The Color of Success

Wearing different colors may help you move up. By Barbara J. Seymour Color has a profound effect on the way we react and relate to the world-- especially the business world. Communications, marketing, and advertising professionals all use color as a tool to help sell products and create brand awareness.

Wearing different colors may help you move up. By Barbara J. Seymour Color has a profound effect on the way we react and relate to the world-- especially the business world. Communications, marketing, and advertising professionals all use color as a tool to help sell products and create brand awareness. Companies spend millions of dollars to create identifiable, memorable, and positive images, all supported by the right color choices. If businesses know the importance of color, so should employees, especially when it comes to workplace dress. Color is a reflection of how we greet the day, but co-workers and clients also view our color selections and form opinions based on what we wear. It's important to understand what colors mean. The following guide will help you understand and appreciate the hidden meaning of colors. Managers should avoid wearing red in potentially volatile situations such as evaluations, salary reviews, or terminations. Foundations These are the colors of the foundation pieces in your wardrobe: sports coats, pants, suits, jackets, dresses, and skirts. Such pieces should be neutral in color: Brown: A natural color. Whether camel, khaki, tan, or taupe, brown projects reliability, durability, comfort, and warmth. Gray: Associated with intelligence, confidence in the future, and security. Other shades include charcoal and silver. Black: Reflects sophistication, confidence, wealth, and power. Paired with white, black conveys truth and confidence. Navy Blue: Dependability, reliability, and strength. Navy is a flattering color that all ages, shapes, and sizes can wear well. A navy suit combined with a white shirt conveys an air of trust and honesty. Women take note: Because you have a wider variety of choices, there is more room for color mistakes. As a general rule of thumb, avoid suits that are jewel-toned (blue, red, green, fuchsia) or pastel (yellow, pink, green, blue). The color guidelines for men also apply to women, so stay away from jewel-tone or pastel suits in a business setting. Base/Accents Base or accent colors put a splash of vitality into your work wardrobe. Adding seasonal colors is a quick and inexpensive way to update your look and communicate that you pay attention to trends without being trendy. Show me a business that isn't based on trends and I'll show you an ailing business. Red: The color of aggression, sexuality, dominance, energy, strength, and power. In business dress, red should be used only as an accent. Managers should avoid wearing red in potentially volatile situations such as evaluations, salary reviews, or terminations. Purple: Plum, violet, lavender, and burgundy represent creativity, inspiration, royalty, dignity, and mystery. Purple hues pair well with gray, khaki, and brown. Pink: A color of gentleness, sweetness, comfort, femininity, and happiness. Pink matches very well with khaki, camel, and gray. Pink is known for its soothing quality; it can soften potentially explosive situations. Blue: A favorite throughout the business world, blue is the color of truth, trust, security, conservatism, and masculinity. Green: Representing growth, tranquility, freshness, and rejuvenation, green has a calming effect. Excellent accent shades of green include moss, olive, lime, pine,and sage. Yellow: Represents cheer, optimism, and vitality; stimulates communication. Babies and children respond to yellow because it's the first color the eye recognizes, according to research studies. For the workplace, yellow should be muted in tone and used only as an accent. Orange: Linked with warmth, energy, activity, and excitement. Orange, coral, peach, and tangerine are all popular colors during the spring and summer. In muted hues, orange is the perfect color for a shirt or sweater combined with khaki pants or a khaki skirt. White: Traditionally associated with innocence, cleanliness, truth, and purity, white is a wonderfully sophisticated color to offset the serious tone of black, brown, gray, or navy. Summing Up Color is one of the quickest ways to update your look, to add a splash of seasonal hue, without spending a fortune. By introducing a new color to your wardrobe, you send a nonverbal message that you are paying attention to the trends. Barbara J. Seymour is an expert style strategist and freelance writer, based in Los Angeles. Formerly an assignment editor for CNN and E! Entertainment Television, her fashion savvy has been featured everywhere from the Lands' End catalog to the Nashville Network.