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Color and Its Influence
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Color and Clothing: Influencing Others
While adding that red scarf to your black business suit may be just the thing to bolster your confidence for
the big presentation, you may not make the best impression if red isn't a color that suits you. Just as important as what benefits a particular
color gives to you as the wearer is how you look to those who see you in that color.
We've discussed color types before, and even those of you who aren't familiar with the modern system of
color typing - using Silver and Gold - will likely remember the older system of "Seasonal" types. Determining what "season" a person was proved
in many cases to be very difficult and people were often incorrectly identified as one or another type.
The Gold and Silver method is much simpler and has shown to be more accurately performed. The process is
simple. Take a piece of gold jewelry and a piece of silver jewelry, preferably of the same type (necklaces, earrings, etc.) and place both
against your skin (or put them on as appropriate). Whichever of the two metals "stands out" most is your type.
Here are a few quick color guidelines for the different metal types:
Gold types look best in warm colors like reds, oranges and yellows and are usually better suited to bold
and vibrant, or deep and rich colors.
Silver types look better in cooler colors like blues, greens and purples and are generally better suited to
muted and soft, or pale and icy colors.
In order to make use of the benefits associated with the colors listed above, you should make sure that you
choose a color that gives the benefit you want, but that also flatters you. While the color types are specific in the colors that best suit
them, you do need to be aware that most every color has a warm and cool shade or tone available to it. For example: "fire engine red" would be
an ideal color choice for a gold color type, "Chinese red" actually contains a lot of blue undertones and would be a good choice for a silver
color type. Most of these crossover shades occur within the red-to-blue end of the spectrum as red and blue are the warmest and coolest colors,
respectively.
So, given what the information we have on the effects of colors, and the need to choose colors that are
going to be flattering to our color type, let's look at some attitudes we want to project and color ideas for achieving them based on type:
"I want to appear bold and confident":
For the gold type, try cardinal red. For silvers, try rose.
"I want to appear calm and self-possessed":
For the gold type, try olive green. For silvers, try hunter green.
"I want to appear vibrant and energetic":
For the gold type, try orange. For silvers, try pale yellow.
"I want to appear professional and businesslike":
For the gold type, try royal blue. For silvers, try navy blue.
"I want to appear intuitive and nurturing":
For the gold type, try muted violet. For silvers, try lavender.
"I want to appear young and innocent":
For the gold type, try pink. For silvers, try lilac.
"I want to appear comfortable and natural":
For the gold type, try chocolate brown. For silvers, try tan or faun.
Hopefully, you can see the point I'm trying to illustrate here. If not, when you begin working with the
colors in your own wardrobe you'll see more clearly the differences in the shades of certain colors and their appropriateness or
inappropriateness for your color type. One thing you can see clearly is that the color choices for the gold type and silver type can be paired
up and will look good together.
So, the next time you want to put together an outfit to impress, be sure to take the time and think about
what image you want to present, and choose accordingly. The right colors, in the right shades for you, can give you that little
"extra something" that can make everything come out right.
©greatestlook.com
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