I just made my friend cry...

....all I did was ask her to put on a dress and then look at herself in the mirror – it’s part of my job!
 

Trying something that was at least 1 size smaller than she was expecting, containing colours she would never have considered previously and in a style far more revealing than she would usually dare wear (because it showed her figure rather than hiding it) enabled her to see the potential of how good she could look - for the first time since having her children.  I say she saw a glimpse of her true self coming back at her from the mirror, someone she had forgotten.

‘Telling the Truth and making someone cry is better than telling a lie and making someone smile’.  

Paolo Coelho

Let your appearance tell the truth about who you are. I don’t always move people to tears but it has been known!  Susan Boyle has also displayed this skill of causing people to be moved! If you haven't yet seen her original appearance, it's a real treat.

Transformation: 
a complete change, usually into something with an improved appearance or usefulness (Bing Dictionary). 

Susan Boyle is also one of the most significant and public transformations that we've seen in recent years and what a difference it’s made to the way people relate to her?   Coming on stage everyone clearly assumed that she couldn't sing - and the main basis for that was her appearance.  Understandably she then went through a make-over and typically followed the public criticism.  It's not an easy journey to make at any time, never mind in the public eye.

Simon Cowell captured it well when he later said:

 “Focus yourself.  …come back as the person you want to be, not the person you think you should be"

True transformation; noone can deny how gorgeous she can look.  

Internal conversations and scripts prevent you looking our best often accompanied by not knowing what suits you, your body shape, proportions and your personality, our consultants at House of Colour are trained to help you with that change to transformation.

I once met a lovely woman wearing scruffy trousers, a grungy (sorry, but it was!) vest top, no make-up and her hair scraped off her face in a messy knot.  It was highly likely the colours weren’t her best either becaue there was nothing stunning about her.  Yet she was an amazing woman with a lot to offer and we had a fascinating conversation.  She was someone who looked for the beauty in everything and everyone.  For her, true beauty was about the personality on the inside, not the outward appearance.  Ironically, in my opinion (and having consulted over 500 people, I consider myself a fairly objective judge) she was beautiful - stunning eyes, facial bone structure that many women would pay for, a fabulous figure and had what I can only describe as a peaceful, serene energy around her.  At the time there was something amiss but it wasn’t until later that it registered - the misalignment between the inside and the outside meant that she was making people work really hard to see her beauty.  Why would you do that?

When you present yourself to the world as a true reflection of who you are, you make it easier for people to see you, get you, understand, relate to you and therefore make it easier for people to work with you. 

While the most obvious application for this is some kind of interview, be it sales or a new job, they are one-off events.  It’s the consistency over time which embeds the transformation. I clearly remember a client who discovered that business networking suddenly became easier, more effective and far more enjoyable when she was dressed in colours and styles that flattered her -  that is, showed off her best self to the world week in, week out. 

By coincidence HOC HQ posted this on our Facebook page this week: ‘You’ve been criticising yourself for years and it hasn’t worked.  Try approving of yourself and see what happens.’  Louise Hay

I believe the world would be a better place if we did!  What do you see is possible?  

Spring/Summer 2014 Fashion Update

Elie Tahari

The House of Colour Fashion Update for Spring/Summer 2014 has just been launched and it is one of my highlights of the year. After completing my Colour and Personal Style classes, I feel confident on how to use this information, however I want to keep my look current, so the fashion update is a great way of adding contemporary trends to my wardrobe to update my style.

I don’t bother with fashion magazines anymore as they all tell you that everyone can wear all the trends, but if I try an asymmetric biker jacket with lots of zips and buckles, it wouldn’t suit my Romantic Classic style (not enough sparkles!)

That’s why I love the Fashion Update. It shows the on trend looks that will work for my Clothing Personality so eliminates the risk of buying into a trend that won’t work for me. I love looking through the fashion images and looks, and drawing inspiration from the different sections in the fashion update. I love the mood board page that includes visual images and key words for each look and the key details and accessories which provide great ideas to refresh my wardrobe. 

Skirt by Oasis

Tanya Taylor

Of course this doesn’t always mean going out shopping for a new look each time. When I get my copy, the first thing I do is a mini wardrobe review to see what I already have. One of the looks I can do this season is Carnival which is all about colourful prints and patterns and gorgeous fitted silhouettes to create a Rio vibe. Currently in my wardrobe I have this pencil skirt from Oasis that I purchased last year. The tropical print of this skirt will work perfectly for this trend and this season I will update it by teaming it with a bright Raspberry or Magenta top to add a bright colour, and an on trend statement necklace (sparkly of course) for my interpretation of the Carnival look.

