19 Apr Colour Psychology – you are what you wear!
I had the good fortune to study colour therapy with renowned colour therapist and author Pascale Osanz. When my mother walked in to the class room, Pascale explained how mum had recently experienced a shock which changed her life in a way that she could not yet come to terms with. All this, before mum had the chance to sit down and introduce herself to the group! (Back story: my independant father had a car accident which meant he could no longer work and consequently mum became his full time carer). Pascale’s frank attitude to ‘get off your arse and stop making excuses in your life’ was remarkably refreshing. For the next course in Colour Therapy, click here.
COLOUR AND CLOTHES
Extract from the book “Spiraling Rainbows’ by Pascale Osanz (2012)
If you look at the clothes you wear you will find that you are attracted to certain colours. Have you ever bought an outfit, taken it home and then never worn it because of its colour? Every time you put it on, you take it off because it just doesn’t feel right. Why does this happen? Your mood on the day you bought the outfit obviously influenced your choice. When we are wearing the right colours the total effect is one of harmony. Have you ever had someone notice the colours you are wearing before noticing you? He or she will comment on what a brilliant colour you are wearing.
Beware! When the colour you wear is the first thing someone notices about you, then you are not wearing your colours!
The right colours help create an overall look without being the main focus – what people do notice is a healthy glow, a radiance, something they just can’t put their finger on and the comments are more towards how well you look. Your colours complement you and enhance your natural tones for the best effect. Today there are quite a number of colour consultants whose task is to find just the right colours for you. Most colour consultants use the seasons of summer, autumn, winter and spring to categorise the various colours and their shades. They believe that if all or a great percentage of the clothes you wear are colours of your season you will feel more confident and other people will notice a radiance in you. Enjoy the exploration of colour in your clothing. Notice how you feel when you wear certain colours. See if wearing yellow cheers you up or if red gives you energy. If you wear a lot of red, are you doing too much or are you having difficulties with someone? If life is going too fast, wear some blue or green and again notice how you feel. Does it calm you?
Red We can actually adjust our mood with the colour of our clothes. A fiery type, for example an Aries or Leo person, will have a tendency to choose a lot of red. As soon as we realise that red also indicates aggression, anger and stress, we can start to reduce the amount of red we wear. A red blouse covered with a pink jacket diminishes the effect of red and brings out more love than aggression. It is better to avoid red clothes if you are already overactive, go instead to the complementary colour. Red-haired people look superb in emerald green.
Pink will bring calmness to the fiery red people. It is a much calmer colour than red, but wearing too much pink will easily show a woman who refuses to face changes in life and always sees herself as a little girl (the female equivalent of the Peter Pan syndrome). Those who have a tendency to blush easily will instinctively avoid red, orange, even yellow clothes, and will choose the opposite of these colours – blue, green or violet –which will cool down the heat within.
Yellow is not always an easy colour to wear, but nowadays, each colour comes in so many different tones and we can always find a shade that suits us. It is certainly easier to wear gold than pale yellow. Strangely enough, people working with computers seem to be attracted to yellow outfits. When we feel like wearing yellow, it means we need a bit of uplifting, but wearing too much of such a colour will intensify a feeling of insecurity or fear. Working with the opposite colour in clothing is always an enjoyable experience and too much yellow will be easily counteracted by a violet or purple outfit. Yellow is also connected to the digestive and nervous systems. Does this mean that the urge to wear yellow today is due to the heavy drinking of the previous night? Listen to your body; the message sometimes is very clear yet we are not ready to face the truth.
Green also comes in a wide variety of tones – from pale clear green and olive green to darker green like emerald. As we have seen, green is the colour of balance, but too much green will not have this effect. One tone of green could look exquisite while another could make you sick just looking at it. An easy way to counteract too much green is to add a red brooch, or to wear a red or orange scarf on top of a green blouse. Green is the colour of the heart chakra and denotes a sensitive person, a sympathetic nature. Wearing too much green indicates that you need more personal space or that you are really ready for big changes in your life. Or are you perhaps too emotional at this time?
Turquoise is what we call a New Age colour. It is extremely popular in Australia. Even cars can be turquoise. This colour is also used more often by men these days than a few years ago. Its popularity all started with mountain and ski gear, which became predominantly turquoise and mauve in colour – in the 1960s such gear was only coloured bright red or blue. Even school bags are appearing more and more turquoise. Turquoise facilitates public and media communication. It is an easy colour to wear because it is refreshing, will ease communication and the nerves, as well as the digestive system. (Turquoise is a mixing of blue, green and yellow).
Blue is certainly the colour most worn in clothes – be it bright, pale or royal blue. Blue and navy blue have different connotations. Darker tones of blue suggest authority and power and entail more respect than light blue, which is more associated with fun. Blue is calming and cooling; it also facilitates communication (this is not the case, however, with the navy blue of police uniforms, which creates more a sense of authority). Blue induces peace and wearing blue pyjamas will improve the sleep pattern (blue sheets will also help).
Pale mauve and lilac are certainly easier to wear than deep purple or violet. These colours used to be associated with old ladies, while nowadays they are worn by people of all ages. Violet is associated with spirituality, but it could also indicate someone who has a tendency to depression or introversion. Violet is the colour associated with healing and wearing it will facilitate convalescence. It can also help during a time of grieving.
White is used mostly in summer and in tropical areas. It is the colour of purity and innocence, of feeling clean.
Black is always in fashion; it is worn a lot these days by young people. The colour is associated with self-denial. When we don’t feel secure in our environment, when we are in need of protection, we will instinctively wear black in order not to be seen, or to be seen as little as possible. Black is also associated with class, and it is always considered chic to wear a black evening dress or black tie.
If colours have such a strong influence on our mood and our life isn’t it important then to choose consciously which clothes we are going to wear in the morning, as they are going to influence us all day long? Remember that the colours we wear not only influence us but also everyone we are going to meet or work with during the day.
© Pascale Osanz
Want to learn more? Pascale conducts training in Colour Therapy.
In this course you will learn about the history of light and colour, the polarity (positive and negative attributes) of each colour, the aura and the chakra system, how colours are integrated into our everyday lives, the ability to read past lives in connection with colours chosen and the ability to understand and use the galactic elixirs in the Spirale range. Practical exercises and readings will consolidate the information in the course. Students will learn how to conduct colour therapy readings in order to provide insights into a person’s past, present and future. This course is ideal for feng shui consultants, interior designers and anybody interested in understanding and integrating colours into their career or daily lives. Consisting of two weekends, the course will enable you to start your own business as a Spirale colour consultant. For more detail, phone the Australian College of Environmental Studies on 1300 889 845.