Master colours to master your style.
Our first impressions of someone’s outfit are the colours that they are wearing. However though a combination of colours may work spectacularly for one person it may be completely inappropriate for another.
This is because the colours of an outfit must be coordinated with the tones of one’s individual complexion (which includes the tones of one’s facial features including hair, skin, eye colour and any facial hair).
When the eye is drawn to the face it also takes into consideration the area immediately surrounding the face; an area which includes the shirt, any neckwear and the jacket, in its visual range. It is therefore the colours in this area, which we shall call the cynosure, which must be coordinated with the tones of one’s complexion to ensure that the face appears as expressive as possible.
This can be accomplished in two ways:
1) Repeating Tones
2) Harmonising tones (to be covered in Fundamentals: Colours – Part 2)
Repeating Tones
Repeating tones involves repeating the tones found in one’s complexion in the cynosure. The repetition of tones reinforces the face’s natural pigmentation thus increasing its expressiveness.
Yukio Akamine, Japanese style icon, in the photo above has repeated the tones of his skin to increase his face’s expressiveness. Akamine being of East- Asian descent has repeated the yellowish tones of his skin in the cynosure through the similarly toned stone coloured jacket and the beige in his tie.
The repeating tones approach can also work for other features of the face including the eyes. Frank Sinatra has repeated the tones of his striking “ol’ blue eyes” to spectacular effect in the photo below.
The royal blue tie is the most explicit example of this repetition which being located directly under his face draws attention back again to his spectacular blue eyes. The same effect can be accomplished with a correctly toned blue shirt. On a side note, observe the brilliantly subtle lapel pin that picks up on the tones of his sun-kissed skin.
The repeating tone approach can also be used to bracket the face and thus increase its expressiveness. An example of this is Cary Grant’s iconic outfit crafted by the tailors of Kilgour in North by Northwest (1959).
Sporting a light grey suit and tie of a similar level of intensity to the grey tones found in his hair, Grant is able to bracket his handsome visage and draw attention to it thus increasing its expressiveness. Also notice how the intensity of the greys of the cynosure and Grant’s complexion are similar but not identical. This is because Grant’s bronzed skin has the effect of naturally increasing the intensity of the other colours around meaning that the tones of his outfit have been muted slightly to compensate.
(photos via Drakes of London, Rubinacci, Scott Schuman)