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Color Consulting for The Color of Success

Color has an effect on people as in cool blue or warm red. Yellow in summer makes things seem hot. It's not an accident that products are marketed and sold with color in mind. Folger's coffee comes in red containers. Brands too are related to color. John Deere farm equipment is green.

Just as in marketing products, know how the color of your clothes helps you sell yourself to others. The wrong color can make you seem tired. A red and green combination on clothes can make teeth look yellow when they're not. In contrast, a blue coloring absorbs yellow.

Color can be used to highlight or diminish skin tones. Pastels are bright and can lighten a skin tone. A combination of the three basic colors -blue, red, green-- creates a dark color that contrasts a lighter skin tone.

Choosing the correct color for your skin tone makes a world of difference in the way people see you. The right color flatters body size and shape when it makes one look slimmer and younger.

Colors also have contrasts. The best known contrasting color combination is black and white. A dark background makes a lighter color stand out just as red velvet makes a diamond stand out.

Color Consulting Is A Growing Business

Using color for success in fashion and interior decoration transcends economic and international boundaries. The color consulting industry has shot up to a $70 million a year business. These color consultants are experts who help clients with clothing color choices, with product wrapping and marketing, and in interior decorations that give off the look of success.

When it comes to selecting colors in clothing, consultants consider hair color, eye color and skin tones. Every person seems to have been born with either a blue color undertone or a yellow color undertone which is a combination of red and green color. Once that undertone is determined, whether cool blue or warm yellow, the right palette of colors compliment skin, hair and eyes.

One guideline to use is that men and women who have a blue undertone have skin that is light, olive or fair. Their hair is light brown tending to dark, dark brown, black, or even blonde color. Their eyes are light or dark blue, green, brown, or hazel.

Individuals with warm tones have milky skin possibly with freckles or it's fair to black. Hair is golden or honey blonde, light to dark brown, or some shade of red strawberry. Their eyes are turquoise to blue-green, green, brown, or hazel.

There are no fast and set rules to determining the best color for any one person. Shopping with a friend and trying on the same clothes in different colors can help you determine which color best complements your skin tone. Skin colors also fall into a particular season color. Like using a horoscope, you are a spring, summer, fall, or winter type.

The Role of Image Consultants

Image consultants first evaluate hair color to see if it is warm or cool and then the color depth. Dark hair with no red highlights is for winter type people. A dark color with red highlights means autumn. Blonde color hair without golden or red highlights is summer.

White hair with gold or red highlights means spring. Knowing the seasonal type helps not only select clothing but also the best accessories that create a personalized statement.

Winter clothing should be dark blue colors that give off a cool look like a bright winter day with the sun reflecting off snow. Creamy pastels give off a cool but muted look on shirts.

Autumn colors are reddish and warm that remind one of rich leaves as they turn red, orange, and golden yellow. Spring colors are also warm but whiter with a medium to light intensity reminding us of budding flowers and a season about to begin.

To get a better feel for colors and clothing, pay attention to people on television who have to be dressed to perfection. They have professional color consultants to guide them. It's easy to copy their ideas.

See if you an spot someone on television who impresses you with his apearance and who has your same skin and seasonal color tone. Take note of how he wears his clothes --style, cut, and color.

Then a sales clerk at a clothing store can help you select the clothing that blends in with your personal image. Select clothes based on color, style, comfort, and budget. Rather than buying expensive clothes, you can keep up with styling when you can buy new clothes more often.

The previous article is on Men's Fashion Mistakes.

Other wiki resources:  Personal Style; Personal Image; Personal Development; Men's Fashion