Red

There is much excitement in the Perkins' household because we’re flying north to see if we can find the big man himself, you know, the one who wears the red suit.  Great debate has reigned as to whether the one at the school Advent fair was real or not – apparently if there is no sleigh, he’s not the real one – the one we saw the following day in the market square, celebrating the turning on of the Christmas lights, was real, proven by the presence of his sleigh (and a wonderful explanation for why the reindeer wasn’t real)! 

Debate rages in other circles regarding the red suit yet, debate aside, there is no doubt the imagery is so powerful, we would probably struggle to convince anyone that he was anything if not dressed in the familiar red suit with fur trim. Try green for example! 

Red is probably one of the most emotive colours, having many associations with danger and warnings (stop signs), fire/heat, violence, ripeness (fruit) and blood.  It is said to be the colour of energy and drive, with dark red implying success achieved.  When working with my son recently he was very clear that while yellow is a happy colour, red relates to anger – he must feel this at some instinctive level. 

In researching this blog the power of red is obvious, arguably, the most powerful.

·         Seeing Red - becoming angry, losing self-control

·         Red Rag to a Bull – deliberate provocation sure to bring an adverse reaction

·         Caught Red-Handed – caught in the act of a misdemeanour or crime with visible
     evidence

·         Red Herring – a distraction from the real issue

·         Red Tape - rules and regulations especially involving excessive or unnecessary
     paperwork

·         In the Red - in debt

·         Scarlet Woman 

      o   Prostitute or

      o   Symbol of Pagan Rome

And my favourite, because it reminds me of my childhood and the Cornish skylines:

·         Red Sky at Night – an indication of the weather.

It is a colour associated with passion and confidence so wear it with pride but equally be aware that some will see it as an angry colour. 

A conversation with a bank manager recently related to her early years’ training and a recommendation to avoid wearing red because it is an angry colour.  With ‘anger’ being the energy in Eastern philosophy which drives a snowdrop up through the frozen ground, I think passionate would interchange well here.  Maybe with the stiff upper lip synonymous with the British culture, we need to keep a lid on ‘passion’ as much as anger lest we can’t handle it!

Having spent 12 years demonstrating how amazing the right red lipstick for you looks in spite of fears and opinions, it was really refreshing to see two women at a recent function proudly and confidently wearing strong red lipstick.  It also reminded me of the L’Oreal campaign earlier this Autumn.

Reds in the House of Colour range are fabulous - use the table below to identify from your skin tone which are your best colours:

Ideal Reds
Spring (warm & clear)	Poppy / Geranium
Summer (cool & soft)	Cherry / Coral Red
Autumn (warm & soft)	Brick / Geranium
Winter (cool & clear)	Burgundy / Carmine / Scarlet

Great Reds for your Season	Soft	Clear
Warm	Autumn – L12, L606	Spring – L12, L55, L606
Cool	Summer  - L28, L50, L307	Winter – L27, L28, L50, L55, L302, L307, L499, L512, L673

As the colour at the centre of the colour wheel, the most adaptable of all colours and the first colour the eye sees, resulting in it being the colour of ‘sale’ signs to attract spending customers in a retail environment; in the words of Bill Blass, 'When in doubt, wear red.' 

Foundations for Colour

Last week I wrote about wearing black and came to the resounding conclusion that YES, everyone can wear it   …but why would you want to if it doesn’t flatter you!

A world without colour is unthinkable for most of us, and yet, walking down the high street, there is always an abundance of black, a heavy spattering of beige and usually a reasonable quantity of white available.  This is because they’re neutral colours which ideally form the backdrop to a wardrobe – the trick is to choose from the selection of neutrals that sit harmoniously in your colour palette to provide a supportive backdrop.

Back in the 1940s when colour film emerged on the scene the significance and impact of colour came to the fore.  The previously elegant and sophisticated actors/actresses somehow didn’t have the same effect – colour was recognised as the difference and the world of image consulting was born. 

