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McMahan's Memo 07/01/2011
Color Your Clothing
COLOR YOUR CLOTHING
Choosing clothes that complement your skin coloring doesn't have to be stressful-it just takes a small investment of time and energy. You can start making great color combinations by using just a few simple steps to make educated choices.
Whenever possible, view potential clothing purchases in natural light, usually through a window. The fluorescent lighting in most offices can distort a fabric's true color.
Gather shirt swatches in several shades of the same color. Hold them up under your chin while you look at yourself in a mirror. When a shirt makes you look either worn out or discolored, set that item aside. If you're not sure how a color makes your skin look, listen to your instinct about whether you like or dislike the color. We tend to like tones that look good on us.
When you find several selections that make your skin look healthy and robust, group them together. Once you've tested several color families, you'll find that most of your chosen fabrics, whether light or dark tones, fall into one of four seasonal "families."
Spring colors are fresh and fun with tones like pale blue, light green, and yellow. Summer colors are brighter and more whimsical with hues in warm reds, steel blue, and medium greens or purples. Autumn runs to golden browns, brick red, and olive green. Winter contains rich, saturated shades like burgundy, navy, and dark green.
Once you've discovered your best colors, build a wardrobe around what looks great on you-and makes you look great while wearing it.
Q & A - ASK TRAVIS
Question: How do I choose a shirt color?
Answer: Choosing a shirt is not as simple as picking your favorite color; colors communicate different things to those around you. Let's start with the basics. Crisp, clean white shirts convey the most power and authority. Blue shirts come next, and work well with almost any suit color. Other solid colors are appropriate for all but the most formal occasions, while stripes and checks work well in most day-to-day situations. "Warm" colors such as red or yellow are more casual than "cool" colors.
McMahan's Memo is a publication of McMahan's Sartoriale Clothing
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