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. 

Life Changes

House of Colour clients come from all walks of life and choose HOC for all kinds of reasons - the intangible (emotional, look good/feel good connection) to the tangible (practical, measurable, saving time/money/effort, to help secure jobs, promotions, relationships and sales). 
 

Whether people are successful, visible and happy with their life or feel completely disempowered or invisible, the overriding reason to decide to invest in themselves can frequently be defined as a desire to become more visible (noticed for the right reasons),  often triggered by a life event which focuses attention:

• Employment changes: finding that first job, making the transition from education, wanting more success as you climb the career ladder, moving to a position of self-employment and needing to secure sales, returning to work after a maternity break or moving into retirement.  People want to be distinguishable as an individual, looking professional, friendly and approachable, as though they can do the job in question – they want to look the part.
• Starting or ending a relationship often leads to a change in hairstyle and clothing.  The retail therapy element cannot be ignored but when making changes it’s far better to invest in things that will suit you to ensure you get full cost per wear and a return on your investment.  A major milestone is a frequent trigger - 18 and 21 may be welcomed with as much gusto as double digits or the teen milestone, but those blessed with youthful looks sometimes wish to look more mature to help career progression.  40 and 50 tend to be more resistant milestones, our pictures and reflections seem to defy how we feel, we know there must be a way to stay looking younger and slimmer for a bit longer without the need for surgical or chemical intervention as we prepare ourselves to embrace the ageing process; fear not, with HOC help is at hand!
• Recovery from any period of change can be a big deal - the varying levels of recovery from traumas or a period of illness (as patient or carer) also bring a need for a personal morale boost.
• Also included in this group are mothers - the impact of having children cannot be underestimated.  Every mother I would dare to say, without exception, will have experienced at some point a loss of power, self-esteem or self-confidence, which has a direct impact on our confidence when selecting clothes which suit us.  With time and space to think about ourselves for the first time in a long time, a change in lifestyle, body shape and budget, leaves us a little disorientated as we learn to find a new balance.   When life changes result in disempowered people and they want to pick themselves up, it’s something visual that needs changing – new hairstyle, outfit and/or accessories.  The power of the image is grossly underestimated but we need the image we see in the mirror to be a true reflection of who we are - we owe it to ourselves to be empowered, visible and authentic.
• From a business perspective a review of your personal appearance may be triggered by the company revisiting their corporate business strategy and recognising the value of bringing congruence to the staff, representatives and corporate brand.

All over the world, businessmen and women work hard to get themselves and their businesses ‘noticed’ (visible), seen for what and who they are (authentic) to customers.  One visit to a local business networking group will show you that, unfortunately, too often the focus is around getting the business card, brohure or product right, with little attention paid to the appearance and presentation of the person.

From a personal perspective we want to be seen for who we are, from a business perspective we also need to be seen to represent our company, product or service with authority and make sure that our personal appearance (brand) supports and reinforces the corporate brand while empowering us to be ourselves. 

The paradox of life is our conflicting need for both continuity and change.   Empowering people to embrace these changes by taking themselves on first is a real gift -  ‘chin up’, ‘best foot forward’, ‘tomorrow’s another day’ - it’s not what happens but our approach and reaction to it which will determine how we handle it – knowing you look your best is akin to knowing you’re as well prepared as you can be.

 

The Dress Code Minefield

Everyone now and then there’s a serious side to everything – from a work perspective dress code can be a minefield.

My young son is currently fascinated by the World Wars, so when he wanted to bring home D-Day, My Story, which his teachers felt a little advanced for him, we agreed that we would discuss anything that is new or unclear to him - finishing the book might take a while but we’ve had some amazing conversations. 

One such conversation explored what a minefield is.  Working through this, the 7 year old explanation is relatively simple – an explosive that is generally unseen and triggered by ‘you’ in some way, unintentionally and often with no warning, causing significant damage beyond your control.

Mapping this onto your work wear, the term ‘minefield’ is an interesting metaphor.  The point being that while we are all free to choose what to wear, there are sometimes dress codes or expectations of what is acceptable and appropriate which, if we get it wrong, could at best hinder progress or at worst damage your reputation, unknowingly and almost certainly unintentionally, without warning and seemingly beyond your control.

I’ve met many clients who enjoy the act of rebellion and breaking the rules.   To really enjoy this, you need to break the rules ‘knowingly’, which requires an understanding of what the rules are, why they exist and what they are intended to provide.   In other words, to elicit a desired response from your audience, consciously making a choice about your clothing would be the smart choice! 





Understanding what works for you, (your colouring, shape, budget and lifestyle), dovetailing this with a knowledge of the language of clothes and identifying ways to add or remove authority in your outfit to bring clarity is all provided in your Personal Style Class – it’s a way of ‘minesweeping’ your appearance and personal brand to clear a path for safe progress.

A business relies on its personnel to deliver the ‘brand’; its people need to accurately reflect the product, service, company and market while showing themselves to be individuals.   In a less formal, multi-cultural society, where you’re aiming for freedom of expression whilst reinforcing your brand, it is critical to achieve a dress code that works for everyone, which can be a legal minefield.  With people exercising their right to express themselves more freely at all times, how do employers define clearly what is fair, reasonable and acceptable?  Employers have considerable latitude on what is acceptable but they must ensure that they don’t fall foul of anti-discrimination legislation.

 Next week, we have a guest blog from Kate Russell, (BA Barrister, MA) of Russell HR Consulting, who provides some clear guidance on what to consider in the workplace.