Call the fashion police, I'm wearing orange!
Q. Is it a crime to wear orange?
A. No
But, if you've ever had a Colour Analysis and have been advised that orange (or any other colour) doesn't suit your skin-tone, it's best to avoid it. That's because it has the potential to make ones skin look a funny colour, like you're about to throw up, and may also make you look jowly, tired and puffy - and from a personal perspective, I'm quite capable of looking a little worse for wear without any extra help, thank you very much!
However, sometimes you see something that goes against all the rules that makes your heart flip and you think - sod it, I'm having it. This is EXACTLY what happened to me when I saw this tangerine-dream skirt a couple of weeks ago in New Look.
Q. Is it a crime to wear orange?
A. No
But, if you've ever had a Colour Analysis and have been advised that orange (or any other colour) doesn't suit your skin-tone, it's best to avoid it. That's because it has the potential to make ones skin look a funny colour, like you're about to throw up, and may also make you look jowly, tired and puffy - and from a personal perspective, I'm quite capable of looking a little worse for wear without any extra help, thank you very much!
However, sometimes you see something that goes against all the rules that makes your heart flip and you think - sod it, I'm having it. This is EXACTLY what happened to me when I saw this tangerine-dream skirt a couple of weeks ago in New Look.
But (you knew there was a but coming, didn't you?), you need to be careful with this laissez-faire approach to clothes shopping and I am not, in any way, condoning that you blow caution to the wind and just buy anything that tickles your fancy. You must enforce some form of control (said in my very best headmistress voice!).
Let me explain.
I won't launch into a huge monologue here but, in a nutshell, knowing which colours suit you and sticking to a colour palette not only makes you look damn good (skin looks brighter, eyes clearer, features more defined etc.) but your wardrobe also becomes this amazing 'machine' that offers up a multitude of outfits because all the colours that you've put into it, based on the colour swatches provided by your stylist, will work fantastically together.
Imagine, if you can, that your (correct coloured) clothes are cogs - fitting together and moving perfectly - enabling your wardrobe to keep producing amazing outfit combinations that look stunning on you.
Then imagine throwing in a 'wrong' colour and you suddenly have this bigger, clumsy, clunky cog that doesn't really fit into the other cogs and your wardrobe runs less smoothly.
But (yes, another but), if you're careful and know the rules of how your cogs work, you can cleverly and just occasionally add a wrong cog, in the right place, and still get a wardrobe that works well. Just don't go adding lots of wrong cogs or you'll get yourself into a right old pickle. Your wardrobe will start swelling, spluttering and coughing up unsuccessful outfits and you'll be back to where you started before you had your Colour Analysis.
If you know a colour doesn't suit you - keep it away from your face in the form of skirts or trousers and team with a top that is one of your colours. Which sounds simple - but be careful, it's not always that easy. I'm lucky here as white, navy and black (all of which are 'my' colours) look great with this skirt - and to have three choices of 'correct' colour tops for a 'wrong' colour skirt, is pretty damn good.
Now, I also wanted to try this top. Yes, cutting it fine here I know because the top contains orange and I shouldn't let orange near my face, but as there's also a lot of white within the top, I reckon I can just about get away with it.
Let me explain.
I won't launch into a huge monologue here but, in a nutshell, knowing which colours suit you and sticking to a colour palette not only makes you look damn good (skin looks brighter, eyes clearer, features more defined etc.) but your wardrobe also becomes this amazing 'machine' that offers up a multitude of outfits because all the colours that you've put into it, based on the colour swatches provided by your stylist, will work fantastically together.
Imagine, if you can, that your (correct coloured) clothes are cogs - fitting together and moving perfectly - enabling your wardrobe to keep producing amazing outfit combinations that look stunning on you.
Then imagine throwing in a 'wrong' colour and you suddenly have this bigger, clumsy, clunky cog that doesn't really fit into the other cogs and your wardrobe runs less smoothly.
But (yes, another but), if you're careful and know the rules of how your cogs work, you can cleverly and just occasionally add a wrong cog, in the right place, and still get a wardrobe that works well. Just don't go adding lots of wrong cogs or you'll get yourself into a right old pickle. Your wardrobe will start swelling, spluttering and coughing up unsuccessful outfits and you'll be back to where you started before you had your Colour Analysis.
If you know a colour doesn't suit you - keep it away from your face in the form of skirts or trousers and team with a top that is one of your colours. Which sounds simple - but be careful, it's not always that easy. I'm lucky here as white, navy and black (all of which are 'my' colours) look great with this skirt - and to have three choices of 'correct' colour tops for a 'wrong' colour skirt, is pretty damn good.
Now, I also wanted to try this top. Yes, cutting it fine here I know because the top contains orange and I shouldn't let orange near my face, but as there's also a lot of white within the top, I reckon I can just about get away with it.
But what I did notice when wearing this top was that my usual colour lipstick (wine red) clashes with the orange stripe - and this is where things start to unravel. If I were to wear this striped top, I would need to change the colour of my lipstick and then because of that, the colour of my blusher and then would my hair and skin look a bit 'off'? Yup. Very likely!
So, by all means, be a rebel and break the rules (life's too short not to, for goodness sake!) but look after those cogs and your wardrobe will look after you.
M x
M x
