Why wearing black this winter might work against you

YES, colours can affect your mental health. The powers that be would have you wearing grey, black and dark navy all winter long. Just at the time of year when we need to use colour to uplift us, help introduce happy hormones into our brains (yes, colours can facilitate this - scientifically-proven!) as natural daylight fades in the northern hemisphere, the stores almost exclusively produce collections in dark, cool colours that do most of us no favours. Men and women, both.

In terms of seasonal colour analysis true black, charcoal grey and dark navy sit within the cool tonal side of things, and in particular these shades suit and enhance the cool and dramatic Winter season. None of these colours will make the warm seasons of Spring and Autumn feel their best, and these shades in particular can be draining physically and psychologically for these warm skin-toned people. If you feel ghostly, flat and washed-out in black, you may have a warm-skin tone.

On a psychological level, the colour black is the absence of light reflected, and is often worn to shield, protect and create a sense of authority, which can be useful, particularly in corporate or threatening environments, but it also means you’re hiding to some extent. You’re not letting people in. Stylistically, wearing black can be overpowering and needs balance elsewhere in an outfit, or things can look very bottom heavy (for example if you were black footwear alone, without balancing the black somewhere else in your outfit.

I spent most of my 20s and 30s wearing black, grey and white, and I didn’t realise the effects on my morale and self-image. It was only when stuck in illness I began to feel that I needed to be wearing light and bright colours to feel better. That is not to say we all need to wear brights to feel good. Each of the four seasons, in seasonal colour analysis, has lighter and darker colours to choose from, which will be uplifting to that particular season. Just be mindful that black clothing, and other dark neutrals such as charcoal and dark navy, might not be the healthiest choice for you this winter.

Colourfully, Jenny

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The Antidote to Hyper-Consumerism

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Why I became a Seasonal Colour Stylist