In a previous blog  I’ve shown the screen test images of Julia Roberts as they made their colour choices for the 1990 Film, Pretty Woman.  I regularly cite this film as an excellent example of how we can change the way people perceive us simply by looking at the way we present ourselves. 

Choosing colours and styles that flatter you and honour your personality is an incredibly powerful way to help people to ‘get’ you –  giving them an idea of who you are, what you stand for, your values and ideals – not directly from what you wear but because what you’re wearing and how you construct your outfit will support and reinforce your verbal messages or undermine and conflict with them.  I’ve also talked about how, when you honour who you are with what you wear, you make it easy for your listener to hear you.

Liz Jones’ summary in The Daily Mail last week gives a few amusing takes on using colour: ‘You can wear any colour next summer as long as it’s white’ reminding me of the announcement I heard many years ago about ‘the Thursday club meeting on Tuesday to discuss what colour they were going to whitewash the walls of the village hall!’

While travelling in Asia a few years ago it was clear that white was a status symbol because it demonstrated that you could afford to keep up with the cleaning and maintenance.   As Liz astutely points out: ‘White hair to match is not compulsory… but expect your cleaning bills to soar’.  I love the white jacket I bought last year but don’t wear it as often as I might had I the time, money and staff to cover my cleaning requirements, including a Nanny to keep the children and their sticky fingers away!

I don’t however, agree with Liz’s statement that ‘You will not be able to avoid sheer next Spring…’  a confirmed classic that will be no hardship for me!  As for purchasing big pants, well, that’s entirely up to you but visible underwear is a faddy look and never for anyone serious about their image.  In this world of Personal Branding to gain competitive advantage, every little helps – or hinders!  

One of the most famous sheer looks on the planet (right) will clearly never be repeated  for that very reason – a far classier way to employ sheer is with the use of lace in a wedding dress (left).

 

See-through clothing reminds me of the Emperor’s New Clothes. It's interesting how some images protect his modesty with underwear whilst other interpretations have assumed the outfit to include the underwear.  Coming back to 2014/15, for me it’s another good excuse for the fashion industry to produce poor quality and justify it.  One golden rule to follow, the lighter the colour of your clothes, the higher the quality needs to be. 

All wardrobes, regardless of your season, need a foundation of neutrals which form the backdrop to a variety of outfits.  Adding colours to neutrals enables the full impact of the colours to be seen, excluding neutrals can provide an onslaught of colours which at best distracts your audience, at worst, causes them to look in the other direction.

With the release of our latest colour report, highlighting the colour trends for the Autumn/Winter Season, I thought it would make an interesting journey to explore how colour affects our lives over the next few weeks – including neutrals. 

The Healing Power of Colour

Having been heavily involved in the world of colour for many years, I’m used to meeting people who suddenly become conscious of the colours they are, or more probably are not, wearing. 

A couple of weeks ago, I met a friend who’s going through some challenging times.  She noticed she’d been wearing black recently during a period that felt like bad news on bad news.  We’ve all recovered from something in our lives, from a lost toy as a child through to lost friends, relatives and health.  Our reaction to each event and our recovery time, is relative to many other factors in our lives.   However, I’ve noticed colour frequently plays a part; whether it’s wearing colour as a confidence boost or removing colour due to a knock in confidence, the colours we surround ourselves in can give a clear indication to our emotional state.

I recall a situation when I had an important deadline to meet at work.  I woke up on the day of the deadline feeling awful but decided that the inconvenience to myself and others of missing the dealine through taking time off was not worth it.  I put on my red top, brightly patterned skirt and headed off to work with the intention of keeping my head down, getting the job done and not attracting attention – I didn’t feel like interacting with anyone.

Well blow me!  Nearly everyone who walked past my desk (remember, I’m feeling awful!) commented on how well I looked.  The effect was fascinating; as the day went on, I started to feel much better – the psychological impact of people saying I looked well rather than a sympathetic ‘Are you OK? You look a bit tired!’ was profound.

