Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003221800
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But this season, the rubies and roses are overshadowed by orange-reds with hip names: geranium, pimento. These orange-reds are part of a family of spring fashion colors that include the new citrus and spice shades, like lime and saffron.
Classic fire-engine shades are being used to punctuate more neutral tones, such as the classic navy and white combination. "Red is in accent pieces - your shoes, scarves and belts," said Charlotte Kidd, home economics extension agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service in Roanoke.
No matter what shade you prefer, when it comes to making an impact, red will never let you down.
And not just in terms of fashion.
When people see the color red, "the pituitary gland responds and it increases excitement," says Doris Pooser, president of Always In Style, a Lynchburg-based international image company.
Pooser said studies done by the Wagner Institute for Color Research in Santa Barbara, Calif., show that people have physiological, sociological and psychological responses to all colors. She also has researched the subject through her own work with clients, who have included workers in the health care, hospitality and retail sales industries.
According to the Wagner Institute, men and women are attracted to different shades of red from infancy, Pooser said. "Men generally prefer the yellow-based or orange-reds," while "women are attracted to the blue-based reds."
"The dark reds, or burgundys and maroons, have been shown over the years to be attractive to the higher socioeconomic groups," Pooser said.
From a fashion standpoint, "red is more for a dressy or casual look, and just touches of it should be used in a business or corporate situation," she 9 7 RED Red said.
Individual responses to color are complex, said Bill White, chairman of the art department at Hollins College. Too often, cultures assign certain qualities to specific colors. As a result, people react to the colors mechanically. They stop making personal statements with color and become "creatures of habit."
Red has "traditionally been associated with the kind of outgoing, strong-willed person - someone who is reasonably egocentric," White said. "Because if you're in a room of neutral-colored clothing and you're wearing red, then you're sort of sending a signal that you want a certain kind of attention."
White would like people to look at colors more open-mindedly. Even if there's a color you don't like - red, for instance - "it doesn't mean you should never consider incorporating it into an ensemble of clothing," he said. "You can use it as an accent, very small and very discreet. It may be the very thing that gives the whole a sense of sparkle and life."
Since red is such an attention-getting, high-energy color, Pooser says she advises her corporate clients to wear it with care.
For example, red would be good for a person making a keynote speech, she said. That person would want to draw the attention of others and get them motivated.
But there's a real difference between giving a keynote speech and attending a meeting in the boardroom, Pooser said. "The more serious, the more powerful you want to appear in a business situation, the less color you want to use."
If you're running low on energy, a small touch of red can be a boost, Pooser continued. "If you're feeling kind of down and you need that kind of excitement, even wearing red underwear can give you that extra power.
"On a rainy day, or a day in your life when you're not feeling up, that's the day to use it."
Memo: Spring Fashion