Color Phobias

Labor Day always marks the beginning of fall for me in terms of mindset.  It’s the time to put away the white shoes, to relish that there are only four more days between this holiday and more college football or Saturday farmers’ markets, and – even when the weather does not quite cooperate – to start thinking about autumnal colors: not just warm beiges and browns, but also vibrant shades, like plum, cranberry, teal, hunter green, mustard yellow, pumpkin orange, terra cotta, and crimson. 

I practically jump at the chance to wear any shade of purple (serious purple obsession), red, or orange, but I have to admit that I am fearful of some of the other hues that Mother Nature and synthetic fabrics provide.  I am wary of some greens and all yellows.  Fall forces me to confront some of these fears.  Admittedly, I know some of the tricks for dealing with colors that don’t suit your skin tone and complexion.  For instance, you can wear any color by putting it on the bottom half of your body, away from your face.  If you don’t look good in pink and would never wear a pink blouse or pink dress, you can easily wear a pink skirt or pink shoes or a pink belt.  Another way is to use accessories in the supposed color of doom.  In an attempt to get over my dread of yellow, I purchased a yellow headband and a pair of yellow earrings this summer.  The headband I ended up having to abandon because it doesn’t really fit my head, but the earrings have started to become a pair of stand-bys.  Yellow, I fear you no more!  OK, well, not quite….   Fortunately, there's a third way to start to incorporate problematic colors into your wardrobe.  You can do so by purchasing an item of clothing that has some sort of print that includes the scary color in harmony with others. 

Today, I combined methods two and three to create a look that played with many of the shades of fall, including yellow.  I wore my yellow earrings with a patterned top.  The printed blouse is a little different from my usual style, and not just because it has a lot of yellow in it, but also because it’s not the kind of pattern that I typically wear.  I was drawn to it in the store (Filene’s Basement) because it reminded me of a memory that I have of walking through a park in Europe and seeing a peacock sunning itself on a bright day in late September/early October.  I won’t say that I preened in the shirt, but I did actually like the way that I looked in it, even with all that yellow, on this almost-fall day.

Do any of you dear readers have a color that you feel unable to wear or any other suggestions for making such a color wearable?  Write in and let us know!