Feng Shui, Chakras and other energy disciplines understand that colours carry energy and represent elements of our life.  Why else would we decide that today is the day for the red (green/blue/yellow/brown) item of clothing?  Therefore, it stands to reason that our mood can dictate the colour choice or the colour choice can influence the mood.  Chromatherapy uses colours to actively promote healing and there are lots of references to the energy of colours and what they mean.

Two years ago my winter wardrobe was almost exclusively in the Burgundy/Purple/Smoked Grape/Pink range – incoroporating the need for love, grounding, creativity and homeliness… I was ‘recovering’ from the birth of my second child.

The following summer, I wore almost exclusively blues and pinks – incorporating comunication, peace, relaxation, safety, security and love.

So, how interesting to come across this really candid article  written by Jenni Murray relating to her experience of wearing black almost from the day she was diagnosed with cancer.  I can relate to everything she says about herself but also about her friends who’ve done the opposite and used colour to give themselves a boost through their recovery.   It’s easy to give advice from the outside about what we can do to improve our outlook, not so easy from the inside.

The power of image is subtle and yet immense.  If the image and perception is healthy, we feel uplifted, if the image and perception is less favourable we can feel downhearted; sometimes we’re just not ready to feel better.  

So what small steps can you take to enhance your reflection while keeping a low profile?

Have a colour consultation to find out what colours suit you and put these colours around your face so your reflection is lifted.

• Make-up: knowing your colours enables you to achieve the subtle, natural glow
• Hair colour: match warm tone skin with warm tone hair, and cool tone skin with cool tone hair.  Anything else competes and drains you.
• Jewellery: Use the right metal colour for you (silver or gold), choosing beads, pearls and stones in your colours can bring real joy.
• Tops and scarves: Choose the colours which reflect your healthy, positive, confident side to feel happier and more at ease in your skin (i.e. with your reflection).

Have a style consultation to identify flattering styles for your body … the one that you have now.  Learn to choose the right:

• Shapes
• Proportions
• Neck lines
• Patterns

 …to start feeling comfortable and gradually build your confidence.  You don’t want to be swamped or looking like you’re trying to squeeze a ‘quart into a pint pot’.

Jenni closes her article by saying:

‘I see a different woman from the one before.  I’d like to see her in the pink, but am not sure I ever will’

When the desire to achieve that goal becomes strong enough or the pain of sitting in the dark becomes intolerable, or we wake up one morning and decide to do something different, it’s amazing what can happen. With all these tools at hand, a dash of courage, a little action every day and a lot of friendship, love and support, you’ll be amazed at what is possible when you embrace The Healing Power of Colour.  

Knowing Your Colours – Empowering YOU

Knowing your colour season versus understanding WHY you’re a certain season are not necessarily related. 

Knowing -v- understanding

My niece has known from the age of 4 that she’s a Winter.  Last year, she had her colours analysed for her 15^th birthday.  At this point she SAW it for herself and it’s had a profound effect on her understanding of (her) colours, what it MEANS to be a Winter and why certain colours don’t belong in her palette. 

My colouring has changed!

With the House of Colour system we analyse and identify people according to the season their colours fall in (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter).  By using a thorough, systematic process of analysis, based on your natural (genetic) colouring it’s our experience that people, when analysed correctly, stay with the same basic colour range (season); it’s your best/top/2-star colours within your range that may change over time or with tanning.  I find that some of my pastels look good on me in the summer but I need stronger colours in the winter (still from my season) to balance and complement my natural colouring.  Some people think you need to have your colours re-analysed I think you may just need a refresh – a fresh perspective. 

I used to be able to wear anything but now I can’t.

This is related to the fact that a younger or tanned skin tone can be more forgiving – there is more colour and definition in your skin tone to be drained away before you start to look tired.  As we get older, our skin and hair colour move closer together, making them less forgiving when we venture away from our core seasonal palette.  You’ve also got several more years’ experience of seeing images and reflections of yourself to recognise that some work better on you than others.


Thank you for giving me permission to wear something I love, but thought I couldn’t anymore!

