“Color sends a message,’” says Kate Smith, a color expert who works as a corporate color consultant. “There’s some message on our mind, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.”

So, what does purple mean when it comes to politics?

Because it is a combination of red and blue, it carries some meanings from both colors. “You’re communicating the trustworthiness from blue as well as some red, the power, the in-charge side of red,” says Smith, who owns Sensational Color, a company based in Washington, D.C. “They’re unifying.”

While Designer Isaac Mizrahi, who designed the deep plum colored dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama was most likely motivated by fashion and trends rather than politics, he did delight at George Stephanopoulos’s observation about the color being politically correct:

“It was like the politics of the clothes,” he said. “She was saying, ‘Not left, not right.’ It was kind of like a bipartisan dress. George Stephanopoulos said how interesting it was that she was in a kind of purple-y color, which is a blend of red and blue. Love that.”

I also liked your observation, George.  No, not that the color purple was a bipartisan blend of red and blue.  That’s been said since President Obama was first elected.  What I liked is that you called it “a kind of purple-y color” rather than purple.

Purple (or violet as it is called in color theory) is a color that is visual balance of red and blue.  Purple embodies the balance of red’s stimulation and blue’s calm. This dichotomy can cause unrest or uneasiness unless the undertone is clearly defined, at which point the purple takes on the characteristics of its undertone.

However, in this case it goes beyond undertone since Michelle Obama’s dress, Joe Biden’s tie and Nancy Pelosi’s suit are not really purple at all.  They are all variations of red-violet.  Yep, that’s right.  What was called “purple-y” by George and plum by Isaac is actually a hue known as red-violet.

I mention this not only to point out how verbalizing color is anything but precise but to show you how a difference in hue can change what the color communicates.

Like purple,  red-violet carries some of the messages and meanings of both red and blue however this hue leans more towards red than blue.  In the case of red-violet the influence of red (power, action, confidence, a sense of protection from fears and anxiety) would be a bit stronger since that hue is more pronounced.

Now this is where it gets interesting when you try to read the message behind the color.

Was the message one of unification?  I’d like to think so.

Could their choice of a red-violet, whether conscious or unconscious, instead of a hue with a more equal balance of red and blue come out of a need to feel more in control or remind us (or themselves) of who is in charge?  I’ll leave that for you to decide.

More about this hue:

• Trend Tuesday: Color Speaks Out and It’s Voice is Red-Violet
• I’m Dreaming of a Red-Violet Garden
• See more about what the colors say in the Detroit Free Press Did purple apparel send a message at the State of the Union address?

Related:

• Photos from White House Flickr
• All About the Color Red
• All About the Color Blue
• All About the Color Purple
  

Two trusted sites are also represented by red and blue. The American Red Cross, represented by the color red, http://www.redcross.org/.

UNICEF  is an organization represented by blue. http://www.unicefusa.org/

The people of Haiti have lost everything. We’re asking our readers to donate any amount they can. Would you consider going a week without a new magazine, a latte, that pair of shoes, or anything that is non essential in order to help those in need?

Our prayers go out  to everyone affected by this tragedy. With your help we hope that the disaster in Haiti becomes a story of how tragedy results in triumph.

Maybe we won’t see them in top positions (most of them prefer to tinker behind the scenes) but when anything significant happens you can be sure they will not only be involved but will be the ones that have the ability and resources to develop solutions while many stand around scratching their heads. If you don’t believe just take a look at how well they fared in the DARPA challenge.

From a site sponsored and hosted by the Georgia Tech Research Institute Atlanta, GA

The Idea: DARPA staged a competition to mark the 40th anniversary of the Internet and to explore the roles the Internet and social networking play in the timely communication, wide-area team-building, and urgent mobilization required to solve broad-scope, time-critical problems.

The Challenge: To be the first to submit the locations of 10 moored, 8-foot, red, weather balloons at 10 fixed locations in the continental United States. And, no they weren’t in some remote areas or hidden in any way. All of the balloons were placed in easily accessible locations and visible from nearby roads.

