Color in fashion culture

4 November 2018

Color has always played a crucial role in fashion through history. We associated specific garments and colors to specific occasions.

Our reactions to color are largely unconscious, yet it has the power to affect our quality of life and our wellbeing. When we address color we are influenced by personal preferences, our culture, our geography and the trends dictated (or suggested:)) by fashion.

What happens is that sometimes the exterior factors prevent us from knowing the color charts that really suit us and make us look better. We react to color in an unconscious way, and that is why it has the power to affect how we look and feel and on our self-confidence. Why do some colors suit us and others not? We are all different physically and some of us have our face illuminated with warm colors and others cool colors. Some of us look great in bright yellow, others in pale yellow or mustard. It’s all about knowing ourselves.

Also we have predetermined images of colors to wear for specific situations: white for brides, even though many cultures wear color, grey or black suits for corporate places of work, the little black dress for a dinner our or the perfect blue jeans with a crisp white shirt for the weekend. But this isn’t all there is about it. We need to open up our array of clothes, choose wisely, using the proper tool.

Dr. Julie King, Head of Fashion at the University of Northampton and author of the book Colour Design: Theories and Applications , explains the evolution of colors in the fashion industry, how designers have a “color signature” and how color is evolving with the digitalization of the shopping experience.

People can choose the exact item and color they want on the internet, from their handheld mobile devices. They can search by specific colors and patterns. We have shapes and styles that suit us better than others. Fashion provides such an array of specific colors that we can just pick our favorites. The only issue is fining the exacts colors we are looking for in a few clicks.

This has been our greatest challenge at I-Dylic. That is why we have developed a tool to search and match specific colors when shopping online, so that people can access what they need quickly and in their best colors. We want to make choosing clothes and colors, and shopping, easy and pleasurable. It will save people’s time and energy, and break the barrier for wearing our right colors and feel good and confident about it.

©I-DYLIC. Article by Eleonore Vadon