
27/08/2020

The color wheel: how to use color combinations in looks
Learn the tricks to suit colors and create looks with different tones and moods
The act of dressing is a way of communicating senses and feelings, a way of passing on information and making impressions. The choice of look is directly linked to who we are and how we want to be seen by people.
When it comes to clothing colors, then, the signs are even stronger. A look in sober colors can convey an image of seriousness, while people with a creative instinct represent themselves through vivid colors and prints. There is no rule, of course! The set of information on a garment, from color to texture, is what will give complete meaning to the fashion style of each one.
Colors are the externalization of personalities and have the power to even change the mood of those who wear them. That is why it is very important to master the concept of the color wheel and use it to our advantage. With it, it is possible to generate infinite ideas and color combinations to create and venture into the messages that the clothes send. Come on?
Learn more about the color wheel and learn how this tool can inspire your next collection and your next looks!
What is the color wheel?
The color wheel is a representation of primary, secondary, tertiary colors and their variations. Altogether, the wheel is divided into 12 parts, like a pizza, starting from red, passing through the colors of the rainbow orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo blue, and ending in violet.
In addition to fashion, the color wheel is used by several areas as decoration and in graphic design and it is easy to choose colors that match each other or to cause an idea of contrast, for example.
The person responsible for creating the color wheel was Isaac Newton, who in the 17th century made a revolutionary discovery. The colors, contrary to what was thought, were not modifications of the white color, but parts of it. Newton then defined these colors (the seven colors of the rainbow!) As fundamental colors, in analogy to the seven musical notes.
In addition, the scientist broke with the linear system of colors with characteristics of light and dark, to organize them in a circle, according to their transitions from red to violet. This means that the colors can be infinite mixtures and variations of other colors, always having a new tone that we don’t know yet. This, in fact, is the job of many artists, to develop a totally new color, at least in our eyes!

Image: Designed by Freepik
The colors of the color wheel
The 12 parts of the color wheel are divided into three primaries, three secondary and six tertiary colors, all located at the edges of the wheel. A tertiary color is formed from the mixture in equal parts of a primary and a secondary color. The secondary color comes from an equal mixture of two primary colors. The primaries, in turn, do not originate from the mixture of other colors.
Primary colors
They are the base colors and from them, all other colors are born, from direct or indirect mixtures. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue and are found in the center of the color wheel.
Secondary colors
Derived from the combination of two primary colors, the secondary colors are violet (red + blue), green (yellow + blue) and orange (red + yellow). In the color wheel, then next to the primary colors.
Tertiary colors
They are created from mixtures of secondary colors, thus also containing the primary colors. The six tertiary colors of the color wheel are orange-red, yellowish-orange, greenish-yellow, bluish-green, violet-blue and violet red.
The trendy color wheel
Knowing the colors of the color wheel, it’s time to use combinations between them to form infinite compositions of looks! Continue reading and find out about monochromatic, complementary, analogous, and triadic harmonies or compositions.
Monochrome compositions
They are color combinations present in a part of the 12 of the color wheel. The idea is a look of the same color or even “tone on tone”, with variations of the same color, from the lightest to the darkest, for example. Here, it is worth playing with different shapes and textures of fabrics.
- Look monocromatico de Elie Saab. Crediti: Yanshan Zhang / Getty Images
- Look tom sobre tom de Jason Wu. Crediti: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Analogous compositions
An evolution of monochromatic harmony, analogous colors are next to each other in the color wheel. A look with similar harmony because it is formed, for example, playing with blue, turquoise (blue-green), and a shade more drawn to violet. It’s like taking a bigger slice of a pizza full of colors!

Look with analog colors by Carolina Herrera. Image credits: Monica Feudi / Indigital.tv
Try to define the color that will be dominant and play with the others in accessories or details.
Complementary compositions
It is with the harmony of complementary colors that the look starts to become more daring. One-color is complementary to the other that is immediately on the opposite side of the color wheel, such as green and red or blue and orange.

Look with complementary colors by Prabal Gurung. Image credits: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com
Try combining hot and cold colors, choose a dominant color, or even divide the look into equal parts, like a blouse in one color, pants in another.
Triad compositions
This combination is the most daring, but it is perfectly harmonic. The triad composition is formed by colors that have the same distance between them. as if they formed a triangle with its ends. An example is the combination of the primary colors yellow, blue, and red. You can choose three super bright colors or three lighter colors, depending on the proposal.

Triadic harmony in look by Gilberto Calzolari. Image credits: Imaxtree
Use your creativity!
It is worth remembering that, regardless of the harmony, it is not necessary to combine only colors of the same shade, such as “baby” colors or vibrant shades. It is worth mixing all the characteristics and using creativity. It is interesting to compose looks with gray, white and black, colors that are not part of the color wheel.
Ah! Also bet on compositions with prints, using the same techniques. How about being inspired and daring, creating in 4D? Meet Audaces Creative, the creative software package that has an initial 60 days of free access! Download and experience the digital future of fashion!
Leave a Reply