Going back to your days in art, what do you remember about color contrast? When you use opposing colors to create art, it can be very visually appealing. This is particularly true if you are trying to create energy, excitement, drama, or tension in your artwork. But what if you want to create a sense of calm, harmony, balance, or tranquility? If you want to create those feelings, you will choose low contrast colors instead, or colors that are closer together in their depth or brightness.
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| High Contrast |
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| Medium contrast |
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| Low Contrast |
As you can see in the images above, the High Contrast outfit is very bold and attention-grabbing. It's created by using 2 colors that are across the color wheel from one another.
The Medium Contrast outfit has colors that are in the same color family, but still there is a relative difference in the depth of the colors.
Finally, the Low Contrast outfit, while a bright color and high intensity, was created by using 2 colors that are very close to one another. While this look is ALMOST Monochromatic, there is a very slight difference to the purples.
So, why does color contrast matter?
You can use color contrast in your outfits to evoke specific emotions. The higher the contrast, the more powerful your outfit feels. It's also more difficult for the eye to look at for long periods of time, so wearing high contrast colors is something to use less often as a tool to grab attention.
Low contrast colors are easier for the eye to rest on and therefore create that sense of calm.
Medium contrast colors fall somewhere between the two.
What about Color Contrast and YOU?
Every person has a value contrast to their appearance. Knowing what it is can help you to strategically choose colors that work WITH your natural contrast levels to create harmony. When you go through a color analysis, you will learn what your level of contrast is alongside all of the other amazing nuggets you learn that help you improve your appearance.
When I am determining what a client's value contrast is, I am looking at her overall color contrast between her eyes, skin, and hair.
Low Value Contrast
To have a low value contrast, your skin, hair, and eye coloring will be similar in value. Here are some examples of celebrities with Low Value Contrast:
When you look at the four women above, their hair, skin, and eyes are all of a similar value. This means that none of their features specifically stands out when you look at them. With Lupita Nyong'o, her skin, hair and eyes are all of a similar color which makes her low contrast, but if you look at her smile, her teeth are VERY white, so she could be considered high contrast because of that. But when looking at just hair, skin, and eyes, she is low contrast.
Medium Value Contrast
To have a medium value contrast, one or more of your features will be a different value than the rest. For example, you may have dark hair, dark eyes, and light skin OR you may have dark hair, medium toned eyes and medium toned skin. Here are some examples of celebrities with Medium Value Contrast:
Looking at the images of the four women above, they are all of medium contrast. Emma Stone's hair has a medium warm tone to it, her skin and eyes are both light. With Kate Middleton, her eyes are hazel and her hair is medium brown while her skin is light, giving her a medium value contrast. Zoe Saldana has dark hair and dark eyes which are contrasted with a lighter brown skin tone. Blake Lively has natural medium hair, light eyes and light skin creating a medium value contrast.
High Value Contrast
To have a high value contrast, the value of your features will vary. Oftentimes we see dark hair, light/bright colored eyes, and light skin. You may also have dark hair, dark brown eyes and light skin. Here are some examples of celebrities with High Value Contrast:
All of the ladies above have high value contrast. They all have dark hair and light skin. Megan Fox, Zooey Deschanel, and Courtney Cox all have striking blue eyes, adding to their high contrast (light skin, light eyes). Anne Hathaway has dark hair and dark eyes that is offset by light skin, creating her high value contrast.
When you match the contrast levels in your outfits to the contrast levels of, well, YOU, it creates a pleasing visual harmony that just makes sense and is attractive.
You can use contrast to make a statement
Again, high contrast sends the subliminal message of power, so you can use it, even if it does not match YOUR value contrast if you need to convey power. If you have softer coloring and need to be perceived as powerful, a bold black and white look is great, however it will drain you if you wear high contrast looks for too long. Alternatively, if you have high contrast coloring and you wear soft colors often, you may feel your natural energy lacking.
When you understand your personal level of contrast, it makes creating outfits that harmonize with you and your level of contrast easier. Why is this important? Because we want to see YOU AND the colors you wear, not just the colors you wear.
If you're interested in learning what your Value Contrast is and your perfect colors, I would love to analyze you! Whether you live in Charlotte or not, I can help! If you are not local to me and cannot make it into my Studio for an analysis, I can analyze you virtually! It's just as accurate and just as impactful. You can find out more about it here!
Until next week...
Stylishly Yours,
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