Ageing Disgracefully
A Yuletide visit from a family friend led to a familiar exchange that held more than a little resemblance to a Bridget Jones Script, no I'm still not married (2 kids and 15 years later) yes i still work for myself (a phrase akin to being unemployed to a certain generation) you are correct, i am 40 next year and this is indeed a tracksuit I'm wearing.
This pass-remarkable inquisition wasn't all bad, while void of tact, she was full of the wisdom that only older people can be and after casting her eyes over the multi coloured ensemble i was wearing, she bestowed on me this “A good contrast is better than a bad match” which I'm pretty sure was meant as a compliment. And she was absolutely right, while head to toe block colour can look chic, it can be boring, it can also be impossible to match up the shades perfectly, even two black garments can vary wildly in colour depending on the fabric or how often its been washed.
Often the most stylishly dressed people take the biggest risks when it comes to pairing colours, and there are no hard and fast rules, forget the rhymes about red & green and definitely don't Google it, a quick Internet search revealed just a snippet of the baseless nonsense you can find online, follow their advice and you will be missing out on colour co-ordinating gems such as Red & Magenta, Turqoise & Gold, or Grey and Brown all of which make for stunning contrasts when worn together.
Ive said it before, I don't agree with giving prescriptive colour matching advice based on your skin, hair or eye colour. you should wear the colours you love, what is true is that certain colours worn close to your face can be trickier to wear, complexion dependant, this is where layering comes in, layering isn't just a trick for staying warm in winter, clever layering means using different textures and weights of fabrics to build up your look and you can wear the colours that flatter you the least (yellow for me) away from your face.
If you haven't already, for tips on how to contrast colours I demand you watch the entire new Season of Emily in Paris, the wardrobe was again created by Styling Wizard Patricia Field, her eye for colour and print clash is next level, 10 Episodes with enough inspiration to keep you going through 2022.
