Analogous Colors in Fashion
Analogous colors are those that are adjacent to any given color on the color wheel. For example, the analogous colors or purple are red-purple and blue-purple.
The analogous colors of purple are: red-purple and blue-purple (to the left and right).
This scheme can be used for any of the twelve hues on the RYB Color Wheel of Fashion and can be a very handy and powerful tool to make any outfit look well-composed and stylish.
Take a look at the following example where our model wears the hues blue-purple (suit), purple (shirt and bow tie), and red-purple (suspenders). All of these hues are from the analogous scheme of purple and go well with each other.
This is a very unusual color scheme for a formal suit, but it is nonetheless analogous and well-composed.
Although the example is a rather weird one and, quite frankly, nobody would ever wear such a suit, it is a good example exactly because the outfit still looks visually pleasing despite the odd color scheme for a formal suit.
The example proves the power of wearing analogous colors.
Variations of analogous colors
Please note that all variations of the analogous hues are acceptable when designing the color scheme. You can wear dark, light, pale, or bright versions of any of the three hues.
In most cases, it’s actually beneficial if you do mix the shades in your outfit.
Since the color contrast is low (because the colors are analogous), you will have to bring in contrast through the use of shades and tints. Pure black and white are also always very viable options, and so are the grays.
Color harmony
Analogous color schemes are mostly very pleasing to the eye because of color harmony. If you wear an outfit using predominately an analogous scheme and you choose to sprinkle in a complementary color as an accent, your whole getup will be harmoniously complete.
The color harmony of an outfit is what makes a style complete and visually pleasing. Going with an analogous color scheme for outfits is a very easy way to achieve color harmony.
Use our color wheel of fashion to help yourself put together the most harmonious of outfits every single day. And don’t forget to read up on our many articles on color in clothing to learn all there is to know about the topic.