Johanna Jones, a spokeswoman for the military’s DARPA, said the hunt is designed in part to give the military new ideas on ways to operate in a range of situations, from natural disasters to combat.

“It’s an opportunity to reach out to groups that are very comfortable with social networking,” she said. “Reaching out to some of these groups, they may actually come up with some great ideas for the future.”

It seems DARPA may not been aware of this awesome ‘nerd power’ when it staged this competition.  Although they were given up to a week to turn in their answers, the winning team found the locations of all ten red balloons in only 9 hours.  Never underestimate the competitive nature and resourcefulness of a group of talented techies.

The Winners: MIT’s Riley Crane only found out about DARPA’s red balloon challenge a few days before it started. Yet his team went on to win the contest through its savvy use of the Internet.

Team MIT’s strategy was to build a Web site designed to attract more and more followers–people who might know the balloons’ locations themselves and those could bring aboard others who knew the coordinates, essentially creating a chain effect.

Read more about the event on CNN.com and more about the winners.

Pretty amazing, huh?  And I bet the $4o,ooo makes the ‘revenge of the nerds’ all that much sweeter.  Nicely done MIT Team!

The stars of Twilight, Brad and Ang, Kate and Jon, Kendra and little ole me…Let’s just say being featured in this issue has me feeling as if I’m floating among the clouds in ‘pop culture’ heaven!

This time around L&S is looking to help you find the ‘Perfect Pop of Color’ to add to your summer wardrobe.

I think the page layout is so cute!  The impressive range of colorful tanks are from American Apparel ( $17)

Using Gwyneth, Garcelle, Leighton and Amy as our muses…we took a quick spin at naming the best hues to play up the colors of these lady’s oh-so lovely locks.

source

Miss Gwyneth:  Gwyneth’s blonde hair is stunning with it’s natural golden shades ( warm tones ) intermixed with icy ( cool) highlights around the frame of her face- allowing her darker roots to be seen only adds to the yin and yang effect.  Blondes like Gwynnie can pick colors to play up which ever tone they want to draw the eyes to.  Her raspberry pink dress warms up not only her golden tresses, but her pale skin tone as well. An even paler pink would make Gwyneth pretty as a princess ( remember how sweet she looked in her famous pale-pink Oscar dress!)

source and source

On the other side of the color wheel Gwyneth could easily decide to play off of her pale, sparkly ( cooler) highlights by wearing shades of blue…baby blue ( really pretty for you blue eyed beauties) or an ocean- inspired aqua ( for hazel or brown eyed siren’s- like Gwyneth) adds instant wardrobe drama.

source

Garcelle Beauvais has rich, lush super dark hair.  Now very dark hair like Garcelle’s can be tricky.  True dark hair tends to be either blue-black ( making it a cool shade) or deep, dark brown-black ( a warm shade).  Luckily It’s pretty easy to figure out from this picture that Garcelle’s hair is on the warm side of the spectrum..because she is simply radiant in this little golden- orange number.

source

Women with Garcelle’s coloring look amazing in all types of zesty warm shade like lemon yellow and bright coral. If they happen to desire to cool things up a bit -a dark purple ( with red undertones like the color of red grapes) would be simply regal.

Love a color, but not sure it’s your most flattering hue to wear?  By simply placing a color that you do know enhances your natural coloring close to your face can instantly make your ‘questionable’ color work as well. Case in point- I don’t think Garcelle would look as ’super hero-ific  in this gray-blue dress without that jolt of tomato red trim.

