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Friday, April 22, 2016

Fashion Basics: Flatter With Color

Monochromatic
Although all of the design elements are important to project the image you want, strategic use of color is probably the most important weapon in your styling arsenal.


Color attracts the eye; it is the first thing the eye registers; Color pulls the eye , color is what people notice first. Even the most clueless male will make a comment on how "nice", or "pretty"  a woman looks when she wears a flattering color. (Women, of course, will specifically compliment you on the color choice.!)

Shiny and bright colors command immediate attention; dull and smokey colors fade into a background; hence our use of words "pop a bit of color"; or a color is a "neutral"; (a color that is not particularly noticeable on its own, and that will fade into the backgrounds). even white; white has to be very bright before it attracts the eye-hence "winter white" being the neutral.


The use of a monochromatic color (any color) scheme usually makes a woman look more slender, more polished, taller, etc., When used thoughtfully, it will usually flatter any body type. However, you do need to understand the effect and the prevailing guide lines for color mixing and the potential negative effects that you might have to overcome.  Fortunately, most of them can be easily remedied.

Monochrome can be boring; It is important to use a bit of personal styling to make overall use of one color interesting.  you have the danger of looking like you were dipped in a dye vat; You don't see it much anymore, however, most of us older stylinistas can remember when many women dressed head to to in one color that had to match exactly.  Often, the only color in an outfit would be the gold of jewelry worn with stones the same color of the outfit; even the eye shadow was in the same shade! (I must admit I was one of these for some time, and I still prefer monochromatic dressing as it suits my body type and aesthetic in so many ways). 

Monochromatic dressing can look  like a "uniform" , One does have to use other artistic considerations to pump up one color outfits.  A woman can break up the shade of the color; use the same tone, but use light and dark values to relieve a bit of the monotony. This keeps the line of color long, especially if carried through to the toe or hat. 

Other interesting things one can do to minimize the negatives of dye vat dressing is to mix up your textures and fabrics.  No one need adhere to perfectly matched materials. Move out of the conventional comfort zone (tastefully, of course); a bit of leather with lace, high grade polyester is now worn with everything, even wool and cashmere; the most exclusive designers are using all forms of man made materials and mixing them up in their  collections. Any change in texture or tone will relieve any feeling of "old fashioned" or the monotony associated with one color dressing.
Monochromatic tone on tone 

Using a broad base of one color and using small colorful accents to "pop" attention to your figure assets is another way to use color to your advantage.  Accessories or tops and bottoms broken by an undergarment such as a shell or tank break up the monotony of only one color.  There is so much you can do just by experimenting. Monochromatic dressing is usually defined as a color scheme that is approximately 75-80% or more the same color.

A woman can do a lot with just a bit of accent color and accessories. Remember, prints that are significantly prominent in the color of your chosen solid also can be qualified as monochromatic, especially if you use the classic solid color jacket (sweater), and lower garment, and use a shell top with the same color print.

Color is a powerful tool; If all over use of one color makes a body appear taller and thinner, the use of contrasting color on top and bottom garments will make a woman appear shorter.  High waisted garments in one color make the lower body appear longer, etc. Women who choose to wear shoes and hose in the same color and tones instantly project a polished appearance while lengthening the overall body and legs.

Color can also attract or detract from areas of the body; darker and dull colors tend to make an area of the body appear smaller; lighter or brighter colors can be used to emphasize your best assets. Color changes should be strategically evaluated as to where they occur on the body as  that part of the body will be emphasized. Strategic use of color can also be used to boost or downplay inside lines of a garment. 

The greatest problems occur when one chooses the wrong colors.  Although any color has most of the same principles ,(the same color will produce different illusions depending upon what colors are used together) it is vastly important that you choose the right colors for YOU, That does not mean what some arbitrary pamphlet of color of your "season", or whatever new diet of color in fashion tells you to use.  The incorrect use of color is especially devastating on the mature women because our skin color changes as we age, and we simply fail to take note of the need for a re-evaluation.  The wrong color choice is also more devastating on older skin. 

I firmly believe in color analysis; the theory of choosing the right colors for you is very sound. (Some women absolutely glow when they wear certain colors, some look drained, tired, sallow in certain colors.)  The danger comes from inadequate understanding of color, often by a 'colorist' who really has little or no understanding themselves and use blanket "rules" that simply do not apply to everyone.  Most colorists have a "four size fits all approach" based on skin tone, (warm or cool), hair color (brunette, redhead, blond, grey), and eye color (blue, brown, hazel).  Right away, you see just with those combinations (basic, mind you) you would need a minimum of 120 swatches of a specific color just to align to the "season" approach.  I have never seen 120 swatches of blue offered to help me choose my best shade.!!  Even with all that, generalizations occur.  

One of my former managers was a slave to her color chart; a conventional "fall", with reddish hair, brown eyes, and a warm brown skin tone.  Unfortunately, she missed many opportunities for "rocking her age" because she would not even try on newer shades of color than were in her swatches.  I also had a co-worker during those same years who looked marvelous in all her suggested winter colors except the suggested shade of fuschia she was given.  The color accentuated the veining in her cheeks and neck that was simply unattractive.  One other important note: colors are chosen for each season far ahead of time.  Different "committees" determine the shades of colors and how much of it you will see.  Those colors rarely match the swatches given by the color stylists.  Trying those colors next to your own skin is the only way to be certain, and gaining a certain amount of knowledge of color theory (color wheel) will give you the ammunition you need to plan ahead for appropriate color mixing.
Monochromatic +line

Through trial and error I have discovered that most of the colors suggested for "summer" actually work better for me. Just like other fashion rules, your best choice of colors are individual, and do not necessarily "fit a box".  One of the best markers (beside your mirror, of course) is the unsolicited admiration of others.  If you wear a garment of a certain color and you get "raves" all day, you can be pretty certain the color looks good on you.  As we age, we do need to evaluate if last years color choices are still the best for us now. I will be re-evaluating many of garments in my closet because of the significant change in the color of my hair.

In all of the above pictures, you can see the influences of monochrome dressing I use in my own day to day clothing choices. ( It is not that I am so vain that I want to keep myself in pictures, but using them in pictures of me in my daily wear illustrate my results from using the design elements).  Of course, most of these are casual, but that is my usual "role". 

As the new fashion season emerges, now might be the time you consider taking a closer look at the colors of your garments (when worn on you!).  Are they your personal best?  I believe of all the elements, if I had to choose one and only one as being the most important, it would be color.

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