A friend of mine hadn’t brought any clothes with him to the Adirondacks, and needed a shirt. His closest and easiest option early on a Saturday Morning was the local Wal-Mart. He made his selections and proceeded to check out.
“What color is that shirt?” The woman at the checkout counter asked.
“I guess it would be pink, maybe even…peach?” He replied hesitantly.
“I like it…” She said. “You don’t see a lot of men around here wearing that color…” Her voice trailed off for a second.
“I wish they would.” She said dreamily.
“Well, thanks-Gotta go.” My friend uttered quickly, removing himself and his peach shirt from the hungry eyes of the woman.
In the sea of blue that is often menswear, a splash of color is always appreciated. While menswear is generally more understated in color than womens wear, there’s little doubt that it plays an important role.
I had previously mentioned briefly color in my second post, and that on a basic level complimentary colors (those opposite on the color wheel) work well. There are also color palettes, which are the range of colors used by a particular designer in a line, or in a particular outfit. Color is a big deal. Designers spend a lot of time determining their palette, and perhaps the company best known for color, PANTONE, comes up with a color of the year that is closely watched by designers and other consumer facing companies. 2015’s color is Marsala.
In addition they have the fashion color palettes for both men and women as well. Spring 2015’s colors are somewhat muted, while fall’s have a bit more of a pop of color.
Once you start paying attention to color you will start seeing it everywhere. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing clothes and accessories in these color palettes as you shop. But beyond simply keeping up with trends, and what is in the know, color can convey powerful messages.
Red is the color often associated in mens fashion, and pretty universally, with dominance and power. It is also associated with love and passion. In fact, studies have shown that an individual wearing red will have greater perceptions of their own dominance. And those perceiving a person wearing red will have a greater perception of that person’s power and dominance. If you want to exude a killer instinct, wear red. A dark Navy suit and a red tie is the classic power suit.
If you want to get dates purple is the way to go. A non-conventional choice for sure, a survey of 2000 women in the United Kingdom found that over 1/3 of women preferred a man in a purple shirt to any other color. The second closest was black at 32 percent. Unsurprisingly blue was second to last at 11 percent. And despite the preference of the Wal-Mart employee at the beginning of this post, the man in a pink shirt was the least likely to get a date at 6 percent.
Speaking from personal experience, wearing purple works. I would suggest having some article of purple clothing to be worn on a first date. With most things, it comes down to confidence. Purple is not a widely worn color, and is often percieved as not the most masculine of colors. However, historically, purple was the color of kings and emperors in rome. Therefore, wearing purple signals confidence in a man, and also a certain allure beyond that. Unless it really looks bad on your skin tone, I would suggest placing some form of purple in your wardrobe.
Lastly, I don’t want anyone to think I hate the color blue. I do not. In fact, it is probably my favorite color. And I am not alone in that. Across nearly all cultures and genders blue is the most universally liked color. Just don’t only wear blue. And don’t be afraid to mix up your color palette.
Today’s fold is the Scallop fold. An interesting fold, it works well with almost all shapes and sizes of squares. It just can’t be too small, but a 13 x 13 or 16 x 16 works equally well.
q. Start with your square. Cotton, silk or wool works.
2. Fold in half diagonally.
3. Fold in half diagonally again.
4. Keeping the edge on the top fold the corner down and away. The top flat of the fold will create the “scallop.”
5. then fold the other corner down, and it should create a rounded top with multiple layers.
6. Tuck in the edges so it fits into your breast pocket, and fold up the bottom if needed.
7. Insert into pocket and arrange as needed. It creates a nice multiple layered look and is an intriguing fold. I wouldn’t’ recommend it for complicated patterns or prints, but solids and simple checks it works well for.
Questions or Comments: seamus@smkstyle.com
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