Having the confidence to know something suits you and to wear it proudly is one of the biggest gifts we share as Colour Analysts.

Part of the human condition is concern about what people think of us, whether something suits us, makes us look stupid or is in fashion.  My teenage years were spent trying to find what suited me by asking my friends.  The opinions I received were rarely objective, more based on their own preference rather than an objective view of what flattered me.

The challenge of emotional interference. 

Bad experiences

Colours may evoke an emotional (positive or negative) response in us, (school uniform, fashion trends, parental imposition, favourite experience) disabling our ability to see whether they look good on us or not.

One overriding memory is of a client who, on realising she was an Autumn, immediately retorted  ‘I don’t like these colours….. and I  know why I don’t…. the woman who went off with my ex-husband wore these colours’.  By identifying this emotional repellent she was able to separate her colour selection from the emotional trauma of that marriage breakdown and give herself permission to look good.

Objectivity/Subjectivity 

As a consultant, analysing my elder son as a 6 week old baby, having only known him 6 weeks it was easier compared to his younger brother who was over a year old by the time I sat him down with the drapes.  As his mother, analysing a 12 month old was influenced by our year together and what I WANTED him to be rather than what he was!  But what a joy to be able to buy them clothes in colours that suit them and really see them shine as individuals.  More importantly, a sense of who they are through what suits them; enabling them to have freedom to choose and like their own colour choices rather than being influenced by each others’ subjective preferences.   

Practicality

Knowing what colours suit someone I’m choosing for means swapping and exchanging clothes is less hampered by the emotional baggage and possibility of offending someone.  Second hand clothing,  keeping the ‘hand-me-downs’ which work and dyeing, or freely releasing those which don’t, to someone else is a liberating and empowering place to be. 

I know someone who regularly buys presents for people in her own colours (and often styles) thinking, in the absence of knowing their colours, that this is a ‘safe’ colour.  Safe for her as the giver, not necessarily for the receiver if they are a different season/style!

A world without colour is unimaginable - the joy of colour is in surrounding yourself with those which empower you as an individual.  The challenge is in finding a compromise that works for everyone in the home when you are all different seasons!

Death and Public Speaking

 

 

It is often acknowledged that the two things people are most afraid of are death and public speaking. 

Most people can acknowledge that these are variations on Fear – of the unknown and being vulnerable.  Preston Ni has an interesting perspective, suggesting that these two fears are related by the fact that the fear of public speaking is the fear of emotional death!

 

 

Although it might not be so extreme, at House of Colour we’ve experienced people feeling intimidated by the thought of meeting an Image Consultant; they suddenly become self-conscious about their appearance, invest additional energy (compared to their normal levels) in thinking about what they’re wearing and apologise for various elements of their attire which they don’t have complete confidence in.  Otherwise confident people are reduced to varying degrees of nervousness. 

At the very least, this is something that needs to be acknowledged at the meeting introductions, and then put to one side, so that we can get on with the business of the meeting.  But what would it be like if you could remove most of the fear, releasing the energy for more productive use?

At our annual conference last year, we heard Mo Harford speaking about how our brains and thinking get in the way of our performance and producing great results.  In effect it is often only our beliefs which support (positive) or hinder (negative) us in our performance.

 

 

By focusing on getting your look ‘right’, i.e. one that you are comfortable in, comfortable with and that makes you look your best, you’re able to confidently step out and take care of the primary business at hand.  In the case of a ‘business’ person, this is getting on with their ‘business’!  

 

Special events can typically take a lot of our energy and attention when looking for the right outfit - often costing a lot of money - but it doesn’t have to.  For women, the problem often stems from a lack of confidence in coordinating items, so the safe option is to invest in a complete outfit which is clearly designed to coordinate and look good.  The problem with this approach is that you may have invested over £500 (clothing, accessories, shoes and in some cases underwear) and ended up with 1 outfit, rather than spending £500 on several items that can be used and adapted to create many more outfits in combination with clothing in your existing wardrobe.   Return on investment is about your cost-per-wear, shifting the focus to cost-per-outfit, an item of clothing or an accessory reveals itself as a good investment or not.