Leighton Meester is the dark eyed brunette lighting up the small screen each week on the hit show Gossip Girl.  Her character Blair has no fear when it comes to wearing loads of color and in real life neither does Leighton.

source

Leighton’s hair has just a touch of caramel highlights, which not only adds dimension to her tresses but really helps to play up her beautiful complexion as well. Leighton would look fantastic in almost any shade of rich jewel-like tones, much like she does in this Sapphire Versace and below in this little emerald green Dior number.

source

On the other side of fashionable hues, Leighton can also play up the richness of her hair by wearing pale shades.  For color I suggested the minty green and lavender tanks for a soft feminine look to play off of her dark hair and light skin. And because her dark locks and radiant skin have the ability to look good whether she is pale or tan ( spray tanners rejoice), brunettes like Leighton make good candidate to rock the ‘new nudes’ this season as well.

source

There’s a pink for everyone- my favorite for brunettes like Leighton would be a shade like this that goes towards the lavender side.  Nude tones can be tricky, here again the choice of a nude with strong rosy undertones along with golden jewelry and a similar shade of lipstick really help to make Leighton’s dark eyes and hair pop.

Amy Adam’s naturally vibrant red hair and sparkly blue eyes have made her everyone’s favorite ‘enchanted’ starlet.  To me, Amy has proven to be a girl who knows what colors work best on her…because if you’ve been watching her on the red carpet you know that she usually gets it right.

source

Amy’s best colors are ones that play up the fiery, copper highlights in her hair.  Rich nature inspired hues like Teal, Eggplant and Grassy Greens make auburn hair look even brighter. And for pale blue eyed redheads like Amy- Turquoise makes eyes look…well quite frankly like they are made of turquoise as well.

source and source

As a fairytale princess come to life in the movie Enchanted-all eyes are on Amy picture perfect in an Aubergine gown at the King and Queen’s Ball.  In real life, Amy hits the red carpet in pure vintage Hollywood style complete with a deep side part and fitted Teal green gown.

Is there a hue that is universally flattering on everyone, no matter what your hair color?  Life & Style asked me to name just one.

For the magazine I named Red, because the thinking behind this color is set in pretty scientific reasoning.  Since human coloring is based on either warm ( golden undertones) or cool ( blue undertones) a true Red-meaning a red  that can not be described as either too orange or to blue orange and exists smack dab in the middle would most easily be able to compliment all four woman’s distinct coloring.  SEE- understanding the color wheel does come in handy!!!

source source source source

Ladies in Red: Garcelle and Leighton’s dark hair easily master the power of red, Gwyneth’s matching red lips helps to keep the focus on her pretty face, while Amy’s use of a mineral colored jewel necklace helps to keep the spotlight on her red tresses

As a little back note- I honestly believe if you love a color…there is the perfect shade of it just for you. After all fashion is fun….experimenting with it can be even funner!

If say you love the color blue but aren’t sure if you should be buying Cobalt or Cornflower…try both ( in the dressing room before you buy, please ) and judge for yourself which you honestly feel best in.  While you’re in there why not try a few colors that you rarely wear- you might just discover a few new colorful gems!

Another great color clue I like to tell people, is to take notice of which hues you find yourself getting a lot of unsolicited compliments on when you wear them.  If your true love, a trusted chum and friendly stranger all notice that a certain shade brings you beautifully to life…chances are you’re on the right color track!

]]> http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/colorful-advice-talking-pop-of-color-with-life-style/feed/ 3 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/color-inspiration-red-white-and-blue/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/color-inspiration-red-white-and-blue/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 20:50:38 +0000 juliehoylen http://www.sensationalcolor.com/liveinfullcolor/?p=4086 As we celebrated Memorial Day weekend here in the USA ( our official, un-official start of Summer, hooray!) I couldn’t help but find myself basking in our country’s national colors of red, white and blue.

Martha Stewart’s patriotic flavor

And though we may automatically think of this stunning color combination as pure ‘Americana’ ( I know I always have ) it’s actually a color scheme that we share with 27 other countries around the world -England, France, Australia…and even North Korea among them!

source

Red, blue and white are by far the favorite hues when it comes to representing countries- most likely due to  their underlining symbolic meanings in cultures around the globe.  This colorful pie chart, based on flags from around the world, is a fun look at which colors rank in popularity- I wonder if purple feels left out?

