Colour preferences gender specific

There is scientific evidence to back up why girls prefer to dress in pink and boys in blue. Researchers said on Monday in one of the first studies to show scientifically that there are gender-based colour preferences. Researchers said these differences may have a basis in evolution in which females developed a preference for reddish colours associated with riper fruit and healthier faces. Recent studies have suggested there is a universal preference for "blue," and there has not been much previous evidence to support the idea of sex differences when picking colours, said Anya Hurlbert, a neuroscientist at Newcastle University who led the study.

We speculate that this sex difference arose from sex-specific functional specialisation in the evolutionary division of labour," she wrote in Current Biology. "There are biological reasons for liking reddish things." In the study, the researchers asked a group of men and women to look at about 1,000 pairs of coloured rectangles on a computer screen in a dark room and pick the ones they liked best as quickly as possible. Afterwards, Hurlbert and colleagues plotted the results along the colour spectrum and found that while men prefer blue, women gravitate towards the pinker end of the blue spectrum .

21 August 2007

Red alert

Christmas is nearing, which means the season of parties is upon us. The colour red has always been associated with the spirit of December, so this season, a confident and elegant approach to wearing red should see you through. Take note however, that wearing red is not always easy, and certain ‘looks' should be avoided at all costs. You're outfit should not be stopping traffic, after all, unless you're dressed as Santa Claus.

The look to wear now is about being noticed – but for the right reasons. With major stores selling rail upon rail of red clothing, try and opt for something bold and sexy, and avoid mumsy, unflattering shapes. Sure, this is not the Holy Grail of fashion advice, but when you see the quantity of red velvet available, in abysmal shapes, this is the antithesis of how it should be worn. For those with a budget, why not go for a red cocktail dress, something with a contemporary cut. Louis Vuitton has a beautiful wool dress this season that sits just above the knee, for example. For evening, the crimson touch was seen at Valentino. Plunge neck dresses with gathered straps were lustrous, if a little daring.

But red doesn't have to mean head-to-toe mono colour. Mix it with black and white, denim and layer it with other fabrics for festive effect. Choose eye-popping pieces, such as Balenciaga's bell-shaped skirt or a red sequin cardigan. For accessories, TopShop have a great selection of bags, belts, scarves and shoes. Patent is still the look for the season, and you can't get more glamorous than one worn in ruby red.

10 November 2006

Pool-side Candy

If you're one of those who eschews colour in favour of good old black and beige, it's time to rethink you're fashionable colour choices for the summer season. Pastels and sugar sweet prints are hot right now and this really is a no-brainer for the colour-impaired. So if you're about to go on holiday and need a new bikini, go for bright colours.

Celebrities like Anna Kournikova, Nicole Richie and Lady Victoria Hervey have already in spotted in an array of yummy colours and prints. And what they can do, we can do to. Simply visit any given number of delicious shops to find the perfect bikini. A personal favourite is Austique on the King's Road. They have a small but wonderful selection of brilliant bikinis and swimsuits that will make you mouth water. Pretty triangle bikinis with tropical or graphic prints in the most luscious of colours will make you feel like a million dollars. Try the Zimmerman Swirl Frill Bikini or the Diamond Triangle Bikini for a more structured look.

Hilary Alexander recommends a visit to Pistol Panties, a shop in London's Westbourne Park Road. The British brand is popular with beauties like Sarah Jessica Parker, Elle Macpherson, Rachel Stevens and Jade Jagger. Alexander suggests a candy-stripe, triangle bikini top with hipster bottoms in either lilac/orange or pink/liquorice. Also on her list is Mambo, a brand that is especially popular with surfer chicks.

If all these eensy, weensy bikinis are making you feel jittery, because you haven't seen the inside of a gym since last year, do not fret. The tankini will come to the rescue. It's really a bikini bottom with a tank top in the same fabric and it's ideal for sunbathing. If you want a brown stomach, simply roll up the top to bare your midriff. Then, when the need for refreshments sends you scuttling to the beach bar, you can lower it again to help you feel less exposed. A good place for tankinis is Monsoon, where they do a great rainbow-stripe version and they won't break the bank.

29 June 2005

Is black the new black

Is black making a comeback? It is when Miuccia Prada says so. "Black is a very important colour and it is coming back. After a while you get fed up with colour and print," she said. "Now it is time to be serious. Less fun, no frills. Last year we used fashion to escape from our problems. Now, we need to be more realistic and show ourselves to be more substantial."

Her show was a plain statement of fashion authority - disciplined, tailored and constructed with passion. Staged on an all-black catwalk with minimal lighting, the show opened with a parade of black - a simple shift, a fitted coat, a dress with voluminous bell-sleeves, a hooded parka over a slim skirt, all bereft of adornment.

23 February 2005

Real men wear pink

If men everywhere are to follow the fashion rules that movie character Alfie adheres to, we will be seeing the world through pink-tinted lenses. Or rather, the men will, because they will all be wearing dulcet pink tones. According to Jo Adams of the Observer, Wall's strawberry ice-cream pink is the colour to wear. Adams advises men to keep it simple, so no ruffles and no City boy pinks either.

Jude Law's character Alfie, in the same-titled remake of the sixties' classic, is the unwitting inspiration for this new colour palette for men. However, the look originated in the US where men everywhere have been spotted in bubble gum and soft pink tones. Even presidential candidate John Kerry has been sporting pink ties.

Head-to-toe pink for men has even come to encompass coats and shoes and boots. Pink trainers are all the rage in the States, with men even lining up to buy the women's version. Chicago Tribune reporter Nara Schoenberg ventured a guess as to why pink was suddenly so hot and came up with: "Uneasy times call for upbeat colours."

But there is more to it than that. US rappers and hiphop artists appear to have led the way in the pink revolution. Especially Harlem rapper Cam'ron Giles. He even went so far as to carry a pink cell phone and drive a pink Range Rover. However, as always, it seems that we are lagging behind the trends just a little. Cam'ron recently announced that he was 'over' the colour pink, and wanted to move on to a new colour. As yet, his choice has not been confirmed, but with a new album called Purple Haze coming out in December, the choice should be limited.

27 October 2004

White Now

There may be rain, rain and more rain predicted in the weather forecasts, but chic Londoners are wearing white while they still can. Chloe's impeccably white high-waisted trousers have been spotted regularly at chichi West-end parties as have white denim mini's and sleek, white cigarette pants around Hoxton.

Style icon Madonna was last week spotted wearing white trousers teamed with a short-sleeve polo top and flat cap. Perfect for a weekend in the country.

19 August 2004

Bye Bye Black

Even the wardrobes of fashionistas so often spotted in top-to-toe black are looming in colour this season. Dressing up in monochrome black is no longer chic. Unless of course you're a goth, but then you'd probably opt for Vivienne Westwood instead.

Take for example London-based Greek designer Sophia Kokosolaki. In the past her collection was a myriad of complex and resolutely urban black dresses. This summer, there are barely any. Instead, pale pleated, twisted, draped and gentle from start to finish is the order of the appropriately seasonal day.

Even the monochromatic Helmut Lang has changed his colour palette. As Lang stated after his catwalk presentation: "Using colour more excessively seems to make clothes more modern and strong at the moment; and strangely attractive as well. And black just didn't feel right on its own."

Black this season does not seem to carry with it the newness it normally does. Instead of looking pronounced and strong, it feels old and faded; less modern.

Still, that does not mean that florals, frills and pastels have to take over your wardrobe. Mix the black with bold prints and strong colours to achieve a desirable, contemporary look and you can still be avant-garde.

29 June 2004