When you get your copy of the fashion update, now available from your consultant, try looking through your wardrobe first before you hit the shops. If you have been following your colour and style advice, you may be surprised to find pieces you already own that will work with the new trends for this season to give you an instant style update.

Colour in Business

Colour affects us, influences us and is therefore an important consideration in the clothes we wear, but what of its use in business? 

Far be it for me to pass on idle gossip, but I’ve heard it said that staff at Coca-Cola are not allowed to use blue in presentations (Pepsi colours?).  So how DO you choose the colours you might use to represent information?  Looking to your logo and brand palette is a good source but potentially limiting if it’s a single colour.
As the first colour the eye sees, Red is used to attract attention to sales in shops and in presentations would be an obvious way of highlighting information requiring the reader’s attention.   Traffic light colours of red, amber and green can be effective in flagging states of alert, Red for danger, Yellow/Amber as a ‘warning’ and Green for ‘go’!
Having worked consciously and proactively with colour for 20 years, I enjoyed reading a new perspective on the use of colour.   Perceptual Edge  works with ‘visual business intelligence’, ‘enlightening analysis and communication’, Stephen Few’s article introduces ‘rules’ to support you in making effective choices of colour, shade and intensity for business presentations. 

You can read the full article online.  In it Stephen provides some great illustrations of the fact that colours change according to the colours surrounding them.  The following squares are all the same colour, yet the varying background causes them to change their appearance.

 

This image, courtesy of Wikipedia, illustrates the same effect.  The chosen colours can therefore affect the visibility, legibility and readability, resulting in either helping or hindering the reader.  For example, colour filters are regularly used in schools to aid children learning to read.  Only this morning I witnessed a blue filter being successfully employed by a dyslexic child, who'd progressed more in the past few weeks than in the previous academic year.

 

Your progress can be helped or hindered by the way you present yourself.  Powerful dressing is about congruence with you, your product/service/organisation and your audience.  Just as dressing appropriately (and consistently) helps hold the audience's attention, so careful (and consistent) selection of colour in presentations will minimise the potential for distraction, helping to focus the reader’s attention.

Maureen Stone writes more specifically about ‘Choosing Colours’, explaining the principles of colour design in relation to contrast and analogy and providing evidence for using contrast rather than colour to aid legibility. 

Stephen refers to nature’s intelligent use of colour, particularly brights, to attract pollinators.  I love the fact that Hoverflies cleverly adopt the ‘danger, keep clear’ uniform of bees and wasps to protect themselves from predators.  What inspiration can you borrow?

Both authors point to the Color Brewer website, a resource enabling you to experiment (using a map illustration) with choosing effective colour palettes and also providing the facility to download the palettes for use.

Whether we see and perceive colours in the same way as our neighbour is almost irrelevant, having worked with both blind and colour blind clients through colour analysis I can attest to the power of colour working – just differently!

What experience do you have of working with colour? 

A Colour Revelation

I’ve been working directly with colour for many years and love being surrounded by beautiful things.  Beauty for me is in the delicate and subtle, the harmonious and blending, the segue through the seasons and the balance between natural and manmade. 

 

Spring is on the way, the birds are singing, the daffodils are peaking through, the snowdrops are making an appearance, hellebores are showing up for their long lasting display and I’m planning a trip to the Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey.

 

Seeing and experiencing something deliberately designed to lift and provide pleasure in what is considered a fallow season is inspiring.

I adopted many of their ideas for my front garden and in those brief moments of arriving or leaving the house, I’m greeted with sights and smells that lift my spirits and gently remind me that I’m alive, all is well and there is life in the winter!

 

Colour has a profound impact on us and yet we’re not always conscious of it nor any better informed on how to use it powerfully.  Colours affect your mood as much as your mood can affect the colour choices you make.  Wearing your right colours will make you appear healthy; clients observing and participating in a colour analysis frequently acknowledge that someone looks more confident!  Younger!  Slimmer! In their right colours.  I know I feel happier when surrounded by my colours, wearing them or viewing them and find it far more appealing to view people also wearing their best colours, regardless of whether I personally like them or not.  And it’s all a trick of the light!  So set about employing these tricks gainfully to support you in pursuit of your goals.   If you apply for our free Colour Guide, researched and compiled from the world of fashion, you'll find this season’s colour trends laid out in the context of your season. Next week Harpreet will be introducing the new trend looks for Spring/Summer 2014.

My first foray into this world of influencing those around me with the colours I wore was totally innocent and over 15 years ago; I wasn’t feeling great but had some important work to do.  I deliberately choose a great colour (on me) with the intention of keeping my head down and avoiding conscientious concerned comments; ‘are you ok [you don’t look it!]?’ what I experienced and hadn’t expected, were positive comments, such as ‘you look well’ resulting in my feeling empowered – a revelation!