Preamble
For your convenience I have listed other posts in this series:
The Effect of Fabric Designs
The Effects of Fabric on Your Figure
Introduction
Lines and textures (see above posts) do not offer the only bag of tricks at your disposal for creating optical illusions and enhancing the effects you wish to achieve with respect to your outside appearance. Colors can also be used to add to or enhance your appearance.
Although there are hundreds and hundreds of different hues, they all are derived from three basic colors namely, red, yellow and blue - which are called the primary colors.
When two primary colors are combined in equal parts, secondary colors such as orange, green and purple are created (see above figure). This type of combination can continue to give us an infinite variety of colors that we see all around us.
Colors may vary in other ways too. Depending on whether they are mixed with white or black, they have qualities of lightness and darkness which are known as values.
To determine the value of a color that you’re studying, imagine where it would fall on a black and white value scale. A primary red is usually around a value 5.
Colors also have a brightness or dullness which is described as intensity.
All of these factors can affect the way your eye will react to a color, so it is important you know just what effects color can have on your visual appearance.
I have written a post on the psychology of color, which you might refer to get a better appreciation of how colors temper our emotions see - Psychology of Color
Today's post will concentrate on how color can flatter your appearance.
Remember: Never be ashamed of your body shape! Clothes are there not only to keep you warm and to complement your appearance, but more importantly they advertise to the world your personality!
Burgundy long-sleeve lace chiffon celebrity dress. Oprah Winfrey at the 2014 BAFTAs Red Carpet wearing a plus size evening gown.
The General Effects of Color on Appearance
Colors can make you feel warmer or cooler; they can make your figure look larger or smaller. Some hues will cause your skin to appear clear and lovely; others might tinge it with unpleasant red or yellow tones. Moreover, it is no accident that cosmetic companies have produced facial powders/creams/colorants to enhance women's facial skin tones that men generally never need to wear!
In terms of comfort, red and orange garments appear to give the impression of warmth; blue and blue-violet of coolness. Dark colors and black, which absorb light also make you feel warmer because of the absorbed heat, whereas white or light color garments, which reflect light, actually make you feel cooler. Hence, color garments reflect the physical requirements of seasonal weather.
Dale of Norway Valle Sweater Women's (Black).
As far as size is concerned, hues containing red or yellow are called advancing colors; they make an object seem closer and in turn larger. On the other hand colors that are blue are receding; they make an object seem further away and of course smaller.
Compare how these two women appear from a psychological point of view.
However, value and intensity also influence the appearance of size, so that it is not a given that a red dress will make you look larger than a blue dress. A bright crimson may increase the appearance of size, but a dark grey-red will probably not affect the appearance of your figure at all.
A good way to test how color affects appearance is to look at your feet in white, and in black shoes; in shiny patent leather and in suéde.
Facial Flattery
Tones of skin, hair and eyes vary so widely that it is impossible to give definite rules for color selection that will be flattering to everyone. Probably the best results are obtained by actually testing colors against your face, to discover which hues give the best effect with individual combinations of skin, hair and eyes.
Generally, skin is considered first when selecting a color for a costume. For light coloured people skin tones are composed of varying amounts of red and yellow and so you will want to subdue any predominance of either of these tones. By remembering the color will be emphasised both by repetition and contrast you will avoid complementary colors such as green if your skin is ruddy, or purple if you skin is sallow. You won't chose yellow if there is a predominance of yellow in your skin tone, or red if there is too much red. Usually dark colors greyed in tone are becoming on a person with a florid complexion but should be avoided if the skin is yellow.
On the other hand, if you have a darker skin tone, then generally dark colors should be avoided.
Remember, these guidelines are not hard-and--fast set rules, so if you want to wear a color that's not on your skin tone color pallet, do so because nine times out of ten, your personality and how you project it, outweighs all other considerations.
The power of white to reflect light and black to absorb it should also be considered when choosing colors to be worn next to your face. Black seems to remove the color from your skin. This is the reason for wearing a light collar on a dark dress for a light colored person.
