Color Story: Complementary Colors

The use of complementary colors is a common styling trick, but for me, it never gets old.  You all remember the color wheel, don’t you?  Complementary colors are those that are on opposite sides of the wheel:  blue and orange; red and green; purple and yellow.  At first glance, these combinations can seem stark or cartoonish (or Christmas-y!), but my theory is that they are taken directly from nature.  Check out the examples:

Indigo blue and Flame orange; photo by C. G. Martinez

Collection from Polyvore

Magenta crab apple blossoms are striking against the leaves of green

Marc Jacobs 2009

Sunshine yellow and dark violet pansies

Oda dress from Bumblesea

How about you?  How do you choose colors to complement your outfits?  Are you as crazy about complementary colors as I am?