Pairing kids’ clothes can be tricky – too many Heroes (aka the bold prints or patterned items in your kids’ wardrobe) can create a fashion war zone with too many pieces clashing with each other making it hard to mix, match and style.
But having a few basics will completely transform your child’s wardrobe – and your feelings of overwhelm too!
The optimal balance of prints to basics for kids is 40% prints to 60% basics. As they get older and into adulthood – the most eco (economical and therefore ecological) way is 70% basics to 30% heroes.
How to Choose your Basic Essentials
I’ve divided the colour palette up into 3 parts:
- Neutrals
- Near Neutrals
- Statement Colours
Neutrals
Neutral colours are basics that go with just about anything. Think greys, black, white, cream, tan, etc. I find that the more neutrals you incorporate, the easier it is to build outfits from just a few pieces.
Nearly Neutrals
Now these are “nearly neutrals” because they act like neutrals but have a little more visual impact.
Think of colours that seem to go well with everything, like wine, navy, dusty pink. peachy pink, light pink, mustard, army green, olive green, light blue.
Statement Colours
Finally, these are the colours that don’t necessarily go with everything but that visual impact. For me, these are your child’s favourite colours which make them feel amazing, happy and confident and express themselves exactly how they want to.
Statement colours can be used in large or small doses. And you can have many of them, or just a few.
Supporting Colours
Just like in the movies, there is always a larger number of the supporting cast members (the basics) vs the leads/heroes (the prints/patterns). The same should go for clothing – it’s the best way to create a variety of outfits AND save you money! And most of all — it is so much easier to dress your kids and having them look presentable.
