What Colour Should I Wear to Make a Statement?

Choosing an outfit every day can be difficult, but if you’ve got a big meeting or important presentation, you probably want to select a colour that will help make a statement. In the world of fashion, colours have different meanings and believe it or not, the colours you choose to wear may be giving off a hidden message.

When it comes to choosing an outfit that’s going to make you stand out, there are a few colours you should keep in mind. It’s time to jump right into the world of colour and fashion.

The psychology behind colours

Believe it or not, colour psychology is a thing! Yep, the colours you wear can subconsciously send a message to others with varying meanings, from power to luxury to success. Personal Stylist Josephine Eve says, ‘all colours have deeper meanings. They can reflect your personality, mood, values, qualities and increase your confidence overall.’ How the colour is portrayed to others also depends on the person wearing the colour and how they choose to wear it or portray themselves while wearing it.

Each colour represents certain feelings or emotions, which we’ll look at below:

Blue

The colour blue is often linked to the water and generates feelings of peace, tranquillity and calm. When you’re in office environments, wearing blue sends out positive signs such as intelligence, trust, and efficiency.

Black

Black is a colour we often see in workplace environments – and for a good reason! A survey conducted in the UK found that black was rated ‘first’ as a colour that represented confidence and power. It’s a popular colour that is considered elegant and has a slimming effect.

Red

Wearing red is certainly a bold choice. It represents physical courage, strength, energy, and excitement. However, red also represents aggression and passion, so sometimes it can come across as hostile in a working environment, so try not to wear it too frequently in the office!

Yellow

The colour of the sun, yellow represents happiness and laughter. Yellow also has other traits, including increasing concentration and attention, speeding up metabolism and increasing serotonin in the brain.

Green

Purple

Purple can give off vibes of royalty or luxury and subconsciously can be viewed as a little bit spiritual. This dates back to past times when only the rich could afford to wear shades of purple. In today’s world, however, it also indicates creativity and insight.

Orange

Similar to red, orange is a colour of stimulation and enthusiasm. Orange always gives an atmosphere a fun party vibe, in addition to being a warm and opportunistic colour. Like red, wearing orange into the office should be done in moderation.

White

White is a colour of freedom, purity, innocence and simplicity. Choosing to wear the colour white often comes at a time when people are starting a new journey in their life – such as a bride getting married and starting that new chapter. As it is a neutral colour, it rarely repels others.

Grey

One of the most neutral colours is grey. Interestingly, it is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It can also be quite a suppressing colour or even be seen as an absence of colour, which can – in turn – come across as slightly depressing. It can often be quite difficult to characterise a person who is wearing the colour grey.

When it comes to making a statement, there are a few colours you can wear to ensure you stand out. ‘Statement colours are any colours that are contrasting in your outfit and are more attention-grabbing in looks’, says Josephine. ‘Red and yellow are definitely the most extroverted colours if you want to make a bold statement, but you can rock any colour to make it more of a statement feature in your outfit.’

What colours are the most flattering?

The most flattering colours vary from person to person depending on skin colour, hair colour, and even eye colour. ‘Every person has a different complexion that suits a different set of colours’, says Josephine, ‘but thankfully, some universal colours seem to work on everyone, including teal, navy, coral, eggplant purple, true red, blush pink and light grey.’

Working out what colours suit you may seem like a difficult task – especially if you’re unsure of how to do this, but luckily there are ways you can tell which colours will suit you based on which type of skin tone you are.

Some more food for thought

Whether you’re dressing for a particular occasion or just to go to work every day, Josephine shares some top tips:

Start your looks with some neutral base colours like black, navy, camel, grey and cream, and then add your favourite colour to the look.
Style your outfits with a range of one to three colours for an effortless look, and style no more than four colours in your outfit so as to not make your outfit appear too ‘busy’.
Avoid colours that are too close to your skin tone, as they can wash you out.
Style one light colour (white, cream, light grey etc.), one medium shade of colour and then one dark colour (black, navy, deep green, petrol etc.) for a nice colour balanced look.
Invest in your neutral staple coloured wardrobe items. Then you can add pops of coloured items into your wardrobe each season.

When thinking about what colour you should wear to make a statement, it may feel like you’re lost in a sea of colours and the psychological meanings behind these colours. With each colour meaning a different thing, you may want to do some research if you’re heading into an important meeting or presentation to ensure you’re subconsciously sending across the right message to those around you. If you are struggling to figure out what colour suits you, it may be worth investing in a personal stylist such as Josephine or heading into your closest Fashion Biz Canada distributor for tailored advice to you.