Black, black and more black. Many women share with me that black is their go-to color to wear, BUT it’s not always because black feels good. It’s often more because wearing black is ‘easy’ (along with a whole host of other reasons). Hedi, one of my clients, said it well, “There are so many different hues of colors, and I couldn’t decide. So, I got lazy and fell for the easy choice of black!”
As a busy woman, I completely understand that you need getting dressed to be as effortless as possible. I also know you want to look and feel great in what you wear, but sometimes that part of getting dressed takes a backseat to efficiency. When you are being pulled in a million different directions, something has to give, right? But black isn’t always the answer.
If you’re feeling like you’d like to infuse a bit of fun, beauty and radiance into your wardrobe with even less effort, color is a perfect way to do it!
Color is everywhere these days. This is good and bad. It’s good because there is so much color available. It can also feel more challenging because…well…there’s so much color available! As Hedi shared, when you can’t decide what color to choose it’s easy to default to what is safe and familiar and that often means black. The old saying is that, ‘the confused mind always says no.’ In this case, it’s no to color when it’s too hard to figure out which color feels right.
Let’s make wearing color easier and explore two ideas:
- The difference color can make in how you feel in your clothes, and
- How to choose colors when there are so many choices.
1. How Can Color Impact Your Wardrobe (and YOU!)? Color is:
- Powerful. It has the ability to make you feel exhilarated, relaxed, powerful, approachable and so much more depending on what color you choose.
- Expressive. Just tweaking the color of a top you’re wearing can change the way you look and feel. Years ago, I created a color palette for a client. One of the things I told her during our consultation was never wear an entire outfit in beige, especially a drab (for her) beige (and showed her what I meant by that). A couple of weeks later I received an email from her with a funny story. She said she had been cleaning out her closet getting rid of colors that made her look and feel dreary and keeping the ones that matched her palette and she came across a beige dress. She loved the style, but she hadn’t worn it in a while. As she was getting dressed for work the next day, she decided to wear it. What happened surprised her!All day people kept asking her if she felt okay! Yes, color can do that! Finally, she said no and went home early and promptly got rid of the dress.Of course, color can also express positive feelings. As Jackie Zukerman shares, “Being a working mom limits the amount of time I am able to spend in my wardrobe. Plus, shopping definitely felt drabby always wearing my go to blacks and whites and neutral colors. After working with Ginger, I now have brought so much more COLOR into my life! I was NEVER wearing pink before we started working together and now it is one of my favorite go to colors!! Thank you Ginger for making it easier for me to shop and bring more color into my life!”
- Versatile. When you have colors in your wardrobe that flatter your skin, hair and eye colors, you’ll find that they mix and match nicely because they work with your natural coloring. This helps you expand your wardrobe and the outfit options you have. Carol Takvorian says it well, “It’s interesting how when you buy clothes in your colors that suddenly you can start mixing items you bought on separate occasions together. It’s incredible!”
Above all else, color can make you feel radiant, confident and pulled-together. Pam Argandona shares:
“I learned so much about color and styles/patterns from Ginger. I even had fun shopping which I have always dreaded. I could spend hours looking and come up empty handed with only an awful headache to show for it. Now I feel a sense of excitement, and real joy looking for new pieces using my color palette and some of the great tools Ginger has provided for me.”
2. How Do You Choose Colors When There are So Many Choices?
I know it can feel scary to add color if you’re used to sticking with basic neutrals. It’s also possible you had a bad past experience with color. Perhaps, to spice things up a bit, you had purchased a new color but then either you found you never wore it and felt frustrated that it just sat in your closet or you saw a photo of yourself in that color and didn’t like the way it looked on you. When that happens, it is understandable to retreat to colors that feel safe and familiar…like black or gray.
If you’re thinking that you’d love to add color (at least a little bit to start), but you don’t have a personalized color palette and don’t know where to begin, let’s explore the possibilities.
Here are two ideas to get you started:
- Four Colors that Look Good on Everyone!
Yes, you read that right. While personalizing colors means looking at your hair, eyes and skin colors to find which ones harmonize with your natural coloring, there are four colors that tend to look really good on everyone.They are forest green, periwinkle, watermelon and deep teal. These colors have a lovely blend of warmth and coolness to work on a variety of skin tones.
Sadly, periwinkle tends to be difficult to find, but when you see it, grab it! It’s a lovely shade of blue with a touch of purple in it to keep the blue from being too cool.
- Wear Your Natural Colors.
An easy way to feel super comfortable in your colors and have the added bonus of looking very approachable is to wear your natural colors. By this I mean, wear shades of colors that match either your hair color, whether it’s golden blonde, medium brown, black, some shade of red or gray – or a combination of those. Or choose colors that match your eyes, especially if you have blue or green eyes. And, look for the pink tone in your skin – whether it’s a soft blush color, a warm pink, a sparkling deep red or a russet tone. When you wear that color, it looks beautiful and complements your naturally coloring.
In this photo you can see how the colors change to harmonize with each woman’s natural coloring.
Perhaps your coloring is soft and muted like Diane (upper left), rich and deep like Jackie (upper right), warm like Mary Jo (bottom left) (note that Mary Jo is wearing a color that matches the natural red tones in her skin) or cool and subtle like Laura (bottom right). In each case these women are wearing colors that harmonize with their natural coloring so we see them rather than them being overpowered by the colors or disappearing because the color is too faded for them.
The good news is that you don’t have to have a million colors in your wardrobe. In fact, you don’t want that at all. Too many colors will feel overwhelming and confusing. Instead, choose colors strategically that make you happy to wear them and that mix and match well with your natural coloring and your wardrobe.
You never know…just like Jackie above, you might find a new favorite color that makes your heart sing and makes you sparkle!
* * *
If you feel perplexed about where to start to add color or are confused about which colors truly harmonize with your natural coloring, having a personalized color analysis done can help (especially if you’ve never had one or your hair color has changed). The consultation can be done in-person at my home studio or virtually (I have a very specific way of doing this to ensure great results). Check it out here: https://totalimageconsultants.com/services/color-analysis/ or let me know if you have any questions!
