THE POWER OF PUCE AND CHARTREUSE

You may be wondering what the power of puce and chartreuse has to do with you and your ability to succeed in the job market or in the area of romance. You may even be wondering what puce is. I'll get to that. Puce, like others of its ilk has everything to do with you, your relationships, and even your power to lead and maintain your authority at work and hence, your power to succeed. The proper use of color is an extremely important tool in your arsenal of success along with your education and experience. It may very well give you the edge that you need to compete more effectively in the market place.

I'll give you a hint. In case you didn't know, puce is a color, as is chartreuse. In our society most people don't give colors the respect and attention they so richly deserve. If you think about it, you will realize that many colors carry strong emotional messages and symbols. There is no mistaking the meaning of the Scarlet Letter. We all expect a bride to adorn herself in pristine white, as does the Good Witch, Gilda. The wicked witch always wears black. We know what those colors mean intuitively, as we are socialized to know them from a very young age in our society.

Yet, when it comes to selecting colors for our own wardrobes most of us don't train ourselves in the intricacies of the cultural, symbolic, personal and sometimes subtle meanings of colors for us and those around us. The study of color and how it affects our relationships, our successes, our failures and our ability to attain, sustain and increase authority in the workplace is one important part of the stock in trade of the Image Consultant, who studies and practices proper use of color in great detail.

Usually, when faced with the array of clothing and accessories available in the marketplace, people make decisions on color based on their personal preferences, whims and the influence of the sales person involved or the color of the moment. To a great extent it is guess work. The harmony of skin tone, eye color and hair color are rarely deliberately sought. Most people also don't have the time or inclination to study these issues in depth, as do Image Consultants, who read, study and practice extensively on this area of wardrobe development among many others.

We know that in most aspects of life things go better when harmony reigns. The same is true of clothing. You might not think of mixing clashing colors in the office. Yet no one thinks twice of wearing a color that clashes with her skin tone. If someone has a golden undertone and wears cool colors with a blue undertone, the effect can be jarring. It could bring out the red in broken capillaries or the blue in the rings under her eyes. It could go so far as to make the individual actually look sick.

If, on the other hand, the woman wears a shade that coordinates with her skin tone it will resonate, make her glow and bring out all of the positive aspects of her face such as her eye color and the warm color in her cheeks. It could even bring out the highlights in her hair. Harmony rules! Whether we like it or not, we are judged on our appearance every day.

Most people are not aware that valid scientific studies have been conducted that will help us understand the impact we are having on others through the use of color. The fact that dark colors carry the most authority, according to John T. Molloy in "The Woman's Dress for Success Book", is rarely a consideration when choosing an outfit for the work place, particularly in the summer months. Yet, for the woman who seeks, attains and needs to maintain her authority in a competitive situation this is an important consideration.

Of course, for the woman who seeks romance, the other side of this coin is also true. We can deduce that soft, light colors are most conducive to attracting a mate. They make us seem more friendly and approachable. Fabric choices are important in this regard as well. For the office we might choose a moderately stiff fabric that has a more serious look and feel such a wool gabardine. For socializing we might select soft mohair or other fabric, which would be less threatening and more inviting to the touch.

By the way, for those of you still interested, puce is a purplish brown color. Chartreuse is a yellowish green.

Another thing that helps at the workplace is having a polished, coordinated "encapsulated" wardrobe that is available for the most important meeting at a moment's notice or ready to be packed away for an emergency business trip. But that is a matter for another day.

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