Although a dark color can create a dramatic effect if worn by a person with a clear white skin, it is usually but not always best for a person with a pale complexion to avoid it. Large amounts of a bright color will have the same effect. To emphasise the pink tones in your cheeks, greens and blue-greens are often worn.
If you skin is dark in tone, you will find blue-greens especially becoming.
Greyed medium colors will usually be more appealing for skin dark in tone, than the very bright, light to dark.
To emphasise the color in your hair, you will find that light colors make black and brown hair seem darker, whereas dark colors will emphasise the golden highlights in blond hair.
Marilyn Monroe in a little black dress.
Sometimes a person with lovely eyes wants to highlight this facial feature. For females this can be done by repeating the colors of the eyes in small amounts of a bright color, large amounts of a greyed one, or by using complementary colors.
Figure Flattery
Although colors are often chosen to enhance the beauty of the face, their effect on the figure should not be forgotten. Remember: dark, grey and receding colors make the figure appear smaller, whereas light, bright and advancing colors generally make it seem larger. Although black makes the figure look smaller it clearly defines the figure outline. If you want a figure outline to be more diffuse use instead medium grey colors that will blend in more readily with the background.
Long lace dress.
A female who is tall and has a well-proportioned figure can wear all types of colors. She can even introduce strong color contrasts in her outfit, dividing her costume into definite parts.
The tall, angular figure can also use color in many ways. Two-color costumes will be good. They give an illusion of soft roundness, which will only add to her appearance.
The tall, heavy figure should wear color with care. Colors which should be avoided are those which will add bulk to her figure. Greyed medium colors that make the outline indefinite will be best. Sometimes a front panel of a light color will create a slimming illusion.
Note the white ribbon outline gives the illusion of an hour glass figure for this tall woman.
The short, slender figure will find one-colour costumes most flattering. Designs using two colors such as a light blouse and dark skirt should be avoided.
Note: The two costume outfit makes this female appear heavier.
The short, stout figure should also wear one-colour costumes. Dark or medium-value colors will make the heavy figure appear taller and thinner. Light and bright clothes as well as costumes that have a definite contrast in color, should be avoided.
When the figure is out of proportion in certain areas, it is best to wear medium grey colors. Light and bright colors, as well as sharp contrasts, will only highlight what you are avoiding to highlight.
For your convenience I have listed other posts in this series:
The Effect of Fabric Designs
The Effects of Fabric on Your Figure
Introduction
Lines and textures (see above posts) do not offer the only bag of tricks at your disposal for creating optical illusions and enhancing the effects you wish to achieve with respect to your outside appearance. Colors can also be used to add to or enhance your appearance.
Although there are hundreds and hundreds of different hues, they all are derived from three basic colors namely, red, yellow and blue - which are called the primary colors.
When two primary colors are combined in equal parts, secondary colors such as orange, green and purple are created (see above figure). This type of combination can continue to give us an infinite variety of colors that we see all around us.
Colors may vary in other ways too. Depending on whether they are mixed with white or black, they have qualities of lightness and darkness which are known as values.
Colors also have a brightness or dullness which is described as intensity.
All of these factors can affect the way your eye will react to a color, so it is important you know just what effects color can have on your visual appearance.
I have written a post on the psychology of color, which you might refer to get a better appreciation of how colors temper our emotions see - Psychology of Color
Today's post will concentrate on how color can flatter your appearance.
Remember: Never be ashamed of your body shape! Clothes are there not only to keep you warm and to complement your appearance, but more importantly they advertise to the world your personality!
The General Effects of Color on Appearance
Colors can make you feel warmer or cooler; they can make your figure look larger or smaller. Some hues will cause your skin to appear clear and lovely; others might tinge it with unpleasant red or yellow tones. Moreover, it is no accident that cosmetic companies have produced facial powders/creams/colorants to enhance women's facial skin tones that men generally never need to wear!
