Colour MATTERS!
"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." - Pablo Picasso
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We're all aware that certain colours can have dramatic affects on our mood, feelings and even actions. Colour is very much a communication tool we often utilize when we are feeling strong emotions. The colours we wear can trigger sentiments not only for ourselves but for others too. Naturally most of our feelings towards colours are fairly personal and relative to your own experiences and culture.
Colour experts say that warm colours, namely, red, orange and yellow stir up feelings ranging from comfort to anger and hostility.
On the flip side, cool colours (blue, purple and green) tend to be described as giving a sense of calm to people but are also linked to feelings of sadness and indifference.
Ultimately, while experts have found that colour can have an influence on how we feel and function, these effects are subject to personal, cultural, and situational factors.
So, what are you wearing?
If you took a quick sticky in your wardrobe there would undoubtedly be a couple of staple colours in there, the colours that you feel good in, you find easy to wear. You may also find another abstract colour that doesn't quite blend in, this is likely the item you purchased, took home, but never wore because of its colour. You put it on, and take it right back off because something about it makes you feel uneasy and certainly not confident. This conundrum occurs when our mood influences our colour choice at the time of purchase, and then that mood leaves (thank god for return policies!). When we are wearing the right colours for us, the overall outcome is a sense of harmony between skin-tone and colour and colour and mood. Colourists say that if you wear colours of your season, you will feel more comfortable and confident wearing them!
There are some general mood and behavioural concepts behind colours, here's a couple of brief but interesting colour breakdowns worth thinking about, because we can actually tweak our mood by the colours we wear!
Red is a bold and confident colour, however can also indicate other fiery elements like aggression, stress or even anger. If you notice that you're exhibiting these attributes try to reduce the amount of red you wear even by way of breaking it up with a jacket of a calmer colour. It's best to avoid red clothes if you are already overactive, as the brain is highly stimulated by red, more so than other colours. Instead try a complimentary colour! :)
Yellow often the times we feel like wearing yellow, it's because it's because we need colourful pick-me-up. However, wearing too much yellow is said to intensify feelings of insecurity or fear. By balancing colours with their complementariness, one can counteract the affects of the other.
Green there are various tones of green, and each may make you feel different, negatively or positively. Ultimately though, it is supposed that green gives a great sense of balance, for the days when everything feels entirely too frantic. And as a cooler colour does, generates a sense of calm (unless of course it's fluro!)
Blue be it bright, pale or royal is a colour most frequently seen in clothes. Although light blue and navy blue have very different feelings behind them. Deeper tones of blue are often considered power colours for people. Whereas light blue is more associated with fun. All blues however are cool, calm and it has been said that wearing blue pyjamas can help you sleep! (oh if only it were that simple!)
Use Colours and Print Effects to flatter
We can employ simple styling techniques using colour and print to create the illusion of a more balanced look. Below are three pictures of the same dress in different prints. Despite being the same style (and the first image being long-sleeved), you can easily see they appear quite different from one another.
When comparing each one notice where you eye is drawn, does it 'land' on one particular area, does is move up and down or side to side? For example, in the first image your eyes are drawn to the bright border on the sleeves and bottom hem. In the second image your eye will move up and down following the strong vertical pattern effectively lengthening the body. Lastly, the floral print in this dress confuses the eye so that it wont settle in one particular area which is a great way to disguise any problem areas.
This is an easy styling trick to keep in mind and can serve you well to disguise or accentuate areas of your body or to widen/lengthen areas too.
Happy styling Amanda
