Can YOU wear black?
After discussing ‘Can an Autumn wear black?‘ you’re probably wondering if Springs and Summers can wear black too. Of course you can.
Anyone on the planet can wear black if they want to, but let’s start with Winters, shall we? And only because it’s so readily believed that they’re the only season who CAN wear black – this is such outdated thinking…
If you’re a Winter, you’ll very probably look stunning in black. However, assume nothing. After all, ASSUME just makes an ASS out of yoU and ME.
My friend Annie is a Bright Winter with virtually black hair, pale skin and vivid green eyes and she looks so much better in purplish navy! True black looks far too stark on her. I’ve no idea why; it just does!
If you’re a Winter, try black for yourself before you believe anything anyone says (and that includes me, of course). Check it out with a good image consultant and see how you FEEL in it.
If you’re a Summer, all the books and diagnose-from-a-script experts will tell you that black is far too harsh for your delicate colouring. They might even say that you shouldn’t wear black and that charcoal or navy will probably be better on you.
A friend’s daughter is a truly Light Summer and wearing charcoal makes her look like a lump of coal that’s gone off the boil. I’m not saying a block black is good on her but one of her best outfits is a black-and-ivory-striped jacket with a light pink dress underneath and black court shoes. Stunning!
If you’re a Spring or an Autumn, there will be those who will tell you that because black is a cool colour you should always opt for brown instead.
If you need to look professional for a job or promotion interview, that’s about as much use as a chocolate teapot.
Some shade of brown may actually be your best darkest neutral (go and find out which one) but brown is an earth colour and indicates to the onlooker (without you even having to open your mouth) that you are caring, helpful and sympathetic.
If you’re a therapist or a counsellor, this might be exactly the look you’re aiming for but if you want to be taken seriously in any of the high-flying office-based professions, you need to wear cool colours. The colour psychology section of my training course explains all about this if you’re really interested to find out more.
Grey, navy and black are the archetypal power colours in the business world so, if you have warm colouring AND you want to impress in this world, then you need to try them. Get an image consultant to show you how; you might be pleasantly surprised, just like Jean was.
And if they still look awful, you might want to think again about your choice of profession… (but more of that another time).
A good image consultant should be able to show anyone how to wear any colour at all. And if he/she can’t – or won’t – then find someone else.
To paraphrase Mr. Gable in ‘Gone With The Wind’, "Quite frankly, my dear, I don’t give a wotsit whether you stick to the ‘rules’ or not."
As far as I’m concerned there aren’t any anyway. But it’s your life so only you can decide.