We need to know we look right, we have phrases such as ‘I need to put my face on’, ‘I’m having a bad hair day’, ‘I can’t go out without my lipstick/perfume/necklace (delete as appropriate)’.  All these statements point towards our need to ensure we ‘look the part’.  I particularly enjoyed reading this article on clothing related expressions!

 

Why are they fears? Because we all have a fundamental concern about what people think of us. This blog by Michael Hyatt gets succinctly to the point – take the focus off yourself!  Ironically, by focusing on yourself and your image, this is exactly what we are aiming for - get your physical presentation to such a level that you are able to take the attention off yourself and focus on the job in hand.

Maybe a business friend of mine who is considering a career transition from Business Consultant and Professional Speaker to Undertaker has the ideal solution to help you through your fears!

Beautiful Colouring!

It was almost sad to read that a Yorkshire village used for filming recently could only employ a handful of locals as extras because the tattoos and body piercings weren’t appropriate to the era of the film. 

Last week, while I was in another room, my children were both enjoying a bit of colouring time.  Things apparently aren’t always what they appear; my 4 year old came and stood proudly in front of me with what can only be described as fantasy stage make-up, comprising  polka dots on his eyelids and around his brows, through the centre of his face and covering his tummy, ‘Look Mummy’ it’s beautiful!’  I had to agree - a truly magical moment!  

 

The potential significance of his internal conversation didn’t hit me until a few days later however, when he started colouring his legs in the car on the way home from school.   When we arrived home, he had to stop.  He was so upset because he had only completed one leg, it took a little bit of persuading to find out why, then I heard the words I shall always remember, ‘but Mummy I’m not beautiful if it’s not finished’. 

I gently explained to him that he was gorgeous and a beautiful person, the colouring was pretty but it didn’t make him beautiful – he already was. 

 

I often wonder at the proliferation of tattoos in our society – is it because our self esteem has become so low that we think we need to ‘make ourselves beautiful’ I wonder?

‘Mummy, I don’t want your skin to go wrinkly – I like it the way it is!’  Oh boy, now that did test my response!   ‘They’re smile lines’ I replied and proceeded to show him how, when smiling, they show up more! Like most people in their 40s I’m seeing the early effects of ageing  and while I’m not at the point of surgery or Botox myself, I have an understanding of why some people choose that route -  but it doesn’t solve the problem. 

 

Dismantling these disempowering conversations is akin to dismantling what it is to be human, however they don’t need to be as loud as they are.  When the reflections looking back at us from the mirror or photos of ourselves reflect and honour us as accurately as possible we are able to hear the more empowering conversations about ourselves that have previously been pushed to the background.   This article recently shared on our Face book page highlights a perfect example. 

It is however, all in the perspective and it reminded me of a friend commenting on my ‘crow’s feet’ – up until that point I’d only known them as ‘laughter lines’! 

Personal Branding in a domestic world

‘Brand’, a term used to distinguish a product, service or concept in terms of a ‘personality’, is assumed to refer to business, so what place does this have for me if I’m a homemaker? I can hear it now….

 

‘I clean the house, manage schedules, play ‘taxi’ driver, make sure the ‘machine’ of ‘home’ works to support everyone’  but too often people lose their sense of self in serving others in this way. 
 

Enter stage left the ‘young person’ who honestly believes and declares that 'it doesn’t matter what you wear these days, people don’t judge you on  appearance.  It begs the question, do you dress for yourself or dress for others?  Maybe in the past we dressed more for others but the younger people of today dress more for themselves. 

 

 

The heightened focus on the Duchess of Cambridge’s attire, in her many roles, tells us that it’s still important to dress for your audience but more leeway’s given to dressing for comfort and style.  Ultimately, when you dress to flatter yourself, people notice YOU, the person. 

 

 

We need labels and categories to help us make sense of the world but, as individuals, we frequently resist labels (boxes, categories, structure) in favour of the ‘freedom of self expression’ -  it’s the conflict between belonging and needing to express our uniqueness.

