Fashion Trends and Colour
FoundationFashion trends combine colour, style, material and pattern. Primary colours red, yellow and blue mix into orange, green and purple; colour schemes are monochromatic, analogous or contrasting. Colours suit personality and occasion, shapes flatter body types, and designs follow the design cycle from need to improvement.
- Trends combine colour, style, material and pattern, cycling with culture and technology
- Primaries red, yellow and blue cannot be mixed; two primaries make the secondaries orange, green and purple
- Three schemes: monochromatic is soft, analogous harmonious, complementary striking
文體小知識：生活科技說明文：介紹色彩與設計元素等概念，並以生活例子示範如何欣賞服裝、運用配色。
§Text Passage
1Shop windows change their star outfits every few months — that is fashion. Trends are made of colour, cut, material and pattern, shaped by culture, technology and media, ever cycling; learning to watch trends is where fashion sense begins.
2Colour is fashion's loudest language. On the wheel, red, yellow and blue are primaries; mixed in pairs they give the secondaries orange, green and purple. There are rules: monochromatic schemes are soft and dignified, analogous schemes harmonious, complementary schemes striking; warm colours are lively, cool colours calm — match them to personality and occasion.
3Beyond colour, form and shape matter just as much: straight cuts lengthen and sharpen, curves soften, horizontal lines widen and vertical lines lengthen. Designs should consider different body types and use lines to balance proportions; occasion matters too — uniform, sportswear and formal dress each have their duty.
4To appreciate a design, reason from five angles — colour, shape, material, function and occasion; to design new clothing, follow the design cycle from need to improvement. Designing the class T-shirt is the perfect practice ground for these elements and principles.
1Summary 重點摘要
Fashion trends combine colour, style, material and pattern. Primary colours red, yellow and blue mix into orange, green and purple; colour schemes are monochromatic, analogous or contrasting. Colours suit personality and occasion, shapes flatter body types, and designs follow the design cycle from need to improvement.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The garment styles, colours and materials popular in a period, ever-changing with culture and technology.
Red, yellow and blue — colours that cannot be mixed from others.
Orange, green and purple — each mixed from two primaries in equal parts.
The plan of main and matching colours for a design, e.g. monochromatic or contrasting.
Red, orange and yellow feel warm and lively; blue, green and purple feel calm and steady.
The basic ingredients of a design, such as colour, form and shape, line and pattern.
The overall outline a garment makes on the body, e.g. straight or A-line.
Clothing chosen to match the formality and nature of an activity, e.g. uniform, formal wear, sportswear.
The design flow from identifying needs, researching and sketching ideas to making samples and improving.
The ability to appreciate and judge garment design using colour, style and other elements.
3Step by step Steps
- What is a fashion trendA fashion trend is the style, colour and material popular in society at a given time, constantly evolving under the influence of culture, technology, media and the economy. Its basic elements are colour, cut and style, material and pattern. For example, wide-leg trousers are popular again, though they first appeared decades ago — trends come round in cycles; waterproof breathable fabrics have made sportswear everyday wear, showing how technology changes trends. Training your eye for trends is the first step of fashion sense.
- Primary and secondary coloursColour is the most important design element in fashion. On the colour wheel the primary colours are red, yellow and blue — they cannot be mixed from other colours. Mix two primaries in equal amounts and you get the secondary colours: red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, blue and red make purple. Laid in order on the wheel, these colours form a map for every colour scheme. For example, class T-shirts often use primary red on white for a bright, striking look, while school team kits pair blue with yellow to look sharp from far away.
- Three classic colour schemesThree schemes cover most needs: monochromatic colour uses shades of one hue — light blue with dark blue — soft and layered; analogous colour takes neighbours on the wheel, such as yellow with green, harmonious and natural; complementary colour takes opposites, such as purple with yellow — eye-catching and energetic, but the areas must be balanced. For example, school uniforms favour dark blue or dark green with white for a dignified look, while stage costumes use bold contrasts that pop under the lights. Fix the main colour first, then add small accent colours, avoiding a free-for-all of hues.
- Warm, cool and personalityColours divide into warm and cool by the feelings they give: red, orange and yellow recall sunlight and flame, feeling lively and warm; blue, green and purple recall sea and forest, feeling calm and steady. Colour can match personality and occasion: a cheerful student glows in warm colours, a quieter one may prefer cool or deep tones. For example, interviews and stage speeches usually call for steady colours like blue and white to look dependable, while birthday parties welcome warm colours for a festive mood. No colour is absolutely better — the right match is what makes it beautiful.
- Form and shapeThe other basic elements of garment design are form and shape: straight cutting looks sharp and lengthens, curves soften, horizontal lines widen the figure and vertical lines lengthen it; square, round and triangular styles each carry their own mood. Designers must consider different body types and use lines and shapes to balance proportions. For example, a petite student looks taller in straight-leg trousers and a cropped jacket; horizontal stripes broaden the figure while vertical stripes slim it. Using shape to suit the body is what makes clothes truly flatter the wearer.
- Dress for the occasionClothing should match the occasion — the foundation of dress planning: the school uniform stands for a student's identity and must be neat and clean; sport demands sweat-wicking, stretchy kit; home calls for loose, comfortable clothes; grand occasions like weddings or graduation call for formal wear. For example, hiking in a school uniform is both awkward and unsuitable, while sportswear in the hall looks disrespectful — the same garment means different things in different settings. Judging what an occasion demands, then matching colour and style to it, is fashion sense in its most practical form.
- Appreciation and the design cycleTo appreciate a design, examine it from five angles — colour, shape, material, function and occasion; real appreciation means saying why it looks good. To create a new product, follow the design cycle: identify the need, research, sketch ideas, make a sample, test and evaluate, then improve. For example, when designing a class T-shirt, first ask classmates about price and comfort, study colour schemes and graphics, vote on sketches, order a sample to try on, and revise before ordering — the design cycle applied in full, and the product is more popular for it.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: the class committee is ordering class T-shirts for everyone. Design the colour scheme and justify it.
- Define the need: everyday wear, comfortable and washable, affordable, with class identity
- Choose the main colour: the class votes for dark blue — steady, dirt-tolerant and suiting everyone
- Add the accents: white lettering and a small orange class number, contrasting without glare
- Consider shape and material: a straight cut suits all body types; a cotton-polyester blend washes well
- Answer: The proposal is a dark blue body with white lettering and an orange class number: dark blue is a cool, dignified colour that hides dirt for daily wear; white reads clearly, and the orange appears only as a small accent, adding energy without stealing focus. The straight cut plus cotton-polyester blend fits different body types and survives frequent washing. The plan moves step by step from need to main colour to accents to material — design elements and principles applied in practice.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Which three colours are the primaries on the colour wheel? Name the three secondaries they make.
Q2Dark blue with light blue is which colour scheme? What feeling does it give?
Q3Why do straight-leg trousers and a cropped jacket suit a petite figure?
Q4What does each of school uniform, sportswear and home wear focus on?
Q5Describe the main steps of ordering a class T-shirt using the design cycle.
8Recap Recap
- Trends combine colour, style, material and pattern, cycling with culture and technology
- Primaries red, yellow and blue cannot be mixed; two primaries make the secondaries orange, green and purple
- Three schemes: monochromatic is soft, analogous harmonious, complementary striking
- Warm colours energise, cool colours steady; match colour to personality and occasion
- Dress for the occasion; design follows the cycle: need, research, ideas, sample, evaluate, improve