Red, white and blue is a scheme that has always been one of my favorite for home…there is just something so exciting about mixing a cool and a warm color together within the same visual space.

My own home takes it’s exterior color cues straight from this idea.  The overall scheme is ‘cool’ with it’s grayish-blue siding and slate colored patio and roof – doors painted in a glossy deep, warm red help to shake the whole look up.

My exterior colors are all from Benjamin Moore, I recently “uped the red ante’ by changing my doors from Country Redwood to Classic Burgundy -a truly fabulous front door color!

Not my actual house- but this image from Behr’s inspirational site is close enough. Featured here are Behr’s Exterior Colors in Skipper 570F-5, Burnished Mahagony 160F-70 and Divine Pleasure W-B-210

Inside my house Benjamin Moore’s Covington Blue, an amazingly ‘could go anywhere’ beautiful blue from their Historical Color Collection trimmed in Linen White makes for a dreamy boy’s bedroom- this time with a worldly-splash of Moroccan Red.

Charlotte Moss used a very similar palette for her Kip’s Bay Show House living room last year

A little tweaking of hues and red, white and blue can create very different moods.  These three bedrooms featuring in House Beautiful show that it’s a combination that can go from classic ( true red and navy )to eclectic ( pale blue and deep burgundy) to modern ( bright blue and a red-orange ) simply by changing the particular shade of each color.

Even when paired in adjacent rooms, the colors can work off of each other beautifully.. I love this example of a house that uses a blue-purple color on the wall leading into a kitchen that features red cabinetry.

This home and article featured in the Seattle Times Home and Garden section takes a fun look at a sophisticated scheme of red, white and blue

This blue and silvery white dining room (above)  featured in Elle Decor uses a pop of Coral Red as an attention getting statement- meanwhile this mostly crimson library (below) from Southern Accents use just a touch of blue and warm white to temper it’s energy.

While this modern white room by Jonathan Adler as seen in Metropolitan Home features a red and white rug with navy and white curtains combining together as the basis for a very ‘colorful’ scene.

I met Jake when he called to check facts for a story I was going to be quoted in and before I knew it we were chatting about color and Jake was conducting an impromptu interview about my business.  It seems that his natural curiosity started the conversation but his journalist instincts soon took over and he wanted to explore an idea he had for a story of his own.

It was great fun to talk to him and after our conversation and a couple of follow up emails he came up with so much to write about that the article spilled over into two days.

Jake Finally Learns What A Color Strategist Does (Part I) and (Part II) Thanks Jake! 

But getting back to the colorful t-shirt pics…

Jake’s girlfriend wanted him to go with her to her high school reunion and he wanted my opinion on which color would make the best impression.  He sent me over a few pictures that he had colored in to show me what colors he was considering.

Although we all probably give a bit more thought to our appearance on occasions like this I’d already learned enough about Jake to guess that this wasn’t really a decision he was agonizing over so I served up the following color advice complete with a dash of humor:

YELLOW – You are letting the world know you are energetic and have high spirits. You will catch attention with bright yellow and it is the perfect color if you want to share your creative spirit and original thinking because you’ll attract curious listeners all evening, just like bees to honey.

RED – Are you wanting to let your girlfriend’s former classmates know that you are popular and powerful? Then red is the way to go. It will also let them know that you like to have fun and are at the ready to take charge of just about any situations, even the reunion party, if it isn’t as lively as you’d like it to be.

GREEN – You’ll come across as a very social person, yet as someone that places value on status and may even have a tendency to talk about people or judge them by their appearance. Not a color that will put people at ease with you right away. Choosing a yellow-green might be better, as it says you are a high energy, adventurous person that is too busy for gossip.

BLUE – Blue will have you looking cool and confident. It is a color that is naturally appealing and on you, with those blue eyes, it will be that much more attractive. Be careful, though, as blue lovers are susceptible to flattery, so don’t let the admiration of those former cheerleaders and beauty queens go to your head.

Curious as to which color he chose?  You’ll find the answer at the end of Part 2.

