Colour is tricky. What looks good on the rack may not look good against your skin. The best clothes and the most sought after labels are a waste, if you pick the wrong colour, shade or tone. So here’s a basic, no-frills, can’t-go-wrong guide to getting it right every time.

1. Start with the basics, more specifically with what you are naturally blessed with:

Skin tone: In a country where fairness products are the order of the day and where people are obsessed with looking shades lighter, I suggest you pick clothes in colours that flatter your natural skin tone.

In general, cold colours (blue, green, purple) work with pale skin tones and warm colours (brown, rust, orange and some shades of yellow) complement dusky skin tones. Neutral colours like black and white suit just about everyone. I personally feel white makes dark people look extremely chic and sensual, while black has the same effect on fair skin tones. Extra tip: If you are wearing metallic tones, whether in clothes or as accessories, remember that gold looks good if you are fair, silver if wheatish and copper if you are dark.

Body Type: If you are slightly plump, overweight, or broadly built – wearing darker colours will always make you look slimmer, taller and leaner. Alternatively, if you are skinny, scrawny or worry about looking anorexic, then lighter colours will give you a fuller, and curvier (at all the right places) appearance. Colours can help you hide, or enhance parts of your body to create a visual illusion that helps overcome ‘problem areas’.