Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [12]
Brown. Brown should not be your first choice, particularly if the brown has a reddish tone. On the other hand, a deep chocolate brown sometimes looks well with dark hair, eyes, and skin. Lighter shades of brown (such as taupe, rust, or clay) are good neutral colors.
Gray. Gray is a quiet color, and for that reason it is one of the best colors the public person—man or woman—can wear in any setting. You should always have one well-cut gray suit in a natural fabric such as wool to fall back on when all else fails. Gray does nothing to attract attention to itself but, instead, flatters you. It makes a strong statement of strength at the same time that it makes you appear approachable. Banker’s gray denotes confidence, trustworthiness, success, and authority.
For women, gray can be easily and attractively accessorized with jewelry or scarves or contrasting blouses. It is compatible with many other colors. Luckily, gray pearls and hematite beads are quite fashionable.
High saturations of gray added to other colors make them deeper, richer, and more pleasant. Thus, bluish slate gray is an excellent choice for the person with blue or hazel eyes. Gray is especially flattering for the gray-haired person. For all people, gray forms a soft background and permits you to dominate the visual framework.
Good variations of gray are slate gray, slate blue, dove gray, charcoal gray, steel gray, stone gray, and Oxford gray.
Since it is obvious that I recommend gray so highly as a prime choice in clothing color for the public person, both male and female, I would like to go into a bit more detail with this color to give you some ideas for your own wardrobe.
For men: Imagine yourself in a darkish gray suit (a gray somewhere between steel and charcoal, perhaps), worn with a pale gray shirt and a silk tie printed in a simple paisley pattern of blue and green. Or imagine wearing a textured gray suit with a pale gray shirt and a plain, darker blue tie. You could add a vest, a gold collar pin, a discreet blue silk square in the jacket pocket, or whatever to dress it up or down. But this is an example of a look that is distinguished, flattering, and businesslike, but not at all boring.
For women: Imagine yourself in a dove gray suit made out of a natural fabric such as wool or suede or raw silk or even a synthetic suede, paired with a blouse in a muted print of gray and another color such as pink or a soft blue. Or if you chose a solid-colored blouse, you could wear a somewhat colorful scarf with your gray outfit. You may have added a long chain necklace in a gold tone, or hematite beads, or fake pearls, possibly with matching earrings. You could appear anywhere in this outfit and feel perfect confidence in your appearance.
After a quick perusal of how elegant and restrained you look, your audience will view you with admiration then quickly forget your appearance and concentrate on what you are saying.
White. As mentioned previously, white “flares” and makes everything look larger. Hold a sheet of white paper up near your face in front of a mirror, and you will see the paper first, because it is brighter than your face. A white dress or shirt will add pounds to your image. If you could look at a TV monitor or a picture of yourself, you would see a white shirt or blouse look larger than it really is.
Instead of white, choose soft grays or pale pastels; they will “read” as white if you are to be photographed by a still or TV camera. This is especially important for men to remember when choosing shirts. A pale gray or blue shirt is always better than a white shirt.
Black. Black makes things disappear. It diminishes anything that it covers, which is why puppeteers wear it when they wish to remain invisible. It also appears harsh against most skin tones. Finally, black can denote mourning and sadness. Think of the stereotype of the Italian or Spanish widow wearing a black dress, hose, and shoes, with even a