60 - 30 - 10 RULE
Just like a room, you can apply the same concept to your outfits to create harmony and balance. And it’s a really useful formula to apply when thinking about adding your value or colour contrast to an outfit. I’m frequently asked how to add multiple colours to an outfit, without looking like a clown (or just too colourful and out there), this is a simple way to do it.
How to Use the 60/30/10 Rule in Your Outfits
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60% of your outfit is the main colour (or neutral, depending on which way you rock). I’ve found that whatever you choose this 60% colour to be, it’s best to be in a similar value to your hair, as this is your ideal value and should form the largest proportion of your outfit (but there is a way to break this which I’ll show you a little later in this post).
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30% of your outfit is the secondary colour or neutral. Choose a colour that again relates to your contrast levels. It may be to create your ideal colour contrast, or your ideal value contrast. It may be your top or a jacket/topper, suit, depending on how you’re putting your outfit together.
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3. 10% of your outfits is an accent colour. Use this (if you haven’t already done this in your outfit) to create your ideal value or colour contrast, or to repeat that contrast and reinforce it. This is most likely to come in accessories – scarves, necklaces, belts, shoes, ties, etc.
The more similar your colours read (they don’t have to be exactly the same colour) they will be counted as the same colour.
It can be done with neutrals, neutrals plus colours, or colours alone.
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As on this picture of myself, I've decided to wear as the accent colour white shoes. 60% of my outfit is pistachio like top and 30% are pink shorts - this is the secondary colour (complementary combination).
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Do not worry to use this rule to include prints and patterns into your outfits. You should choose one animal print and match with a solid bottom or top. You’ll notice that these are not exact proportions, but what you see is a dominant, subordinate and accent colour in each outfit.
To apply the 60-30-10 rule to a monochromatic outfit, you can use different shades and textures of the same colour. Start with the dominant colour, which should make up about 60% of the outfit. This can be achieved by wearing a top and bottom in the same shade. Then, add a secondary colour or a slightly different shade within the monochromatic colour palette for about 30% of the outfit. This can be a cardigan, jacket, or accessories like a scarf or belt. Finally, include an accent colour, which should make up about 10% of the outfit. This can be achieved by incorporating small pops of a contrasting colour with accessories like shoes, a bag, or jewelry. This will help create depth and interest within the monochromatic look, while still adhering to the 60-30-10 rule.
There are so many ways how to play with colours in your outfit. If you want to wear only two colours in your outfit, that is fine too. What you want to avoid is even propotions of colours in your outfit. So there you have it – the 60 + 30 + 10 proportional rule, used frequently in interior decorating, now also a brilliant way to put together colours and patterns in your outfits. Have a look at the examples below to get more inspiration looks
In this case, we have my bestie wearing 3 colours, which we split into 2 accent colours (gold might look more than 10%, but with red lipstick we get equal proportions) so this outfit is going to be 80-10-10 rule
Look at the last two pictures. Would you rather go for 80-20 or 60-30-10 colour rule in your outfit?
Joe