Welcome to Part II of a real-life Personal & Professional Color Analysis session! Today I’m continuing my color analysis for Shelly, a Silicon Valley high tech marketing professional who wanted advice on interview clothes that would help her gain new corporate clients.
As we learned in last month’s blog post, Shelly’s current interview outfits were all based on the color Black, along with another color. In the photos below, she’s paired her black jacket and pants with solid color tops in Blue and Chartreuse.
These outfits fit well on her. Black is slimming. And it is nice to have a pop of color!
But can we really see Shelly?
When Shelly wears Black or Black with a color, it does not bring out her best. I see the color first. How about you?
So, I suggested that she try another dark neutral, such as “Umber Violet.” Then, we experimented with Shelly’s clothes, my clothes and swap clothes to create a core wardrobe of Umber Violet. We found a pair of pants and shirt, then added sweaters, a jacket and scarves to change the look.
Just look at Shelly in these outfits—see how they bring out her coloring and elegant beauty?
Umber Violet is what I recommended to Shelly as her “New Black.”
She was thrilled with the new color combination and excited to start adding it to her wardrobe.
Stay tuned for Part III of Shelly’s analysis, where we will take her look in a brighter and lighter direction!
To find out what personal color works best for you, sign up for a personal color analysis.
What the Color Violet Means and Its Visual Impact
The following color psychology information is from Sharon Chrisman, a leading personal color expert who researched this topic extensively.
Several attributes associated with the color violet:
Positive Meanings: Imaginative, creative, sensitive, intuitive, unusual, unselfish, stately,
royal, majestic, mysterious, dramatic, wealthy.
Negative Meanings: Melancholy, impractical, immature, weird, emotional, superior,
remote, tense.
When to Wear Violet for Positive Psychological Impact
• In business situations — Wear violet as an alternative to the navies and grays where you need to project confidence and individuality. Neutralized medium to dark purples are both appropriate and professional.
• On Television — It’s wonderful on TV; as long as it is not too bright.
• When suggesting a new approach to an old problem.
• On any occasion requiring diplomacy or elegance.
When Not to Wear Violet
• When you need low-key yet reassuring appearance.
• When interviewing for any limited placement type program—For example, interviewing for an MBA program. Purple is too individualistic, nonconformist; it might suggest that a student doesn’t follow the rules
• If you are an auditor who handles receiverships—Wearing violet will increase anxiety and
heighten people’s unwillingness to cooperate.
• When working in insurance— It is difficult to project security in violet.
• At your first social occasion as an executive spouse—You want to fit in, not stick out.
• When you are depressed, or people around you feel low—It will make you feel more depressed.
If you use color in your business or your profession, come learn all about color—starting with my ColorKinetics Workshop.