Katie Couric made her debut on CBS Evening News wearing a black dress topped with a white jacket.
See what message this color combination communicated to her audience…
Live in full color
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Meet the Color Mavens
Julie Hoylen
"Born with a natural sense of style, Julie is a fashion stylist and consultant working in the New York City area. Julie's professional experience " more...
April Clark
"April has an eclectic sense of style. Her love of all things vintage, inspire her color choices. Forget the crisp white shirt; leopard and Pucci print" more...
Kimberlin Brown
"As a sculptor turned jewelry designer Kimberlin's eye for form, structure and beauty can be seen in each of the unique pieces she creates from pr" more...
Kate Smith
"As a professional color expert, trend forecaster, engaging speaker and chief color maven, I work with corporate clients and buiness owners on using co" more...
I finally made time to see “Little Miss Sunshine” last night and after all the hype, I expected to see a movie that played up the color yellow. What I didn’t expect to see was how color is masterfully used throughout this film.
The main color palette of yellow/beige, aqua/blue, and red is set early in the movie and this scheme is repeated throughout. Whether in the large, colored vases that the sun shines through in the kitchen, the wardrobe of the three main characters, the dinnerware, or strategically placed props, these colors were repeated in many scenes.
Yellow was predominate and some of the more notable uses of this color included:
- Sunny yellow, which is a color associated with optimism, offers an interesting contrast to the sometimes dark subject matter.
- The yellow/beige monotone palette of their Albuquerque home gives their clutter a uniformity that allows it to be there, but not in a way that begs our attention.
- The VW bus surrounds the family with lemon yellow and hints that something positive may be at the end of the journey, even for this dysfunctional clan.
- While on the trip, bright sunlight exposes each person’s flaws, but at the same time, asks that we not be too critical of their imperfections.
I also appreciated the use of red, which is a color that encourages action and confidence and can also evokes feelings of protection from fears and anxiety. How appropriate that young Olive wore this color throughout as a sign of her determination to overcome her own self-doubt and win the “Little Miss Sunshine” contest. I especially liked her red cowgirl boots, red Converse hightops, and red necktie.
You may not have noticed, but color was used to define all of the characters: Olive mainly in red, her mother and father in aqua/blue, and the three family members in black/white/gray. Okay, so maybe you’re not as focused on the colors as I am when you watch a movie, but perhaps if you catch it again on DVD, it could be something fun to think about.
One last thing about how color was used with this movie: the poster and marketing materials grabbed our attention with yellow and the color was used to keep our attention on the movie even when it wasn’t being directly touted. You may have noticed “Little Miss Sunshine” yellow serving as a backdrop for “Movie City News” and elsewhere. Being able to recognize a movie or brand simply by seeing this one element speaks to the powerful connections that color triggers in our mind.
I read that green is associated with love…
3rd Sep. '06 · Category: Messages & Meanings ·
Authored by Kate Smith
…and is an aphrodisiac, so I was wondering if women find men that wear green most attractive? asked a reader.
ANSWER: Green is the color of healing, nature, balance, and good health and when we associate green with love, it is on a global level.
Green speaks to our desire to foster understanding and acceptance between people and to see the potential value and goodness of each person. Green does not represent love on the level of passion between two people.
Throughout history, red has been the color of passion, romance, and sexual energy. Red lips and blushed cheeks stimulate arousal. A red dress attracts attention and captures the imagination. Driving a red sports car is often considered a sex symbol. Red roses are given as a symbol of love.
Rich and predominately warm hues are best for creating a romantic or sensuous mood. Think of luxurious reds, purples, golds, or oranges complemented by a touch of blue, green, or even black.
Quite often, these are the colors used in restaurants that are sought out for romantic, intimate dinners.
If you’re wondering what colors to wear to seem most attractive, I would suggest wearing any color the makes you look and feel great. If bright red looks great on you, then, by all means, wear it. If your best color is blue or green or brown, then wear that color.
Whatever color you choose should make you feel absolutely fabulous. This is sure to boost your confidence in any situation and having confidence in yourself will attract someone far more effectively than wearing any one particular color.
These wonderful drawings are from Carolynchip’s photos on Flickr
Earlier this week, I wrote about the colors of the Emmys and it was interesting to see how later in the same week, the colors worn to the MTV Video Music Awards were quite different.
The attire worn at these two star-studded award shows is a study in how color choices can be influenced by geographical location and personality of the event.
With a sunny California backdrop, the Emmy’s was a show of bright, rich colors walking the red carpet. Purple reigned supreme at this years Emmy’s Award Show. Shades of aubergine, violet, and plum graced the red carpet and purple seemed to establish itself as this season’s hottest hue.
But in this week’s MTV Video Music Awards, purple didn’t play a leading role. Stars chose darker, more subdued colors, reflecting the urban camouflage and glitter associated with the New York City skyline.
Black, grey, and metallic looks ruled at the MTV Video Music Awards with stars like Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, and Jessica Simpson choosing edgier, more subdued colors.
Other stars at this event included the Pussycat Dolls in black, silver, and gray dresses, JLo, who sparkled in off-white, and Shakira, who looked simply sensational in all black.
Photos from TheShowBuzz.com
Color inspired footwear: Gravis artist series
1st Sep. '06 · Category: Fashion & Beauty ·
Authored by Kate Smith
There’s a small, invitation-only event tonight at Size! on Carnaby Street in London to launch the Gravis Artist series shoe.
Gravis has shoes made up from hand-cut pieces of art! There’s only 36 pairs for sale.
This colab has been created by Marok, Matt Sewell, Jono Wood, and Tyler Gibney, with the artists personally selecting the accent colors, trims, and styles of their shoes and putting their signatures on the heel.
Naturally, they come in a wooh-ha box with a tee shirt and matching dog tags.
Color inspired footwear: Adidas Adicolor
1st Sep. '06 · Category: Fashion & Beauty ·
Authored by Kate Smith
Adidas classics as a canvas for creativity. Brilliant!
Adicolor launched earlier this year and includes 36 pre-designed styles from well-known creatives, plus a boxed set of their classic white Adidas model and paints so that you can customize your own pair.
This idea isn’t new to Adidas, but this year they reinvented the concept (originally released in 1983) of packaging footwear with colors for customization by putting these design tools and footwear into the hands of some of the world’s
most creative people.
The results are amazing.
It is worth a visit to Adidas | Adicolor to see the winner of the design competition and the designer color collections.
If you are inspired by the idea, the site provides enough “how to” information to overcome feeling intimidated by the thought of coloring your own pair.
All you need to do is let your creativity emerge and you become the designer.
