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I received this article thru email.  I thought is was interesting:

Clothing Colors with Impact

Have you ever wondered why police officers wear
blue or the clergy wear black?  Or why purple and
red are colors of passion while white and yellow
denote innocence and cheer?

It's because different colors impact people in
different ways, evoking emotions from trust to
jealousy and everything in between.  Scientists
have studied the effects of color for centuries,
and savvy people have used these findings to
create buildings that inspire awe, furnish rooms
that denote power, and build wardrobes that
command attention.

So can you.

Now while everyone brings different cultural and
life experiences to every situation, this is how,
according to color psychologists, the majority of
people respond to different colors:

BLACK is the color of authority, power, and
drama.  Popular because of its slimming effect,
black can also make its wearer appear aloof and
overpowering.  So avoid it when interviewing,
unless in small amounts or as an accent color.

WHITE is symbolic of purity, chastity, and
cleanliness.  Worn by brides to convey innocence
and doctors and nurses to imply sterility, white
is a neutral color that goes with everything.
It's usually worn in shirts and blouses year
round, yet confined to the summer months when
worn in large doses.

BLUE denotes tranquility, authority, trust, and
loyalty.  It's the best-selling color on the
planet, and the one with the biggest success rate
in interviews and sales calls.  A favorite of law
enforcement and the military, blue is the
ultimate "power color". 

RED symbolizes heat, danger, power, passion, and
strength.  The most emotionally intense color,
red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing.
When used as an accent color, it can motivate
people to make quick decisions and increase
expectations.  However, it can also heighten
emotions during negotiations and confrontations,
so avoid wearing large amounts of red when faced
with one of those situations. 

GREEN signifies nature, success, wealth, and
security.  A calming, refreshing color, green is
the easiest color on the eye and currently the
most popular decorating color.  People waiting to
appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax.  Dark
green is masculine, conservative, and implies
wealth.  Want others to feel comfortable with you
without standing out in the crowd?  Wear a mid to
dark green.

YELLOW inspires a wide range of emotions, from
cheer and goodwill to caution, decay, and
jealousy.  It enhances concentration, which is
why it's used for legal pads.  However, people
lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms
than in rooms of other colors, and babies will
cry more in rooms that are painted yellow.  It is
the most difficult color for the eye to take in,
so it can be overpowering if overused.  Wear in
small doses in business situations.

ORANGE, like red, stimulates strong emotions.
Associated with warmth and the autumn harvest,
people who wear orange are perceived as having a
strong personality.  Bright orange, like bright
red, will attract attention and evoke intense
emotions, so wear sparingly in job interviews,
negotiations, and when expecting confrontation.

PURPLE symbolizes royalty, richness, power and
sensitivity.  It's also the color of passion and
love.  Purple stimulates the imagination, but
because it's often viewed as a "feminine" color,
avoid wearing purple when negotiating with
men-particularly in situations where there's
strong gender bias.

PINK can inspire a variety of emotions, from fun
and excitement (vibrant pinks) to calm and low
energy (pale pinks).  Pink is viewed as a
feminine color, and, like purple, should be worn
with discretion in business situations.  In
professional men's sports, the visiting team's
locker room is often painted pale pink to reduce
energy and to emasculate.

BROWN communicates credibility and stability.
It's the color of the earth and abundant in
nature.  It's also a good color to wear when
gathering information, as it creates a neutral
environment for open discussion.  Men are more
apt to say that brown is one of their favorite
colors.

BEIGE and TAN, like brown, are calming, stress
reducing, earthy colors that invite
communication.  Perceived as nonassertive and
passive, these are the colors to wear when
comforting others or gathering information.

GRAY symbolizes neutrality and sophistication.
After blue, it's the second most popular color to
wear to an interview.  If you want to look
authoritative without being oppressive in black,
opt for gray.  It's a great choice.

Depending on your situation and your regular
wardrobe needs, you might build your closet
around specific colors.  If you regularly watch
the local or national news, you'll often see
politicians in blue and gray suits.  Why?  Those
colors evoke trust and confidence.  Your favorite
news anchor will probably be in a dark color as
well, trying to look nice without distracting
from the star of the show:  the news. 

If you could use a little excitement (red), trust
(blue), serenity (green), or whatever in your
day-to-day dealings, try harnessing the power of
color in your wardrobe.  Sometimes a small change
can make a BIG difference.  Try it for yourself
and see!

Need some other tips on dressing for success?
Download a copy of Business Wear Magic:

http://www.businesswearmagic.com

to see how dressing appropriately for your
industry - whatever it happens to be - can be!



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Until next time,

Diana Pemberton-Sikes