Of course you may wear any colours you choose, however some colours naturally look better on you than others. One possible reason dancers buy wigs that are not their own hair colour is they've purchased a dress whose colour isn’t consistent with their natural colouring. A different colour wig is one way to compensate, as is a completely different make up palette. You can make the wrong colours “work” for you, but that usually involves extra time, effort and expense. I’m going to help you select the most naturally flattering colour palette for your next dress.

 

When planning your next dress, first ask your TC if s/he has any colour preferences for you. TCs are usually good about colour advice.

 

Next, go to a fabric store. Don't wear any makeup and pull your hair back (no coloured headbands can be visible). An impartial assistant

may be helpful. Get a shopping cart and locate a mirror in the store. Gather bolts of solid colour fabrics in these colours: black, brown,

gold lamé metallic cloth and silver lamé metallic cloth, pure bright white and ivory/beige, go to the mirror, unroll a bit of each colour cloth

one at a time and drape it across your front, so that none of your street clothing shows. If you dye your hair, you may want to cover your head

with a bit of the drapery colour as well.

 

Which colours look best? There are several ways to determine "best": which colours draw attention to your eyes? Which colours make you look most rested and refreshed? Do any of the colours make you look as though you have "circles" under your eyes (a bad thing)? Do any of the colours make your complexion look especially spotty, blotchy or sallow (yellowish. greyish or greenish--also not good)? Make note of your best colours.

 

You will look better in one of these two groups: black, silver and white OR brown, gold and ivory/beige. Carefully return the fabrics in the group that is least flattering. To refine your search, pick out two more bolts of fabric. If the black/silver/white grouping looked best, select a bolt of medium royal blue fabric and a bolt of pink fabric. If you looked best in the brown/gold/beige grouping, select a yellow bolt and an orange bolt of fabric. Please be sure to pick pure colours for this test: no neons, pastels, fuchsia, bubble gum, mustard, olive green, navy or aqua. Which of the two new bolts is most flattering to your natural colouring? If you are having a hard time deciding, drape one of the original dark colours over your shoulders, then look at the new colours.

 

If this choice is still too difficult to make, look at the skin on the inside of your wrist against a solid, pure white background; ignore the blue veining in your wrist. Does the skin on the inside of your wrist have a pink, bluish-pink, golden yellow or golden orange appearance?

(Remember to put all the bolts of fabric away carefully, the sales clerks will appreciate the consideration.)

 

Group A- If you look best in silver/black/white and royal blue (pink wrist):

* Your natural skin tone is one of these: very white, white with a slight pink tone, beige tending toward sallow, olive, or black with blue undertones.

* Your eye colour (without tinted contacts) is probably, black-brown, dark reddish brown, hazel (brown centre with a blue or green rim), grey-blue, blue with white flecks, dark blue, violet, grey-green, or green with white flecks and a grey rim.

* Your natural hair colour is dark bluish-black, dark brown (maybe with red highlights), medium ash (dull) brown, salt and pepper, silver-grey, white blond or pure white. Golden highlights aren’t seen in this group. When you get older, consider keeping your grey hair, it is flattering.

 

                                                                 Group B- If you look best in silver/black/white and pink (bluish-pink wrist)

                                                                  *Your natural skin tone is one of these: pale beige with pink cheeks, beige with no cheek colour or sallow                                                                                    undertones, rosy beige, very pink, grey-brown or rosy brown.

                                                                 * Your eyes are naturally blue with a cloudy or webbed iris, green with a cloudy or webbed iris, grey-blue, grey                                                                            green, bright clear blue, pale aqua, hazel (cloudy brown with blue or green), pale grey, rosy brown or grey-brown.

                                                                * Your natural hair colour is in the range of white blond, ash blond, ash brown, dark taupe brown, brown with an                                                                         auburn cast, blue-grey, or pearl white. Golden highlights are rarely seen in this group. This is the only group that is                                                                   flattered by hair frosting/white highlights.

​

 

Group C- If you look best in brown/gold/beige and yellow (golden yellow wrist):

* Your natural skin tone is one of these: creamy ivory, ivory with golden freckles, peach, peach/pink, golden beige and golden brown. Many people in this colour group have rosy cheeks and tend to blush easily.

* People in this colour group have blue eyes (sometimes with white rays), eyes that are steel blue, green with golden flecks, clear green, aqua, teal or golden brown.

* Your natural hair colour is flaxen blond, yellow blond, honey blond, strawberry blond (usually with freckled skin), strawberry redhead (usually with freckled skin), auburn, golden brown, red-black, dove grey, creamy white. Ashen highlights are not seen in this group.

