Color and Personal Fashion Impact

Our guest post today comes from Cynthia Sliwa, AICI CIP, an image consultant. Cynthia writes a blog called Jewels on Jewels and is the co-author of Jewelry Savvy. She lives in Los Angeles, but presents workshops and has clients across the country. She tackles the challenging question of analyzing the best colors for a person to wear, an area I am totally unfamiliar with. So I'm thrilled to get a different perspective for you.

Color and Personal Fashion Impact

The stereotypical artist or designer dresses in black – think Donna Karan, Vera Wang and much of Manhattan. Black is chic. Black is easy dressing. And, as an image consultant who styles clothing and accessories for my clients, I can understand how eliminating color from my own wardrobe might help me focus on the gorgeous colors I am using with my clients.
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However, as an image consultant, I am also mindful of how the power of color can work for me personally. Color demands attention, of course, and knowledgeably wearing color helps establish in the eye of the viewer an appreciation of one’s mastery of color.

Personal color analysis has come a long way since Carole Jackson introduced the concept to the public using a four seasons approach in her book, Color Me Beautiful, in the 80’s.
The skin, hair and eyes of an individual form the basis for an analysis of an individual’s personal color palette.

A sophisticated personal color system today, such as that of Carla Mathis’s Body Beautiful Institute, the system I use with my clients, goes well beyond a determination of cool versus warm coloration. Her system is based upon color resonances and a study and understanding of how pure pigments are lightened (washed or tinted), darkened (shaded), or otherwise modified (toasted or muted with grey or a color’s complement).

In considering how to demonstrate the power of color on an individual’s personal impact, I stumbled upon a mother lode of photos from the 2008 Cannes Film Festival posted on www.people.com. Let’s look at how different colors on the same individual make a difference in the impression that person makes.

Model #1: Cate Blanchett
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In this first photo, she wears a purple and black dress (designer not identified) that completely overwhelms her delicate coloring.
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In the second photo, she wears a softer color, a shade of taupe, in a ruffled gown by Armani Prive. What a difference a color can make! Now you see the woman, not just the dress.
Model #2: Eva Longoria
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The brightness of this peacock feather mini dress might overwhelm a woman with softer coloring, like Cate Blanchett, but on Eva Longoria, it’s gorgeous. Her vibrant personality supports the intensity of the hues.
Model #3: Salma Hayek
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Here’s another beautiful green dress, this one by Balenciaga, but it’s rendered in a tinted hue that doesn’t complement the personal coloring of the actress. We lose sight of the woman and see only the dress.

Model #4: Natalie Portman
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She wears a bright violet ruffled dress by Lanvin that has you staring at the dress, not the woman. The color doesn’t flatter.
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Lanvin didn’t do her any favors at least twice – here’s the actress in overly bright cobalt blue, again, not an optimal hue. Any thoughts on why this doesn't work for her?
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And then – at last! Another Lanvin creation, this one in red, that works with her skin color and allows the actress to dazzle.
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I end with a photo of Natalie in Chanel Couture and yes, she’s wearing what appears to be black, although a caption identified the dress as dark navy. Sometimes even the most dedicated color aficionado wants to wear black to make a statement because, after all, he or she is an artist!

If you are interested in learning more about professional image consultants, check out Association of Image Consultants International.

So, now a question for you. How are you at determining which colors look best on you? When you wear a particular color shirt and get complimented on how nice you look, does it make sense? What works for you? Any idea why? Please share!