Black only suits 1 in 4 of us
Wearing black truly doesn’t make us look slimmer and only just over a quarter of us actually suit black. There we have said it! However, we all have neutrals and other colours that look incredible on us. Jan Beveridge of House of Colour says: “Black is often worn at work in the belief it symbolises professionalism, prestige and power, however is it memorable? Black absorbs light so less detail is detected by the eye and we hope that lumps or bumps may disappear. However black on the wrong person will drain us and make us look unhealthy, whilst wearing the right colours and styles makes us look attractive and glowing, and we feel good about ourselves.” Jan is quick to point out she is not demonising black clothes. “Black looks gorgeous on some people. It’s just that it only looks good on about 25% of us - the ‘Winters’.”
In the 20th century the Swiss artist Johannes Itten established that each of us has a basic skin pigment which falls into one of four groupings, defined by the unique combination of depth, hue and tone. According to Jan, the pigments in our skin and eye colour determine which colours suit us: we all fall into one of the four seasonal categories which each have an array of colours - some of these will be your ‘wow’ colours. ‘Autumns’ are best suited to soft, warm colours such as rust, and dark olive. ‘Springs’ look best in bright, warm colours like geranium pink and apple green. ‘Summers’ wear soft, cool colours like dusty pink and smoked grape. ‘Winters’ wear bright, cool colours like electric blue and raspberry - and yes, they are the ones that can wear black!
So how does colour really impact our look, mood and indeed how we present ourselves to the world? Jan says: “Many years of research show the effects of light and dark on our well-being. We know that gorgeous colours are mood lifting, which can even affect our physiology, including improving our blood pressure, as well as our mood. Many of us wear dark clothes when we are grieving or low in mood, whilst we wear bright clothes as symbols of hope and positivity. Colour is also proven to have a deep impact on the way people view others, objects and brands, helping us make decisions.”
Clothes are just fabric, but our relationship with our clothes, colour and style is highly influential and sometimes transformative. If your whole wardrobe is full of colours and styles that suit you, it makes getting dressed in the morning a whole lot easier. For more information visit www.houseofcolour.co.uk or contact image consultant Jan Beveridge on 07790 395756, 01822 612243 or via jan.beveridge@houseofcolour.co.uk