Colour Theory

Now that I've taken you through the basics of neutrals and pseudo-neutrals, I think you're ready to take on the complexities of colour theory :-) Colour theory has been studied for centuries in art and design, and can and should be applied to fashion as well. Once you know the ins and outs of colour theory, you'll be able to mix and match colours without the risk of a clashing outfit!

Primary colours:
Red, blue, and yellow are the primary colours. Every other colour can be made from mixing these together. Primary colours tend to have a very young look, and generally should be worn sparingly by those age 15 and up.These colours pack quite a punch, so you should stick with one item of primary colour in an outfit to make an impact (not two or three). For easy matching, instead of wearing pure primary colours, wear darker shades (i.e. navy instead of blue, crimson instead of red, gold instead of yellow).
When matching primary colours with other neutrals, you may want to stay away from pairing them with black or white, which can make these hues seem even brighter. Instead, try matching with grey, camel, brown, or navy. When in doubt, colours always go with pseudo-neutrals that are a few shades darker then themselves, which is particularly useful for bright colours that you're unsure about matching with. This can make for a sophisticated monochromatic look (and no, monochromatic doesn't have to mean all one colour in exactly the same shade). Check out this full colour wheel (left). An example of this would be matching primary blue (on the outside of the wheel) with one of the more darker blues (inside of the wheel).

That being said, some of my other favorite colour combinations are:

Yellow & Grey

Violet & Navy

Red & Grey

Red & Chocolate brown