Plains or Prints

In the advertising world - the world that I've been a part of since I was a wee little boy - we thrive on the concept of "options."

One is never a good number. Whenever you do something - be it a headline, concept, logo or visual device - you should come in with 5 or more options. It is very rare that you get the right one on the first try, that's why coming up with a list of possibilities has become common place in the industry.

And it's a concept that can be brought out of the advertising world and into the real world. 

For example, in fashion. Once concept can always have options. So, let's say that the pink cuffed trousers are the concept, you can execute it in different ways. In this particular case, the options are:

Plain...

... or Print.

Plain means taking 2 complementing plain colors and combining them into one outfit. Since the trousers  are already in a bright pink color, the top should be a bit more muted and should provide a counterpoint. Thus, this slate colored top with lace trimmings and a faux-dolman sleeve.

To add another point of visual interest, the belt is in another strong and contrasting color - dark green. It's nice how it plays off the pink background.

For the printed option, what's important is the print should borrow a shade from the dominant concept. Since the trousers are pink, the floral patterns have a hint of pink on them. This ties in the two elements together.

And so as not to make it "matchy-matchy" (Nina Garcia will not approve,) the palette of the printed shirt is in a very neutral beige. This works two ways: first, the neutral colors don't clash with the pink hue, and second, the prints pop out more because of the base color.

The thing with options is that usually, the client is just supposed to choose one option. But luckily, for this "concept," there are two "clients." Ergo, they get one option each. And since they're pretty much the same size, they can switch options as well.