” says Rinkoff. “It’s amazing the impact colour has on positivity, and how this can change your mood.”
EXPERIMENT WITH MULTIPLE SHADES OF ONE KEY COLOUR
“If you want to achieve a tonal look, pick one colour and mix up various shades of the same hue,” says Rinkoff.
“This can look super chic and sophisticated.”
BE BRAVE – MIX AND MATCH
“When you are feeling confident about wearing colour, try mixing patterns and prints,” says Rinkoff. “If you choose a base colour that appears in both, it can be really effective.” Go on, you’ll brighten everyone’s day up.
❐ To celebrate the launch of the OPPO Find X3 series – which includes the OPPO Find X3 Pro, the world’s first smartphone to display and capture a billion colours – OPPO has created the
Colour Counsel featuring Gayle Rinkoff, interiors expert Geraldine Tan and psychologist Lee Chambers. Free consultations are available at oppostore.co.uk/colour-counsel.