Jake’s entire story can be found on Entrepreneur magazine’s blog Daily Dose.

Jake Finally Learns What A Color Strategist Does (Part I)
Jake Finally Learns What A Color Strategist Does (Part II)

I took a lot away from yesterday’s inauguration… the excitement of those around me as I watched the ceremony from a friend’s home- the glamour, tradition and pageantry of the momentous celebration, history being made before my eyes… and of course some basic color theories at work.

The reactions of my fellow party-goers as they openly chatted about the colors being worn yesterday were all I needed to hear to get me thinking about why people react to colors the way that they do.  How can they dislike a color at first,  slowly warm up to it after awhile and then by the end of the morning be downright protective of it?

Here’s the whole color mystery mapped out and some colorful ideas behind why some pairings made beautiful music together while others simply hit a sour note and in the end were nothing short of a clash of the color titans!

It was clear quite almost immediately that not everyone loved Michelle Obama’s Lemongrass ensemble.  I heard a lot of “Yuck!”, “What color is it anyway?” and “That’s a hard color to wear” roll off the lips of those in the crowd.

I on the other hand was intrigued by her choice.  The color is trendy, fresh, young and gutsy- and best of all completely unexpected.  I think it speaks volumes to her obvious love of fashion.  I liked the retro feel of the dress, the jeweled neckline, the lace and daytime sparkle are all so very ‘now’.

Later once the green gloves and shoes were revealed, I could slowly feel people starting to get more comfortable with the color. The addition of the darker green helped to distinguish the dress and coat as clearly being a yellow with strong green undertones- putting everyone a little more at ease with the color.  Michelle, on the other hand couldn’t have seemed any more confident with her choice.

President Obama had his own interesting color choices going on.  With change in power came a change in tie color.  The signature purple, which had won him so much attention during the campaign (and seemed to spurn a trend with other politicians and newsman alike) was upstaged today by a tie that was ruby red as he officially stepped into power.

For the walk down Pennsylvania Ave. the President added a deep red-violet scarf. It’s blue undertones were just enough to complement rather than clash with Michelle’s outfit.  Funny enough one of his signature purple or blue ties would have really looked great with Michelle’s yellow/green- but since the catch word of the day is CHANGE, his switch to a new color was right on trend as well!

Bill and Hilary illustrate this complementary color scheme- and look how happy they are about it!

There was no arguing from anyone that the Malia and Sasha looked adorable.

Sasha is my new fashion hero, mixing pink, orange a bright red together- love it!

Interestingly enough, when the girls joined their mother on the steps of the Capitol I heard a lot of compliments on how the three looked so beautiful together, suddenly no one was complaining about Michelle’s color choice.

Could it be because the three together were in complete color harmony?

Now this is where it get’s interesting… When the swearing in and speeches are all said and done and the Bidens joined the Obamas to give a friendly wave good bye to George and Laura as they helicoptered off into the sunset.  Suddenly an array of ‘gasps’ go through the crowd over how the two woman’s colors seem to clash with each other.  I heard someone exclaim, “Oh no, someone is going to be in trouble!  Why didn’t they coordinate their colors?… What a fashion faux-pas!”

I was shocked by just how adamant some of the women felt at Jill Biden’s choice of a tomato red coat.  While they may not have immediately fallen in love with the color that our new First Lady was wearing, one thing was sure.  Everyone agreed that it was meant to be ‘her’ day and no one, most especially the Vice President’s wife should be wearing a clashing color or upstaging her.

On a side bar- this reminded me of an episode of a wedding reality show I caught one late night not long ago…. where the mother-in-law insisted on wearing a bright red gown to her son’s wedding much to the chagrin of her future daughter-in-law and bridal party who were all set to wear dark burgundies and black.  There was no convincing her otherwise and I’m sure you can image who was the center of attention in all of those wedding photos, but I digress…

Unfortunately their color choices seem to intensify each other- making these two beautiful women- at least for a moment- rather hard to look at.

