From eye tricks to perfect style! Behold the magic of contrast.
When putting our outfits together, contrast is one of the key ingredients. We are familiar with understanding contrast in terms of high contrast, medium contrast, and low contrast. But if we dig a little deeper, we can use contrast in other ways to further refine our outfits.
What is simultaneous contrast?
Simultaneous contrast refers to the impact of one colour on another when they are placed together. Colours really do have an influence on each other. The way our eyes interpret two colours is different when they are placed directly side by side.
Take these shades of grey, below. The stripe in the middle is the same grey right across, but the other greys around it make it seem to appear graduated.
These ‘eye tricks’ are always a bit of fun, but it’s interesting to think our clothing choices can follow the same rules! Placing a medium grey next to a light grey will make it appear darker. But if you were to wear the same medium grey with a dark grey, this would make it appear lighter.
Try it with colour!
The same applies with colours. A colour will appear to change in value and sometimes in hue because of other colours placed around it. Looking at the coloured squares below, the small squares in the middle of each pair are the same colour, but they appear different because of the colours they are paired with.
Again, another ‘eye trick’ that we can utilise in our personal style to create the contrast we are looking for! Have you noticed this when you put colours together in your outfits?
Even if you’re not going for a vastly contrasting look, using different colours to combine with your wardrobe staples can give you many more options that you never knew existed.
Enjoy experimenting with simultaneous contrast!
Alison
You’ll learn about contrast with Science of Style’s image consultant Alison de Boer. Book a Colour Analysis to start creating your best wardrobe - you’ll find creating outfits will become truly effortless.