The Beauty of Color

The most important fashion word for Spring 2008 is “color.”  After a season of neutrals, color is the key trend for spring.

My favorite quotation about color is by an English poet of the 18^th century who wrote, “Persons are often misled in regard to their choice of dress by attending to the beauty of colors, rather than selecting such colors as may increase their own beauty.” This quotation is the basis for my overall philosophy on color.

You may not realize that you are an artist everyday. Before you leave your house, you must put on clothing. You and your outfit become one work of art. Suppose your portrait was painted right now using two completely different color palettes. What if one palette was used to paint your face and the other was used to paint your outfit. Well guess what?! They would most likely have no resemblance or coordination. Your hair color, eye color, skin color and the red tone in your face are your body colors and are always going to be part of your daily work of art. Since you cannot leave your head at home, it is important that you wear clothing colors that are in harmony with your body colors in order to create the perfect masterpiece.

Does this sound too complicated? It isn’t. For those of you who have already had your colors analyzed, this article is a refresher course. If you have not had a custom color analysis, then it is time to make your appointment and let us train your eyes to see color. You probably see color, but do not recognize how it affects your overall perception of a composition–in our case, the human body.

Here are four color guidelines to remember when putting your outfit together in the morning. 

Number 1: Would your natural body colors make a pretty print with that outfit?

You are trying to decide if two fabric prints could be worn together. One print is composed of your four body colors. The other print is composed of the colors in your outfit. Do you like the look of all the colors in the two prints together? Do they seem to go together? Are they in balance and harmony with one another? If not, then don’t wear the outfit. Wear the colors that compliment your own natural body colors because, remember, you can’t leave your head at home.

For example: Susie has dark brown hair, olive-green eyes, creamy beige skin and peachy red blush tones. Would gray and white be in balance and harmony with her body coloring? No, it would be too cool and ashy and she would look washed out. A better choice would be chocolate brown and rust.

Another example: Janet has ash blonde hair, light teal eyes, pale beige skin and a rosy red tone to her skin. Would Susie’s chocolate brown and rust in harmony with Janet’s coloring? No, it would be too warm and dark for her. Instead, a light gray and soft coral pink would compliment her natural cool coloring.

Number 2: Do the “Blink Test”. Does your outfit scream first?

Never wear clothes that talk first, which means that you see the color long before you see the person. Bright colors are distracting to the eye; therefore, if you wear a color that is brighter than your face, a person will have a hard time focusing on you. Wearing an electric, bright color is difficult for most people to pull off. To test a color, put on the outfit and shut your eyes while standing in front of a mirror. When you open your eyes, where do your eyes go first, to the outfit or your face? If they are going to the outfit (bright yellow, orange) then it is too bright for you.

Number 3: Is your outfit too dark for you?

Never wear a color around your face that is darker than your darkest body color. If you have black hair – congratulations, you will look great in black! When I wear a black jacket, my face goes deadly white. No matter how much makeup I apply, I still look washed out. From the examples above, neither woman should wear black. Susie should wear dark brown for her neutral and Janet’s neutral should be a light ash brown.

Black: Everyone can wear black, just not around their face. A black skirt or pants is a better option. If you must wear black, always wear one of your beautiful colors around your face with the black skirt or pants. It might not be your best color, but at least it is not around your face reflecting dark shadows or washing you out.

Number 4: Is the contrast in your outfit overwhelming you?

Create as much contrast in your outfit as you have in your natural coloring. I have pale blue-gray eyes and light skin. I used to have light blonde highlights all over my head, so when I changed to my natural light brown hair color there was a dramatic difference in my appearance. With blonde hair, I had no contrast between my hair, eyes, and skin color. I was all pale, making it difficult to wear color. My entire palette seemed washed out. Now with darker hair, I have medium to high contrast between my hair and skin tone. I can wear so many more colors and color combinations.

Unless you have black hair and pale white skin (like Snow White), you will not look good in the highest contrast, Black and White. Although this is shown in every magazine, this color combination is visually overpowering for most women. Do not be a fashion victim!

Come to us to learn how to wear all the wonderful colors this season. Do not buy a single spring garment until you are confident of your colors. We will teach you which ones will make you look great and which ones to avoid. Learn how to become your own beautiful masterpiece every single day.