  

Early in my career, I distinguished 2 main motivators for people searching out my services:

- Emotional: recognising the connection between how we look and how we feel enables us to take control of the ‘looking’ element to empower and strengthen the ‘feeling’ element, thereby enabling us to improve and enhance our feelings, increasing inner confidence  and self-belief, leading to a sense of inner peace and frequently, greater success in work, social and business life.

 

- Practical/Financial: the dawn of realisation in this group of clients was making the connection between how they look and money.  Whether it was sales attracted through being self-employed or in a sales role, promotions, pay rises or additional sales and, in the case of the self-employed or management, an increase in confidence.  As a result of ‘looking the part’, business increases.

 

Often client gender could predict the motivator but not always.  As a graduate, it was important to make the most of my limited budget so that clothes I bought for work were going to work hard and earn their keep in my wardrobe.   A very practical reason which led to me experiencing an increase in confidence and self-belief.  Within a year I’d experienced a pay rise, new job role, improved training opportunities - one thing led to another in a positive way.

 

 

 

A trigger at the ‘emotional’ stage, caused by a life change, relationship, job, status, moving from full- time employee to full-time mother is a culture shock for many and with plenty to keep yourself occupied, appearance is often the last thing on people’s minds!  Reverse that shift, as the children grow older, and try to return to the workplace with a different figure, body shape, lifestyle, budget and time constraints plus a need to reclaim your sense of identity, the offer of a consultation with House of Colour appears at the right time.

Personal Brand may not appear to sit in this ‘domestic’ world in the same way, but our need to have a clear sense of identity, who we are, our values, strengths and weaknesses, balanced against the need to be unique and that of fitting in, enables us to confidently negotiate the path between dressing how we are ‘supposed’ to look and dressing for ‘ourselves’. 

Colour Confidence

Red is a colour long associated with confidence, a colour representing passion, energy and drive.  Melissa from Kettlewell reinforces the good news that we have been sharing with our clients for nearly 30 years.  We all suit red, the key is knowing which are your shades!  Wearing colours which suit you makes you appear more confident; knowing they suit you enables you to feel it; very useful if you need to:

• Present
• Meet new people (in domestic or business life)
• Cover your nerves on a new date
• Demonstrate you have the edge at a job interview
• Perform, especially in competitions
• Pitch for new business
• Walk on the beach in your bikini, swimming costume...or trunks!

As a mother there have been many times when I’ve needed that confidence boost – being pregnant stands out in my mind as a time when I didn’t feel particularly glamorous; interviews, appraisals, sales meetings, public events and first dates … are all up there!   Ignoring for now the impact that wearing the right style, fabrics, patterns and accessories has on how you look and feel; the first thing with colour is to understand a little of the science (cool/warm, soft/clear) which is clearly explained in your colour class.  

Understanding how the science of colour relates to your skin tone enables you to identify your best colours in your wardrobe or the shops and know what suits you so you can confidently keep, buy, pass-on or pass-by. 



The second stage, which you are introduced to in your Colour Confidence Class, is being able to put them together in interesting and creative combinations. Overcoming the fear of creating something garish, cheap or clashing… or indeed helping you achieve that, depending on your intention!  

 

 

I find it fascinating to see the way colours work on different style types (clothing personalities discovered in your Style Class) with the Dramatics and Gamines benefiting from quirky mixes, the Classics, generally more conservative, traditional, understated or toning blends and the Romantics relishing in creating  glamorous combinations while Naturals frequently migrate to 'natural' shades.

The wonderful thing about the seasonal analysis system is that it is simple enough to explain and flexible enough to cover the multitude of unique skin tones; as a result of its simplicity, selecting colours from one season maximises the chance of them working together.  

A useful trick is to use an accessory which incorporates the colours of your outfit; scarves or necklaces are excellent for this.  

Using patterns is another secret weapon.

