I think this is a great question and one that has me pondering.
I have frequently read this kind of advice, and particularly the warning that women who are low contrast should not wear high contrast prints or combinations.
Hmmm.
Honestly -- I do believe there is some validity to the idea. It is related, really, to the idea that we can create a cohesive appearance if we echo the tones of our hair or eyes in our outfits. So someone with black hair looks great wearing some black. Someone with blue eyes will look good in blues. Those with blonde hair can easily wear light footwear, which will bookend with their hair. And so on. One's "best" neutrals are often related to hair colour or eye colour. For me, that led to my discovery of taupe.
But in the end, for me --this advice is just too general. Because it does not factor in other, extremely important, variables.
Let's look at Angie's blog post outfit of yesterday as an example. Angie is fair with very light skin. In other words, relatively low contrast in her colouring. She is also slight and slender; women with this build are often warned against bold patterns.
And yet she is wearing black and blush (high contrast) in a bold, intense pattern. And wearing them, if I may say so, with absolute grace and elegance.
You don't notice her "outfit" rather than "her." She is dressed in such a way that her outfit EXPRESSES her essence, and so although in theory this level of contrast might seem extreme for her personal colouring, as a matter of fact, she glows!
Admittedly, she has styled her outfit carefully, bookending with her black framed specs to bring cohesiveness to the ensemble. But surely that is what we all aspire to do!
Here's another wrinkle. As someone who is also fair, I know that I look actively bad in most pastels unless there is some contrast to liven things up. And I look far better in deeper, richer tones. How does that sit with the common advice?
I can wear a soft taupe that echoes my hair (pic 2) and a low contrast outfit in similar medium tones just fine. But I also think I can wear high contrast and bold patterns -- despite what the rules suggest. (pic 3 and 4).
The high contrast bold pattern of the top in #4 is admittedly a bit risky on me — and some people might find it unflattering. But it's clearly a matter of opinion. When I asked, about half the observers found it too much, and half loved it. Those who have seen it in person loved it on me and do not feel that it overpowers me. So perhaps it has something to do with how it expresses some aspect of my personality.
Meanwhile, a simple outfit in "my" rich midtones like #5 is great on me...but one with added contrast (#6) is arguably even better!
In other words, despite my colouring ("true" or "cool" summer), despite my relatively short height and smallish build -- not only can I "get away" with some intense contrast and bold pattern, I even benefit from some contrast in my outfits!
Would that be true for everyone with my approximate colouring? No, I don't think so. Texstyle comes to mind as a woman on our forum who has perfected a generally speaking lower contrast way of dressing (although she does wear some black and navy with white and it looks smashing on her -- but typically not in large graphic patterns. And that is in keeping with her more relaxed, slightly boho leanings.)
In short, I don't think there are any simple answers, and I do think that personality plays a role. That's what your question gets at, really -- are we dressing to stand out or fit in, dressing so our clothes are noticed, or we are noticed.
But I think it's a bit of a false dichotomy. What flatters us individually has much to do with colour and contrast and scale -- in fact, that is crucial. And many of us need lessons in how to manage those elements. So Bridgette's not wrong to point it out.
But it also has to do with carriage, personality, energy. And people who notice our clothes are noticing us. Ideally, we find a perfect marriage, as Angie has done -- so that our clothes express the "perfection of point of view."
This post has 6 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.
If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.
