Methods of Colour Maintenance

MATCHING YOUR KICKS AND CLOTHES!
With the sheer volume of shoes out there in the market right now, you don’t need to be Martha Stewart to coordinate your outfit. To borrow terminology coined by Dante Ross, the whole ‘fallen into a bag of Skittles’ look has reached its end. Walking around like you’ve just rimmed the rainbow isn’t going to score any points from anyone – and that includes homosexuals, metrosexuals, fauxmosexuals, pumasexuals or even iced-out thugs. A while back I used to work for one of the first online sneaker sites called Crooked Tongues. One of the first editorials I wrote was called ‘Methods Of Colour Maintenance’. It was basically a tongue-in-cheek worksheet on how to take your sneaker and apparel colour matching to the next level. We didn’t realise at the time that my stupidity would register with so many other people out there. You’d have hoped that I would have matured as a writer perhaps, but sadly not. It’s for this reason that I felt it was time to drop an updated version of the article exclusively for Sneaker Freaker.This is a how-to-guide, so for that wholesome old-school feeling, I’m taking it back to bulletpoints! Pay attention at the back, Bueller...

The Key to All Forms of Rocking is Style!

This is where your training comes in useful. Anyone can throw on a yellow Fresh Jive hoodie, some red Moschino jeans and then stick their What The Dunks on, but you risk looking like a retarded toddler. Tone it down. Bring together the colours of your shoes and your clothes with a degree of subtlety. If you insist on wearing those particular Dunks, then why not balance things out with some charcoal shorts, a red tee and a yellow hockey mask. Sure, it’s controversial street attire, but it is unique and far more appealing to the eye.You’ve got your Safaris on with some black denim and an orange sweatshirt. Not bad, but if you’d rocked a grey sweat with an orange shirt just showing underneath you’d have truly upped the ante. Dramatic colours such as orange need confidence and back-up in the form of weapons. Much better to drop some hints than spoil everyone’s day at the office.

Classifications and Naming!

Coming up with a fresh/bizarre name for the style you’ve chosen can excuse you from any criticism if you’ve not really put any effort into your ensemble. For example, if you’ve accidentally left your Kangol on whilst at the skatepark, try something like, ‘It’s cool! I’m rockin’ the ‘Brohampton’ steez today!’ and wait for the understanding headnods of your buddies. Make up any old nonsense, speak with an air of authority and you can get away with wearing anything. Like those Reebok Ice Creams from a while back.

The Wildcard!

The wildcard is for those days when you’re feeling adventurous. You’ve been colour-matching all week and it’s become expected. Jane on reception turns away when you enter the building, Graham’s stopped leaving the strawberry cappuccino on your desk... hell, even Greg no longer takes the blame for your in-the-lift rectal gas. The way to spice things up is to throw a wildcard into the mix. Pick an accessory such as a cap or a belt and sling some unexpectedness into the proceedings with an opposing colour. Just the merest hint of something spicy will have Linda in accounts shaving your back again.

Make It Competative!

There’s always someone else in town who thinks they’re as dope as you. Quite clearly, they’re not. But if they insist on trying to step up, then consider this to be a challenge that you shouldn’t back away from. Get technical by colour-matching the stitching in your denim with the stitching in your gloves. Lull your opponent into a false sense of security by mixing things up, only to be smoothly linked by the colour of your socks and boxers. It’s this extreme level of expertise that will truly keep the colourway crown firmly on your head. Just make sure that you’ve got your gold Opening Ceremony Air Max 87s at hand for the medal dais.

Keep It Fun!

Sometimes it’s all too easy to get caught up in the seriousness of colour co-ordination, to the point where you’ve got a permanent frown on your face. If this has happened to you, then take a step back and inject some fun into your day again. Purposely spill your McDonalds McFlurry down your white sweatshirt and match the stain to your beige Gazelles. Go a step further and match the stains in your boxers to the yellow Wildedge GTX that no one else owns. It’s these carefree and fun elements that will set you apart from the herd of wannabe pantone copycats.

Push The Boundaries!

It’s all very well reading the above pointers and trying to keep to them, but never be afraid to experiment and take matters into your own hands at the drop of a hat. Just remember the limits. There’s never an excuse to break out the Skechers. My personal explorations into the world of colour matching have yet to be concluded, so consider this article one of an on-going series.

Courtesy of: http://www.sneakerfreaker.com