I love that these crop trousers, genuine 50s designs, are until now unseen prints.  But more than this, very useful if your proportions and personality suggest you need more ‘attention’ on your lower half of your body, than your upper half. 

Kettlewell work really well with the seasonal system, fully embracing its versatility and confidently selecting a broad range of colours which genuinely ensures there’s a choice for you, whatever your colouring.  A real accomplishment for a clothing supplier most of whom, seem to come from an artistic/design perspective more than using science to inform the art.

I can still remember the days when I wouldn’t wear make-up or colour, preferring to stay ‘safe’ (invisible) with neutrals and the ‘natural’ look (no make-up, no effort!).  Knowing what suits me enables me to stay visible AND ‘safe’ by using the colours I know suit me – some I had an idea of but most were a revelation. 

With Mother’s Day coming up, what better present could you give your mother than the gift of colour confidence.  With free P&P on Gift vouchers in March you can give anything from colour analysis through colour confidence to make-up and shopping trips; they will all help her feel special and, if you already know her colours and what suits her, you’ll almost certainly find something you know she’ll love from the extensive Kettlewell range.

Defusing the Dress Code

Following on from last week’s blog ‘The Dress Code Minefield’, Kate Russell, BA Barrister, MA, Managing Director of Russell HR Consulting provides a legal perspective on this workplace dilemma.  Also known as the ‘HR Headmistress’ she has written numerous articles, published six books and e-books and has been widely quoted in the press including the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Huffington Post and Metro. 

Direct discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably on the grounds of his or her protected characteristic than a person who does not have that protected characteristic either has been or would have been treated. As a result of that less favourable treatment the person has suffered some form of detriment.

Indirect discrimination occurs where an employer applies a provision, criterion or practice which puts people of a particular gender at a disadvantage, unless that practice or policy can be objectively justified. A good example is the Azmi case which concerned religious beliefs.

Aishah Azmi, a devout Muslim, was employed as a bi-lingual support worker at a school. Although she did not raise it at the interview, she later said she had to wear a full face veil in accordance with her religious beliefs. The school investigated to see if it could accommodate her request but found that the children learned better when they could see her whole face. She was instructed to remove the veil when working with children, though she could wear it at all other times. Mrs Azmi refused and was suspended. She complained of discrimination on the grounds of her religion.

On the indirect discrimination point, the Court accepted that the school had applied a practice that put people of Mrs Azmi's religion at a disadvantage. However, the practice was justified as there was objective evidence that when she was wearing the veil children did not engage with her as well as when she was unveiled. The requirement was no more than was proportionate, as the school allowed her to be veiled when not teaching. 

More recently Nadia Eweida took her employer, British Airways, to the European Court of Human Rights after she was required to stop wearing her cross visibly. The court said BA had not struck a fair balance between Ms Eweida's religious beliefs and the company's wish to project its corporate image. Ms Eweida's rights had been violated under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Although Ms Eweida's claim was successful, the Court's decision was based on special circumstances, including the fact that a discreet cross would not have adversely affected British Airways' public image. Interestingly, a case brought at the same time by nurse, Shirley Chaplin, was unsuccessful. The reason for the ban on her wearing a cross was for safety reasons and this was acceptable to the Court.

Key points

• Base your dress code on business reasons and explain your reasoning.  Common business-related reasons include maintaining a public image, promoting a productive work environment, or complying with health and safety standards.
• Make sure the principles of your code genuinely reflect your business need and are neither discriminatory nor arbitrary.
• If a part of the policy could be discriminatory, consider whether it can be objectively justified. Conducting a workplace assessment will help establish any justification.
• Ensure that prospective employees are made aware of the policy before they join.
• If there are concerns, explore them using your grievance procedure and make adjustments where appropriate. 
• Give examples of what is suitable and unsuitable dress. For example, sandals which enclose the foot are acceptable; flip flops and trainers are not.
•  Identify any special requirements for employees who deal with the public.
• Communicate the policy and explain what the penalties will be for breach.
• Apply the dress code policy consistently, but make reasonable accommodation when the situation requires an exception.