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Thursday 7 October 2010

re-invent

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  1. Discover How to Select the Most Flattering Colours to Sew Your Own Clothes
    Avoid the mistakes that most people make when choosing their fabric and colour selection. Flattering colours can add life to your garment and design. Before any details are noticed, the first thing any one notices about the garment is colour.
    Some colours are:
    cheering
    compelling
    vivacious
    frivolous
    active
    fun
    Other colours are:
    restful
    serene
    relaxed
    subtle
    dignified
    Some colours lift our spirits, others subdue them; they can be soft and fresh or brassy and bold. It is not merely by chance that you may reach into the closet for your brightest dress on a rainy day, or slip into a pastel gown to relax after a hectic day.

    Colour is one of the most powerful influential elements to consider that have an effect on the figure size. It can affect mood and emotions. Sometimes it can draw attention or seem to retreat into the background. Colour can appear to advance and look larger. It can recede and look smaller and farther away.

    If you have an understanding of the basic colour concepts, you will find out what colour can do for you, and how to apply it when selecting your fabric. Too often, we make a choice merely by whim, personal preference, or simple prejudice in colour selection and not enough of what looks best on us. Always take your personal colouring into consideration.

    Before you buy any fabric:
    Hold up different colour swatches to your face and take a long thoughtful look into the mirror
    Ask yourself or a friend: how does the swatch relate to the colour of your hair, eyes, and complexion?
    Is it flattering?
    Look at your current wardrobe to decide which colours coordinate best
    Put bright colours on or near your best features, because the draw attention
    Study the current fashion trends making note of prominent colours, colour combinations, and fabrics. This will make you feel and look up to date.
    Allow yourself to experiment with colour. Don't restrict yourself to any one group of colours. Learn to enjoy and use many. Don't be afraid of new colours or let yourself be boxed into a one-colour wardrobe.

    Your goal is to combine style, fabrics and flattering colours that accentuate the lines of your sewing pattern and enhance your assets.

    To help you remember what effect you can expect from colours, they can be divided into different categories:
    Bright reds, yellows, and oranges – the intense colours of flames, fire, and sunlight – are warm or advancing colours. They usually look and seem warmer, brighter and larger. These colours always make a figure appear larger.
    Use bright colours as accents rather than in large areas or as an entire garment if you want to look slimmer.
    White, bright, and light colours reflect light and appear nearer and larger.
    Cool colours - blues, greens, violets - colours of water, trees, grass, and mountain shadows are cool or receding colours. They look calmer, cooler, and have a slimming effect.
    Dark colours recede, reducing apparent figure size; light colours advance, creating the opposite impression.
    Black, dull, and dark colours absorb light and appear farther away or smaller. They also outline the body and can emphasize body contour
    Colors also vary in brightness and lightness or darkness.
    Tints of colours are made by adding white to the pure colour. The more white a colour has added to it, the lighter it will be.
    Shades of colours are made by adding black to the pure colour. The more black added, the darker the shade will be.

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  2. If you wish to make a figure or part of it look smaller, use black, dull or receding colours. On the other hand, if you wish to enlarge or draw attention to a figure or part of it, use white, bright, light, or warm colours.
    For example, a woman with narrow shoulders, a small bust, and large hips could help balance her proportions by wearing a dark – or dull-coloured skirt or pants with a bright – or light-coloured blouse or jacket. A woman with a generally heavy figure but a beautiful face could make her figure look more slender by wearing darker and greyed colours. She could draw attention to her beautiful face by wearing a white or brightly coloured scarf, collar, or necklace.
    Generally, concentrate on bright, light, and warm colours on areas to be emphasized. Use dark, dull, and cool colours on areas to be hidden.
    The colour of the skin is more important than the colour of the hair or eyes in choosing colours that are becoming. People change hair colour and even use coloured contacts to brighten the colour of their eyes. Skin tones, too, can be changed by sun tan, different shades and types of make-up, or age. Skin constantly reflects the colours of the clothes worn near it.
    Remember though, colours look different in different kinds of light. If you are helping to select a garment to be worn in daylight or bright sunlight, be sure to check it in bright daylight. That is, look at the person with the colour held close to the face to see how it affects the complexion. Use the kind of light in which the garment will usually be worn.
    Look closely at the skin. Does it look too white, too pink, too yellow, or too ash grey? Then try another colour or another shade or tint of the colour you had. Does it make the skin look attractive? If so, that could be a good colour for the individual.
    Practice this with all your own clothing. Observe your friends in the colours they wear. Notice people on the streets as you do your shopping. Become aware of the effect colours have on the overall appearance of the person wearing them, especially on the skin, hair, and eyes. What part of the figure do the colours draw your attention to? Does the colour enhance or detract from the overall appearance of the wearer?
    Once you acquire the basics and you become more conscious of the use of colour, you will probably become more aware of the effect it has on your appearance. Then you can help yourself and your clients, if you decide to have any, make wise colour choices.
    If you’re in doubt of what colours are the best for you, consider the services of a colour consultant. Shop around to determine whether this is the colour consultant for you, ask for the names of some previous clients; then be sure to talk with them. Find out how long ago they consulted with this person about their colours, if they followed the system, and how satisfied they were with the results.

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