• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 546 0

I’m not going to force you to go have your color analysis done. (I’m a summer, by the way.) But it’s really true that there are basic concepts to guide you. Avoid colors of 1970s appliances given away on The Price Is Right—you know, harvest gold and avocado. That should keep you out of trouble. And be especially careful about the colors you put around your face. If you have fair skin and you wear very bright colors, the clothes are going to suck the color right out of you. Looking like you have jaundice is so rarely the right answer.

Here’s a handy guide to get you started on color basics. People with fair skin, light hair, blue eyes, and soft features (You know, cute like me!) look great in soft pastels: pale pink, pale blue, ivory, lavender. We don’t always look good in black. Don’t be afraid of pastels. Remember, wearing pink doesn’t make you gay. And if you have blue eyes, wearing bright blues just intensifies them. It’s the next best thing to getting laid.

If you’re one of our dark and swarthy friends—mmmm my favorite!—and have strong features, you generally look great in strong colors: black, chocolate brown, warm orange, aubergine (That’s French for eggplant!) The darker your skin, the more you can get away with wearing those bright reds and yellows and oranges.

What if you’re stuck in the middle, with mousy brown hair and medium-tone skin? Life’s not so bad, my friend! Put those pills down. You can wear any color under the sun, including those yummy muted earth tones like English khaki, taupe, and my favorite, loden green.

DRESSING FOR YOUR BODY TYPE

Just like finding your colors, dressing for your body type is so very personal. God made you unique, just like everybody else! You have to experiment to see what works best for your body’s proportions and shapes. If you’re shaped like a pear, you’ve got bigger problems than knowing what to wear.

All this mumbo jumbo about what you should do for a round face, square face, etc. is preposterous. Everybody’s shaped differently—like snowflakes! You’re really going to have to experiment. Contrary to what most people say, unless you’re rocking a body like Jabba the Hutt, loose-fitting clothes are rarely the right answer. But you don’t want to look like a human hot dog, either. You just want clothes that fit your body.

One good general rule, though, is that if you’re on the large side, you should wear more subdued colors and patterns. Because when viewing them, your eye doesn’t have a reference point as to scale. If I see a large man wearing a rose print, and I can count at least a hundred roses on his shirt, I know enough to hide my Twinkies. If he’s just wearing black, my eye doesn’t have anything to compare it to, so he’ll look more proportionate and less overwhelming.

“Twisted”

Here are some fun alternatives to old standbys:

Instead of a pocket square, use a faded blue bandanna.

Instead of a sweater under a blazer, try a denim jacket.

Instead of dress shoes with a suit, try a Chelsea boot.

Instead of penny loafers with khakis and a blue blazer, try flip-flops.

CHAPTER 10

Let’s Make Fashion Happen, People! FINDING INSPIRATION . . . AND FINDING GREAT CLOTHES

Attitude—Be Like Winona and Carry It Off

When you’ve finally found your personal style, having the right attitude and confidence will be the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae.

So how do you get there? Well, it helps to be inspired. And that doesn’t mean you have to watch the Style Network twenty-four hours a day or jet off to Milan twice a year for fashion week. (See sidebar, below.) It could mean going to museums, where you might see a painting that has certain colors that appeal to you. You might see the interior of a high-end car—and the leather and piping might inspire you to buy a cool leather jacket. It could mean buying the Italian fashion magazine L’Uomo Vogue once a year, which is the Sports Illustrated of clothing. It could be looking through a book about motorcycles and seeing pictures of authentic motorcycle gear. All those