What colours will you be wearing this year ?

Put the flags out ! All the colours in the rainbow are in. This is wonderful news, to help lift the world out of the doom and gloom of recessionary neutrals. The catwalks have been ablaze with a riot of colour for this coming season, so which is your favourite – or are you going to wear them all together?

RED

Poppy red is predicted to be the colour of the year according to Pantone LLC the global authority on colour for 50 years. Depending on your skin tone you can look for reds that have orangey hints, or else cooler brick-red or raspberry notes. Red is a great colour to look ahead to spring with - Symbolizing compassion and strength, it reminds us what nature is up to. Colours that are born anew each year lifting our spirits and stirring our emotions. Red sings out loudest across a crowed room. It has the ability to lift our energy levels and help us to feel confident too.

ORANGE

Orange encompasses a wide range of related tints and shades, from tangerine to coral to bright rust. It suggests warmth and ripeness, enthusiasm,creativity and friendship. Think of these values bursting forth, and remember orange can work very well as an accent or highlight colour perhaps in accessories or a print.

YELLOW

Yellows can be acid sharp, golden sunflower or the palest of lemons. Yellow is brimming with joy, vitality, intelligence, persuasion and charm. Yellows appears on the cosmetic scene with bright nail polishes and eyeshadow, try to pick the right undertones that go with your natural colouring, it can make all the difference to how you look and feel. Wear your yellow with confidence and happiness, if you don’t feel confident enough to wear it as a block colour look for prints or little splashes of yellow energy to enhance your wardrobe and acknowlege the longer sunnier days that are coming.

GREEN

Greens are always in demand, and this season colours range from emerald to soft jade, as well as pistachio and bright lime green. Greens always combine beautifully, as the colour of nature, and in the natural world there is no such thing as solid block colour – think about shades and tints of this very popular hue and accenting/combining with other colours too as green is all about synergy, balance, abundance and growth – bring on springtime, we can’t wait! Green is a grounding, calming colour in all its many shades, so why not choose something green when you need to feel creative and steady, to help you generate new ideas and sense of purpose

BLUE

A surprising fashion passion for 2013 is bright navy blue – this is great because it flatters so many people, and is a fantastic alternative to black as a dark shade. Natural tones of blue will be good this year, like sky blue and aqua, and blue brings us tranquillity, protection and healing. It also symbolises hope, and change – and remains one of the worlds official ‘favourite colour’ in surveys of all ages.

In fashion the new navies combine very well with other shades of blue, you can blend bright sky blue against a darker background, and also with a range of other shades. Look how the natural mineral tones in this image range across the intensity spectrum, and think about how blues can also work in dip-dye hippy-chic tones, as well as tight stylish blocks of colour.

INDIGO

Deep muted inky shades of indigo are another alternative dark shade this season, think blackberry and sapphire. These are colours you glance at quickly and think, is it black, or dark blue… then see the warmth and depth inside. indigo can also be muted and greyish, and go with so many hues. Wear them to reflect your hidden depths and insights!

Berry shades are often associated with autumn, so it was unusual to see so many on the catwalks for the spring season. But think of combining them with bright splashes of other colours, they work brilliantly as a backdrop of dark neutrality that will not suck the energy out of other shades in the way that a pairing with black so often can.

 

VIOLET

The anticipation of spring brings flower-inspired colours you can smell from delicate lilacs to blazing bright african violet. Suggesting intuitive success, violet is a powerful colour to wear, and if you find it overwhelming in a block look for prints and accessories which can bring this gorgeous colour into YOUR world.

Equally appealing on the softer side, we see nudes and dreamy, laid back fleshy colours. Tints of colour like heather/silver grey and linen will flatter cool skin tones while champagne/bronze and oyster will be lovely on warmer colouring. Remember you can use lighter neutrals to mix and match with your bright new colours, this can be more effective than darks for lifting your look, especially as the days are lengthening and spring starts to arrive.

 

Nudes and pastels are going to be big in cosmetics too this year, particularly framing the eyes – allowing your natural eye tones to take centre stage.

Don’t be afraid to wear colour this year just go with your colour moods, be bold, feel bright and energised and project yourself happy in 2013. More colour information can be found in the book “Colour In My World”.