In terms of comfort, red and orange garments appear to give the impression of warmth; blue and blue-violet of coolness. Dark colors and black, which absorb light also make you feel warmer because of the absorbed heat, whereas white or light color garments, which reflect light, actually make you feel cooler. Hence, color garments reflect the physical requirements of seasonal weather.
As far as size is concerned, hues containing red or yellow are called advancing colors; they make an object seem closer and in turn larger. On the other hand colors that are blue are receding; they make an object seem further away and of course smaller.
Compare how these two women appear from a psychological point of view.
However, value and intensity also influence the appearance of size, so that it is not a given that a red dress will make you look larger than a blue dress. A bright crimson may increase the appearance of size, but a dark grey-red will probably not affect the appearance of your figure at all.
A good way to test how color affects appearance is to look at your feet in white, and in black shoes; in shiny patent leather and in suéde.
Facial Flattery
Tones of skin, hair and eyes vary so widely that it is impossible to give definite rules for color selection that will be flattering to everyone. Probably the best results are obtained by actually testing colors against your face, to discover which hues give the best effect with individual combinations of skin, hair and eyes.
Generally, skin is considered first when selecting a color for a costume. For light coloured people skin tones are composed of varying amounts of red and yellow and so you will want to subdue any predominance of either of these tones. By remembering the color will be emphasised both by repetition and contrast you will avoid complementary colors such as green if your skin is ruddy, or purple if you skin is sallow. You won't chose yellow if there is a predominance of yellow in your skin tone, or red if there is too much red. Usually dark colors greyed in tone are becoming on a person with a florid complexion but should be avoided if the skin is yellow.
On the other hand, if you have a darker skin tone, then generally dark colors should be avoided.
Remember, these guidelines are not hard-and--fast set rules, so if you want to wear a color that's not on your skin tone color pallet, do so because nine times out of ten, your personality and how you project it, outweighs all other considerations.
The power of white to reflect light and black to absorb it should also be considered when choosing colors to be worn next to your face. Black seems to remove the color from your skin. This is the reason for wearing a light collar on a dark dress for a light colored person.
Although a dark color can create a dramatic effect if worn by a person with a clear white skin, it is usually but not always best for a person with a pale complexion to avoid it. Large amounts of a bright color will have the same effect. To emphasise the pink tones in your cheeks, greens and blue-greens are often worn.
If you skin is dark in tone, you will find blue-greens especially becoming.
Greyed medium colors will usually be more appealing for skin dark in tone, than the very bright, light to dark.
To emphasise the color in your hair, you will find that light colors make black and brown hair seem darker, whereas dark colors will emphasise the golden highlights in blond hair.
Sometimes a person with lovely eyes wants to highlight this facial feature. For females this can be done by repeating the colors of the eyes in small amounts of a bright color, large amounts of a greyed one, or by using complementary colors.
Figure Flattery
Although colors are often chosen to enhance the beauty of the face, their effect on the figure should not be forgotten. Remember: dark, grey and receding colors make the figure appear smaller, whereas light, bright and advancing colors generally make it seem larger. Although black makes the figure look smaller it clearly defines the figure outline. If you want a figure outline to be more diffuse use instead medium grey colors that will blend in more readily with the background.
A female who is tall and has a well-proportioned figure can wear all types of colors. She can even introduce strong color contrasts in her outfit, dividing her costume into definite parts.
The tall, heavy figure should wear color with care. Colors which should be avoided are those which will add bulk to her figure. Greyed medium colors that make the outline indefinite will be best. Sometimes a front panel of a light color will create a slimming illusion.
The short, slender figure will find one-colour costumes most flattering. Designs using two colors such as a light blouse and dark skirt should be avoided.
The short, stout figure should also wear one-colour costumes. Dark or medium-value colors will make the heavy figure appear taller and thinner. Light and bright clothes as well as costumes that have a definite contrast in color, should be avoided.
When the figure is out of proportion in certain areas, it is best to wear medium grey colors. Light and bright colors, as well as sharp contrasts, will only highlight what you are avoiding to highlight.
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