Don’t be afraid of colour blocking ► Suzy Turner

I LOVE mixing and matching colours and think it can really make an outfit come alive. Especially when those colours might be a little unexpected. Don’t be afraid of colour blocking. Red and peach, for example or even red and pink (which used to be a real no-no). Adding a couple of other colours for added effect can also make you look more confident and I love that.

I think so many women are afraid to wear colour these days (especially colour blocking), many of them opting for muted blacks, browns and other less exciting shades, because they think dark equals a slimmer silhouette. Yes, sure it can, but so can colour! And colour blocking is so much more exciting, don’t you think?

Some of my favourite style bloggers, such as Catherine from Not Dressed as Lamb and Debbie from Fashion Fairy Dust are just two women who embrace colour – mixing and matching some wonderful combinations. I LOVE seeing what outfits they put together because they never fail to look less than gorgeous, every, single time. And it’s often the colours they’ve combined that really wow me.

This outfit, which I wore to dinner with friends, is almost entirely new (even the H&M knickers but you don’t want to see those!). I couldn’t resist this cardigan because it was the bright, fun colour that drew me to it in the first place and it just happens to be a colour that suits me. (Actually, I’m quite lucky in that I can wear almost any colour – the only one that’s a no-no is that pale fleshy pink colour which really washes me out). The cardigan came from H&M in case you’re wondering, and it cost less than 10 euros. Bargain! Here’s an alternative from House of Fraser that’s just as gorgeous.

The sleeveless blouse, which I totally forgot to take a photo of me wearing without the cardigan (!), came from Bershka and cost just €14.99. A similar one, from L.K. Bennett is available here.

I fell in love with the feel of these lightweight denim chinos as soon as I caught sight of them in Promod. They’re so light, they hang wonderfully, and when I put them on, I knew I should buy them. Talk about comfortable! AND they just happened to be in the sale, reduced from 35 to 25 euros. YES! I’ve looked online for something similar and found these denim joggers from Linea Weekend which are probably even more perfect for lounging about in.

The shoes are the most gorgeous pair I bought from Schuh when I was in England in January. I’d seen them online and knew I had to have them, BUT there was a slight issue with the sizing because it said they might come up a little small. I didn’t want to risk getting the wrong size so I waited until I was in the UK to try them. I needn’t have, size 6 was a-ok. A tiny bit snug but not a problem. I’ve just looked for them on the site and they’re no longer available in red, unfortunately. They do have them in black though – they’re really pretty, almost 40s in style. However if you’re after red shoes, they do have another pair which I was drooling over at the same time which you might like. Check them out at Schuh.

The cute mustard yellow handbag came from a market stall in Lagos a few weeks ago, and my gorgeous ‘gold’ ear-rings came from one of my favourite cheap and chic jewellery shops, Bijou Brigitte.

All in all, I think the colour blocking really worked in this outfit. A different colour shoe would have also looked fab, purple perhaps? Although I didn’t opt for a different colour this time because I really wanted to wear my red shoes 😉

But don’t be afraid of colour, people! It can make you stand out in a crowd for all the right reasons, it can make your eyes pop or the colour of your hair look amazing. Or even your skin look incredible. Don’t be frightened to use colour to show off your best assets. It’ll also make you feel awesome and who doesn’t want to feel awesome, right?