They jump out at me each morning from my messy wardrobe. Each one vying for my attention like group wailing children yearning to be comforted. My eyes roam and at random I pick up something. Or is it really at random? Like that Asian Paints ad says ‘har rang kuch kehta hai’. So what am I trying to convey when I choose a colour?
Why do bright colours come out during holidays or when the mood is peppy? And pastels on sober days? Don’t some colours make you feel more confident? Like for an interview or a very important meeting you would always choose to wear a certain colour. (Harry said it was blue – for me I think it’s always been black). Some colours make me feel attractive and feminine. Baby pink, for example, always makes me feel tender and cared for. I resort to assertive colours when I want to make a statement – red, for instance is sensuous, daring, angry, challenging, rebellious – perfect for those stormy days. Yet others make me feel cheerful – like peach, or a lemony yellow or green. Earthy colours come out when I feel a little lazy and mellow. And white – sober, calm, angelic – ahem…I do notice a distinct lack of this colour in my wardrobe though!
I remember when I first landed in Muscat – I was wearing an austere blue colour dress. I was stressed and anxious as it was my first international flight and I was traveling alone for the first time and so on…Later – my husband’s friends who had come with him to receive me at the airport told me they thought I was a snob – since I looked so serious and angry!
It’s amazing how much we try to communicate through colours. How much others decipher from the clothes and colours we choose to wear. I could be a friend or foe simply by the colours I wear and the image I portray. Some colours make us look younger, some older, some thinner and some fatter…how is that possible? But it seems it is. Is it all in the beholder’s eyes or does it really happen? Do we feel a person looks thinner in black or do they really do look thinner?
We subconsciously pay so much attention to the clothes we choose to wear each day. How much of the inner self is revealed through what we wear? Is this what they call wearing your heart on your sleeve?
For me today is purple day. Sober, mature, relaxed, yet peppy. What’s your colour for the weekend then?
