| Colourways |
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| Written by Jane Garner, 2008 | |
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Are you a slave to next season's shades or have you stuck to the same comfortable colours for years? Jane Garner talks to colour experts, including a Denman College tutor.As if by magic, fashion collections focus every season on the same colours - in fact the same shades of the same colours. What you see arriving in stores for autumn was decided up to three years ago when fabrics were created for designers to drool over. Now it's your turn... Colour, not surgery!"If you could just leave women on their own, without friends, partners, mothers or fashion, they would probably naturally choose the colours that work for them."Pat Henshaw is Corporate Business Director and Senior Trainer with Colour Me Beautiful, the UK's leading image consultancy. She has been advising women (and men) about colour for more than 20 years and co-authored three books with Veronique Henderson, including the latest Colour Me Younger (Hamlyn £12.99), to be followed by The Beautiful Bride early next year. "Colour Me Younger is for women in their 40s, 50s and 60s. We are saying there is no need for plastic surgery, crazy diets or liposuction if you keep up and age gracefully," she explains. "We all tint our hair but when do you let the grey come through?" Colour Me Beautiful advises women not just about the colours that suit them, but the shades of those colours, and how to use them to best effect. "We look at the elements of colour," says Pat. "The depth - is it light or dark? Clarity - bright and vibrant or soft and muted? Colours have their elements and so do women. For example, women with a strong look like Catherine Zeta Jones or Joan Collins would go for darker colours, a redhead like the Duchess of York or Anne Robinson for terracotta and olive green, while the Duchess of Cornwall or Judi Dench look better in cool colours." A woman's complexion and personal colours will change with age, so she must adapt her wardrobe colour scheme to remain in harmony, advises Pat: "Menopausal women's eyes often change colour and their skin tone changes, too. The process can take 20-30 years but you still feel 18! You look at yourself and don't see the subtle changes taking place. It's not that you shouldn't wear certain colours - somebody with striking colours may like black and fuchsia, but in her 60s she might look better in charcoal and soft pink." Colour Me Beautiful can analyse a woman and sum up her colouring in three words, taken from 24 colour types including deep, light, warm, cool, clear and soft. "Everybody needs to know the depth, clarity and undertone of colour," explains Pat. She comes to the rescue of anyone worried they won't ever find anything to suit them. There are universal colours - for instance, charcoal, soft white, teal and periwinkle blue, light navy and stone/pewter shades. "Brands like Burberry make their coats in classic colours because they work for so many people." There is a psychological element to how others see you in certain colours: "Black is considered authoritative, grey is more approachable. Yellow is fun, blue conservative - the darker it is the more conservative it is. Purple is innovative, pink feminine and romantic, brown is restful and more wearable than black. Red is energising but can be seen as rather assertive. Everyone should have a red jacket or jumper in their wardrobe to wear when they're feeling tired." And Pat's advice for the new fashion season? "We wear our winter clothes longer than our summer wardrobe so you need to be quite controlled about shopping. Spend most on the colours you wear most. If you're not sure about a new fashion shade, buy a cheap t-shirt and test reaction when you wear it. Invest well in neutrals." Pat's top tips
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