color blocking

noun

: the use of usually bold and bright blocks of color in clothing design

Color blocking is making bold style statements through the combination of relatively large areas of two to three solid colors.

—Betsy DiJulio, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), 5 Jan. 2013

Designers are incorporating color blocking and … neons into swimwear.

—Holly Leber, The Chattanooga (Tennessee) Times Free Press, 16 Apr. 2012

color-blocked adjective

or color-block

… loose color-blocked pairings like a midcalf magenta skirt worn with a long cobalt tank.

—Harper's Bazaar, November 2010

A guy in a suit and yellow V-neck sweater with a color-block scarf flung over his shoulder waits for his order …

—Devra First, The Boston Globe, 9 Mar. 2014

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

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