Dressing like art
I studied art history and, although I didn’t go on to do anything directly with that degree, I do often think it connects to my love of colour and the way I put outfits together.
It’s essentially the same thing, looking at how colour, shape and balance work together to create something that feels interesting, intentional, and just… right.
I love thinking about different ways to find inspiration, and when I was at the Tate Modern recently, I couldn’t help noticing the way colour and composition were used across so many of the pieces.
Artists just get colour.
They understand contrast, balance, tone, how one shade can completely change depending on what you place next to it. And that’s exactly what we’re doing when we get dressed.
You can actually see this really clearly when you look at art through a colour season lens. Spring paintings tend to have that bright, clear quality, think Degas's vivid blues and Warhol's bold, warm florals. Summer is softer and hazier, cooler pinks and muted tones that almost feel like they're seen through gauze. Autumn has that warm, golden, earthy richness, Van Gogh's wheat fields, the deep golds in Klimt. And Winter is all high contrast and cool clarity, bold graphic shapes, strong darks against lights.
Once you start seeing it, you can't unsee it.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
You've probably heard that early ideas around colour theory, including warm and cool tones, actually came from an artist observing how their students used colour when facing the same landscape. Half of the artists painted using cool tones, and the other half painted using warm tones, and the art teacher noticed that the decision they made reflected how they looked. Which we have noticed ourselves in the way we are instinctively drawn to either cool or warm tones depending on how we look.
I think one of the reasons why art is such a good place to look for inspiration is because there are no rules.
Nobody is looking at a painting thinking "that doesn't suit her" or "those colours clash." It's just about what feels interesting, balanced, or expressive.
And I think sometimes we forget we can approach getting dressed in that same way.
So if you ever feel stuck with what to wear, art can be such an interesting place to look. Next time you're stuck on an outfit, try this: pick one piece of art and borrow just one thing from it, a colour, a contrast, or even just the overall feeling.
Using colour combinations from art
This is probably the most useful one.
Next time you're looking at a painting, instead of just thinking "that's nice", try and actually break it down. What colours are being used? Is there a strong contrast, or is everything quite tonal? Are there any unexpected combinations?
You'll often notice pairings you wouldn't usually reach for, but somehow they just work.
You could even ask yourself: do I want this outfit to feel soft or bold? Balanced, or a bit more striking?
It's not about recreating a painting exactly. It's more about borrowing one small idea, a colour combination, a contrast, a feeling, and translating that into something wearable.
Thinking about shape and balance
It's not just colour either, it's how things are placed.
In art, there's always a sense of balance. Something looser paired with something more structured. A bold shape offset with something simple.
And again, that's exactly what we're doing when we get dressed: a relaxed jumper with a more tailored trouser, a simple outfit with one standout accessory, softer shapes paired with something a bit sharper.
I think sometimes we can overcomplicate getting dressed, when actually a lot of the inspiration we need is already out there.
If you've been in Joyfully Dressed a while, you'll probably start to notice you're naturally drawn to certain colours or combinations, and that's usually a really good clue that you're honing in on your style.
Next time you're in a gallery, or even just scrolling past a piece of art online, have a little look at it through that lens.
Not "do I like this?"
But "what is it about this that works?"
Because more often than not, you can bring a little bit of that into what you're wearing.
If you spot something this week, a painting, a print, anything that catches your eye, I'd love to see it in the group and an attempt to dress like it!
Looks like that Art History degree came in useful after all ;)