 

Group D- If you look best in brown/gold/beige and orange (golden to orange wrist):

* Your natural skin tone is one of these: ivory with freckles, peach, peach with freckles, golden beige, dark coppery beige, golden brown.

* Your eyes are naturally dark or golden brown, amber hazel (golden brown with green/gold rims), hazel (green with brown or gold flecks), clear green, olive green, steel blue, teal or bright turquoise.

* Your natural hair colour is red, coppery brown, auburn, golden brown, dark honey, golden blond honey, strawberry blond, charcoal brown or black, golden grey or oyster white. Ashen highlights are rarely seen in this group.

 

Once you know your basic colour group, it is much easier to select fabric colours, makeup and wigs. Even if you opt to go with a wig that is not your natural colour, you can choose shades that occur in your colour group so the wig is naturally flattering to your skin and eyes.

 

People in Group A look best in clear, vivid colours. Their colours are easily the most dramatic. Contrasting colours are very flattering. For the best look, limit the number of colours you wear to only two or three at a time. Primary colours (red, blue, green and yellow) are excellent choices. The only pale tints that work well for this group are pale pink and grey. Group A is the only one that can successfully wear only black and white; that is their best combination. Other good colour choices include navy blue, bright burgundy, hot pink, and taupe. Choose bright, clear colours from the neon palette such as green, red, blue or purple. Avoid all neons with a yellow base. If you must wear orange, gold, yellow-gold, rust, yellow or softened, faded, muted colours, keep them away from your face.

 

The motto for people in Group B is “go blue.” Their best colours are soft, light and have a bluish hue. Sharply contrasting colours, such as

yellow and purple are too severe, however most people with this colouring look great in red, white and blue. Other good colour choices

include soft white, light blue-grey, orchid, pastel blue, medium blue-green, aqua blue, plum, raspberry, rose pink and blue-red. When

wearing a dark colour, balance it with a pastel hue of the same colour. While the neon palette isn’t the best choice due to its harshness,

try adding a bit of neon blue, purple or fuchsia. If you want to wear brown or beige, choose cocoa brown and rosy beige.

Colours to keep away from your face include golden yellows, oranges and bright red, and black.

 

Group C has the most delicate colouring of all. Their best colours are clear and bright, never muted, faded or too dark. Any colour

whose name starts with “light” is a good candidate: light yellow, light warm beige, light blue, etc. Other good choices include violet,

clear yellow-green, turquoise, peach, coral, golden yellow, camel, light navy, apricot and periwinkle.

Don’t confuse “light” colours with pastels. Pastel colours have more white than colour in their composition. They are too pale

and will wash out your appearance. Choose ivory, not white as the lightest colour you wear. Neon colours are not a good choice for

you at all. Because they are so overwhelming, they’ll "wear you" instead of the reverse. If you must incorporate neon into a dress, choose a shade

that is yellow, yellow-orange or aqua blue. Work it into small appliqué pieces or the embroidery. Avoid black near your face.

 

Lucky Group D has the widest selection of flattering colours. It is far easier to list the unflattering colours: navy blue, black, pink, grey, bluish red and bright white than to list the flattering ones. You have your choice of any earth tone: brown, brick, bronze, forest green, or brick red. You can wear muted colours or clear tones. Neon yellow, green, orange, and aqua were made for you. Any colour with a golden tone is a good choice. Blues can be tricky. Choose teal, peacock, turquoise or marine blue (very dark blue-green). The only purple that is flattering is dark periwinkle. Avoid pure white; select instead a white with a yellow or beige base.

 

In the worldwide population, the greatest percentage of people sort into Group A. Because Irish Dance tends to draw people with a Celtic background, there is a higher percentage of individuals in Groups C and D than seen in a random selection of the general population. What can be done to accommodate a variety of colour types in dance groups? There are a few colours from each grouping that can be shared by everyone. Soft white (without any hint of yellow or grey), coral, light aqua, deep periwinkle and medium royal blue are good compromise colours for shared costumes.

 

 I hope this guide helps you look your best in an expensive investment. Don’t forget to be disciplined, kind, and a good sport no matter which colour group you are in.

 

Adapted from an article by Realtreble on the Irish Dressmakers and Costumers board at dance.net

Sources:

Fashion Academy. Costa Mesa, CA. 1979.

Mary Kay Cosmetics Demonstration. J. Segedy. circa 1981.

Revelli, Clare. Color and You. Simon and Schuster. New York. 1982.

www.askandyaboutclothes.com . . . .2009.