Fashion 101 with Professor Zoë

" Fashion 101 with Professor Zoë"

"By Zoe"

I have recently received some lovely compliments about my fashion sense and style, and so I thought it would be nice to share some of my knowledge with all of you. We dolls all love to look our best, but the world of fashion and accessories can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not used to it. So each month I’ll post a new column that addresses one area of the fashion jungle and pretty soon you won’t feel like the world of fashion is too complicated to navigate.

This month I want to start with the absolute basics: the color wheel.

Most of you are probably familiar with this from art classes, but did you know that it can be used as a very handy reference for fashion? You can see on the wheel how colors interact with each other (or don’t interact, in some cases.) You can make the following combos using the color wheel as your guide:

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

Now, that said – don’t go nuts with color. A little goes a long way, and even though you can wear multiple colors together doesn’t mean each one needs to be equally represented. Here are two examples for you, using rule 5 (colors that form an X). Which one looks better?

I created these outfits on a site called Polyvore (http://www.polyvore.com). You can search for clothing, shoes, and accessories in every color under the sun and combine them in sets like you see above so you can really see how things will look together. It will also tell you where you can buy each item and the price. And the best part is that it’s free!

Both sets feature the same blue dress, and both have yellow-green and violet-red accessories (the one on the left doesn’t have anything orange, but that’s okay). The outfit on the left is better because the accessories are small and understated. The dress is the focal piece. The outfit on the right is too busy and has too much color, so instead of complementing each other, the colors fight for the eye’s attention.

You may have noticed that the color wheel doesn’t contain black, white, gray, or brown. That’s because those are neutral colors – meaning they go with everything. You can pair any color on the wheel with any neutral and it will match. Blue jeans count as a neutral, by the way, even though they are blue.

Don’t be afraid of color. Yes, the little black dress is classic and simple (I’m a fan) but it’s not the only thing out there to wear. I know lots of people (and dolls) stick to black and white because they feel overwhelmed by all the color options out there. So start small. Put on your little black dress but instead of black shoes, try some crazy colorful shoes like these that I’ve been eyeing for myself:

Or if you’re not in a dress mood, put on some brown slacks with a hot pink top. When in doubt, start with one of those neutral colors and then add a different colored item that you like. You can’t go wrong with neutrals.

Next time I’ll be talking about accessory dos and don’ts (how much jewelry is appropriate, and what kinds go best with which outfits?)

Any questions? Just leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to help.

--Zoë