Karoline Dall - The Joy of autumn
In this interview, 34-year-old influencer Karo Dall shares what colours mean to her – and how she uses them to style herself, her daughter and her home in Hellerup. Karo Dall also talks about the colours in her art, and how colour plays a role in their blended family.
What do colours mean to you?
“I think colours are a common thread throughout my whole life. I use colour in my clothes, my home and my cooking, which is super colourful. Someone once wrote to me that I cook the way I dress – full of colour. So I think it’s quite characteristic that, when people think of me, they think of colour. Colourful Karo.”
What can colours do?
“Colours make me happy. And I’m very drawn to them – pink and yellow, for example. I think colours help boost my mood. If it’s a grey, rainy day, just put on a full colour load, and you can’t help but feel happy. I also feel that other people are drawn to me when I dress in colour. They spice up everyday life.”
How did colours come into your life?
“I started out as a fashion assistant at Costume and entered the fashion world, where people wore colour. I hadn’t really worn colour before – well, maybe a red blouse with a red sock – but it was a whole new world opening up to me. And then I started experimenting.”
How have colours shaped your career?
“When I started as an influencer eight years ago, nobody really wore colour. So I was the super colourful profile among a lot of beige. Today, lots of people wear colour, checks and patterns mixed together, but that wasn’t the case back then. In that way, colour has really shaped my career.”
What role do colours play in your relationship?
“My husband has told me – although he may not want to admit it – that he started wearing more colour because I wore colour. Today, he’ll happily wear big pink or green shoes, a green jacket or a tall red hat, so we’re really colourful as a couple. He also thinks colour in the home is lovely; yellow, purple and pink are all welcome. He’s not afraid of colour at all, and I think that’s nice.”
What role do colours play in your blended family?
“I think colours have brought us together in the sense that his daughter – my partner’s daughter – can see that we dress a little differently from most parents. We play a lot with clothes and bounce ideas off each other about what looks cool when we’re styling. If we’re going somewhere and she needs to get ready too, she doesn’t just go upstairs and grab the first thing she finds. She likes to play with it and comes down wearing five different colours and accessories, which we talk about. She mirrors what we do. In that way, I can really see how colour brings us together.”
Where should you start if you want more colour in your wardrobe?
“Jeans are a good base because they go with lots of colours. Put on a blouse in your favourite colour – dark blue, green or yellow, for example. There are no wrong colours to wear with your jeans. Another good tip is that the colour you choose as your main colour should appear twice. So if it’s a yellow blouse, have yellow nails, a yellow bag or a pair of yellow socks that you can just see at your ankle, so the look comes together. You can easily style black, white or earth tones alongside it. Just make sure the yellow appears somewhere else – maybe as a bow in your hair. It doesn’t have to be prominent; it can simply be a small, discreet detail.”
Does that advice apply to styling adults and children?
“I think so. I dress myself and my child by that rule. If she has patterned pink trousers, I make sure there’s a little pink bandana around her neck. It can be any shade of grey sweatshirt or grey shoes, but then there’s a common thread.”
Do you have any rule for colour in the home?
“No, at home it’s a bit more about whatever comes to mind. If you’d like more colour in your home, start with the details. Maybe a big bouquet of pink flowers, coloured candles, throws for the sofa or a colourful painting. Things you can change out, so instead of getting a big purple sofa, you might get a purple throw for your white or beige sofa.”
Which colours should you start with if you want to add more colour to your child’s wardrobe?
“I think light pink and light blue are a good place to start, because they can be mixed and matched. My daughter wears both colours. Again, I’d recommend thinking about scarves, shoes, socks or something patterned, so the neutral pieces are blended with a light-blue or light-pink pattern. That way, it won’t feel too overwhelming if you’ve never dressed your child in colour before.”
Are there any colours this autumn that you’re particularly drawn to when styling?
“It’s no secret that I love pink and light pink. I love playing with pink, styling with pink and using pink in my cooking. Almost all of my paintings have pink in them as a key colour too. I’m also fond of burgundy, even though I have very little of it. But I think that’s also connected to all the burnt colours coming through now with autumn. Burnt orange, for example, is really lovely too.”
What do you style pink with?
“If you want to go bold, style it with yellow and green. If it’s a clear pink, pair it with a clear green or clear yellow and create colour blocking that way. If it’s more baby pink, I think red looks incredibly beautiful with it. That’s a colour combination I’m quite obsessed with at the moment. If you want it toned down, go for light beige. You can also use patterned pink – floral prints or checks – and mix it with black. But remember to bring the pink back somewhere else, so the colour appears twice.”
Do you think there are boys’ colours and girls’ colours?
“I think that’s a difficult one, because I find it easier to dress girls in all colours. It’s also easier to dress girls in floral prints and broderie anglaise, whereas with boys it’s more checks, stripes, blue and green. I know lots of people dress their boys in pink and purple too – you absolutely can – but I’m not sure I would if I had a boy. But ask me again in a few years if I do. I might think differently by then.”
How do you see children’s relationship with colour?
“Children are good at using colour in a playful way. It’s as if there are no rules. They just put on what they think looks nice. I really like that playful approach to colour, where there are no limits. I also find it incredibly fun when I’m styling myself, experimenting across colours and patterns.”
An old saying goes: “Clothes make the person.” When you style your youngest daughter and send her out into the world, what kind of child are you sending out?
“I like her to look cute and for her clothes to go together – while also being comfortable for her to wear. And I actually also like it when other people look at her and think she’s pretty and well dressed. If she has spilled on her clothes and we’re going to the playground, I change her into clean clothes, even though I know they’ll be dirty again in half an hour. Because I like her to look presentable.”
Colours make you happy. What gives you the greatest joy in life?
“My family. I love being at home with them. But I also love colours and feel incredibly drawn to them. For example, I can be very drawn to autumn colours at the moment. But also a blue sea and palm trees when we’re on holiday. I see the colours around me in my everyday life. Peace and quiet make me happy too. I really value time alone, because there’s a lot going on when you’re in a family with children. I rarely talk on the phone or listen to a podcast when I go for a walk, because I just want to be.”
Can colours be used to create calm?
“Yes. I appreciate colour in nature much more than I ever have. For example, I went for a walk in Øregaard Park in spring and enjoyed all the beautiful purple crocuses and rhododendrons as they bloomed.”
Some say orange is the colour of joy. Which colour do you associate with joy?
“I think pink is so beautiful in the home, in children’s clothes, nails and lipstick. I could go on. Pink is my colour of joy, and it has been for many years. If you ask my partner what my favourite colour is, the answer will be pink.”