Now I realize that power red is super popular in the realm of Washington D.C. and that Mrs. Biden’s choice was rather a traditional one.  And yes this particular shade of red was seen on the runways for Spring and yes she looks quit hip in her sexy boots.  Even with all that being said there are some unspoken rules of protocol that are expected.

Mrs. Biden obviously knew she was going to rock it out in red later that evening in her Reem Acra strapless gown.  Look at those arms- you know she worked out like a fiend to get ready for this night!  (She’s now my second new hero.)

Which to me is even more reason why she should have chosen a more muted color to wear during the day.

But I totally understand there are days when sometimes we get in the mood for one color, and one color only!  Jill, in the great political words of former President Clinton- “I feel your pain”.

In fact, Mrs. Biden, you could have easily gotten away with wearing red had you chosen a hue that complemented the Lemongrass color.  A better choice would have been a dark or mid-tone red-violet ( much like the President’s scarf), instead of this brighter red-orange.  A deep violet would have been a perfectly gorgeous complementary choice and I think with your coloring you would look oh-so pretty in a blue/purple or dusty lavender coat.  Any of these choices would have kept you on trend and looking like a stand out/ knock out- while still being in complete harmony with Michelle.

Thank goodness Laura Bush knew exactly what to wear.  Even if she was craving a brighter color (plenty of time for that now back out on the ranch), she had the social grace to select a color that would not draw attention away from the woman of the hour.  Her soft dove gray next to Michelle’s lemongrass make for a seamless transition of power (as do the color cues from the former and the current president’s ties!).

Fortunately military personal stepped in to keep this clash of power colors far enough apart to protect us all… at least from getting a headache.

What have I learned… well for 1 (one) as much as I like to tell people that color rules no longer matter in fashion I have to remember that sometimes they still do and 2 (two) is how joyous we should all be over the fact that the only color issue facing the Obama’s in Washington D.C. today is that of lesson one (1.)!!!!!!!

Photos from AP and Getty

1.Henna Pillow $59.95 2.Moroccan Oranment $6.95 3.Lacquer Tray $29.95 4.Fu Dog Bookends $49.95 5.Script Desk Lamp $59.95 6.Burst Rug $299 7. Folio Storage $16.95-$49.95 8.Tessuto Throw $39.95

I think any of these would be a great way to add a little ‘pop’ of color to a room and help to brighten up what is looking to be a very early and bitter cold winter season!

According to all the self help experts… you must love yourself before you can truly love another…right?

Sounds to me like a great excuse to show yourself the love- treat yourself to a little something special that says “I won’t wear my heart on my sleeve…but I will wear it on my shoes and bags!”

You’ll be stylishly feeling the amore all season long!

(from top to bottom) handbag from DKNY, Oscar de la Renta heart and ikat flats, lips hair comb from Azzaro, broken heart slippers from Stubbs and Wooten, sunglasses by Cutler and Gross, Flirtatious perfume from Flirt!, Geri gold and diamond lip necklace, Moschino heart bag, YSL flip flops and lip shoes by Christian Loubitin

all photos from Elle.com

Nevertheless the red roses, candies and cards inevitably show up on store shelves almost immediately after the Christmas and Hanukah decorations are put on clearance and shortly after our New Year’s resolutions are on their way out…

We always hear about the love stories, the cards and even the heartbreak, but what about the hue that has forever been tied to February 14th? Why red? Why not blue or green or purple?

According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of “Color: Messages and Meanings,” red is the most viscerally alive hue. It is the symbolic color of the heart, strong-willed and expresses emotion. Red is linked to love and passion, and is the most physical color in the spectrum. Physiologically, red is the call to the adrenaline glands to get the body and senses activated.

Word association studies invariably show red to be perceived as the most sensual of all the colors – a perfect hue for a day traditionally set aside for people to express their love for one another.

So whether you dread Single Awareness Day or embrace that certain someone on the national day of love, you can at least dress the part and know why.

Sweater set from JCrew