Multiple styles, colors, and hundreds of options – that is what you get when you visit a clothing outlet. But you cannot possibly try on every outfit that you like before purchasing it. And when you’re shopping for Eid or during sales, try rooms are often closed, leaving you no choice but to imagine yourself wearing the dress and the cut to make the final decision.
Choosing a dress could be much easier if you knew which colors and color combinations work best for your skin tone. Many of us spend our whole lives figuring out which colors enhance our complexion and which colors don’t.
Why is Color Knowledge Important?
Color knowledge isn’t just about your complexion. With the right color choices, we can even bring a transformation to our personality and how others perceive us. So, if you are wearing a bright yellow color that doesn’t complement your facial features and skin tone, you’ll be wasting money and a perfectly good outfit.
There are three factors that are important to choose colors for any skin tone:
Determine your Skin Undertone
Your skin undertone is what determines which color combinations work for you. A simple method to figure out your skin tone is noticing the color of the veins on your wrist. If your veins are green in color, you have a warm undertone. And if your veins are blue, you have a cool undertone. Olive, caramel, brown, and ivory skin tones fall under warm undertones. While porcelain white and dark skin tones fall under cool undertones.
Value and the Value Contrast
This factor helps you to determine the contrast that you can incorporate in your wardrobe. This value contrast is calculated by using the color numbers of your hair and skin. Simply get your numbers for hair and skin using the images below. If the contrast between your hair and skin is high (calculated by subtracting the larger number from the smaller number), you have a low value contrast.
Pakistani skin tones and hair color contrasts usually lie between 4-7. You have a medium value contrast if the number you calculated is 4-5. You have a high value contrast if the number is 6-10.
A higher value contrast means that you can wear more contrasting colors like black and white, ivory and red, or beige and navy blue. If you have a medium value contrast, consider wearing a blend of brown with a color closer to it like ivory. Tangerine with olive color would also look good for people having a medium value contrast. This will also give them a fun look, perfect for festivities like Eid or the wedding season.
The Intensity of the Color
The brightness of a person’s skin tone, hair color, and even teeth is important for choosing colors. If you have a bright skin tone or a cool undertone, you can wear bright colors like neon or even electric blue!
Best Color Combinations for Warm Undertones
If you have a warm undertone and a medium value contrast you can opt for colors like mustard with ivory, orange-mustard with red, and even monotones like pink, brown, and tangerine. Alkaram studio’s formal ready-to-wear summer 2023 collection has a lot of different color combinations that are perfect for you if you have a warm undertone.
Best Color Combinations for Cool Undertones
If you have a cool undertone and a medium value contrast, some great color combinations for you are electric blue with red, bright pink, and teal with pink. Oranges and yellows also look perfect for people with cool undertones with low and medium value contrast.
Final Words
A lot of factors determine the best color choice for your skin tone. If this is new knowledge to you, you might be overwhelmed. But with time and practice you will learn the best color combinations to choose when you’re choosing unstitched or ready-to-wear outfits.
It is important that you purchase from brands who have perfected this art. When you’re shopping for a ready-to-wear outfit, you can always see the skin tone and hair color of the model who is wearing the outfit. This will help you choose better colors for yourself in the beginning. And once you’ve gained this skill, your style will be unparalleled!
