How will you look in the stand-out colour of the new Autumn fashion season?
June 10th, 2009 by Kim Bolsover
I am reliably informed that the ’stand-out’ colour for the coming Autumn Winter season is blueberry.
Blueberry could also be called cobalt blue (though I personally think the cobalt version is a bit brighter), a paler shade of petrel blue *, or a teal. It’s rich, deep, muted and subtle - a bit like real blueberries really.
How to wear blueberry
Blueberry is quite a muted shade of blue so if you normally look good in really bright colours, then you might want to consider wearing it with brilliant white for lots of contrast. The new Peek-a-Boo trend for Autumn shows you how to do this effectively and still be current.
Any shade of blue, by its very nature, is on the cool side so if you have definite warm tones you will need to wear it with one of the best colours from your seasonal palette.
Most true Autumns struggle to wear any shade of blue at all but this season’s offering of blueberry may give you the opportunity to look amazingly good in a colour that you perhaps don’t already have in your wardrobe. But before you go out madly parting with your money, why not try a piece of jewellery or a scarf first? I do not recommend starting out with a blueberry lipstick unless you want to look a little peaky! You can always progress to that later, when you’re putting the whole look together.
By the way, virtually all the other colours being mooted for the new season are absolutely great for Autumns - rich red, mouse, rust, ochre, putty, mustard and curry brown - and if you’re a truly warm Spring, you’ll enjoy adding these colours into your wardrobe too.
Springs may find blueberry on its own a bit dour. You need bright colours; you need warm colours. Blueberry is muted and cool so you can see the problem here. However, if you can find a print with blueberry in it, you’ll probably enjoy that.
Most Summers and Cool Winters will adore blueberry. It is so very elegant worn as one colour from head to foot, or you could try toning it down to a muted teal or denim or soft sky blue.
Deep Winters could mix blueberry with raspberry or even cerise (all the berries!) for a powerful, deep look.
(Photo right) At this year’s Oscars, Frieda Pinto looked wonderful in a cobalt blue dress on a raspberry carpet…!
Bright Winters will probably be able to carry off this rather subdued colour (for you) if you contrast the dark muted blue with brilliant white. And all Winters will be pleased to know that there’s plenty of silver in the palette for Autumn / Winter 2009, though it came down the catwalks in some very dodgy combinations more reminiscent of a nightclub scene from that 1980’s Joan Collins classic film ‘The Stud’. Oh, halcyon days…
Blue is the colour
Blue is the colour of communication, self-expression and creativity. If the thought of too much blue makes you feel a bit blue, then why not just add a touch of jewellery - earrings, a necklace, a bracelet or a ring with a blue stone or crystal - to your usual non-blue wardrobe.
Blue is a great colour to wear at interviews; without you even opening your mouth, it gives the impression of stability, trust, loyalty, truthfulness and patience. But I would recommend that you keep your blue quite dark, soft and subtle. In the UK, a dark-ish navy carries the most integrity in business for both men and women because of all these characteristics. At a subconscious level, we assume the wearer has the same characteristics. Why do you think hardened criminals are ‘groomed’ by their defence lawyers to wear a dark blue or navy suit in court? They want their client to make as good an impression as they can on the officials and the jury from the very first moment that they meet as it has been proven that first impressions are extremely difficult to change. They hope that, no matter what evidence the jury hears, they will make their decision based on the first impression that the defendant made.
When I was training all those hundreds of years ago, I was told that it took around 13 further ‘encounters’ to change someone’s ideas about you. However, while taking a course only last month, the tutor told us, “With every new encounter, you are evaluated and yet one more person’s impression of you is formed. These first impressions can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo. This makes those first encounters extremely important, for they set the tone for all the relationships that follow.”
Oh my!
First impressions are crucial in all spheres of life where you want something. And whether you think it’s right or wrong, the fact is that we ALL judge other people by a first impression which includes what you’re wearing, how you stand, how much space you take up, how you behave, how you sound - and a mere 7% of it is based on what you actually say.
They used to say it takes only 35 seconds to form a first impression. I reckon that the majority of women do it a heck of a lot quicker than that. A quick look up and down, and we move on. What do you reckon? 3 seconds? Or less?
On the other hand, blue is not recommended if you want to sizzle to impress that person you’ve been fancying for ages! Even the normally-smouldering Beyonce looks almost demure here (right) on the cover of April’s Vogue magazine in dark, mysterious blueberry.
But more of how to sizzle another time, or we’ll still be here at Christmas…
Should you be wearing any of these colours or trends yourself?
Instead of wasting your money on trying out colours and trends that you may wear once and never again, why don’t you find out properly? Treat yourself to a personalised session with an image consultant who will show you what makes YOU look good and, just as importantly, what doesn’t.
Download the latest fashion trends for yourself
We create these ostensibly for image professionals but there’s nothing to stop you from getting the insider knowledge for you and your friends. When you do, just read our fashion expert’s witty footnote - absolutely brilliant. Find out how
* Petrel
Yes, that’s the correct spelling as the colour takes its name from colour of the Blue Petrel, which is named after the Teal Duck. Petrol - gasoline, whatever you want to call it - is NOT blue. In the UK it is colourless, like water. However, you will find lots of car manufacturers sell cars in ‘petrol blue’ - now, I wonder why that could be? (astonished silence!)
This is the most wonderful time to train as an image consultant, or to add more image skills to those you already have.
The whole alphabet from Afghan coats, buttock skimming boots, colossal collars, dizzy disco… 
