I’M ON RED ALERT THIS CHRISTMAS
Is it too soon to talk about the man in the red suit? It seems every year his pending arrival means that, as soon as Bonfire Night is over, shades of scarlet and ruby start to seep into the shops, and this year is no exception.
Not all reds are created equal though, and some are more wearable than others.
The shade chart for rouge is vast, from tomato to garnet crimson to carmine, and while you won’t ever hear me saying which shades are “suitable” for your hair and skin colour, it’s a fact that certain hues are more flattering on some than others.
If you are planning on wearing a red close to your face, I suggest you test drive it before you leave the shop, but as a rule of thumb, “colder” reds suit those who have red tones in their skin, while darker skins can pretty much wear all the reds.
I saw it declared by a prominent influencer dressed in a red cardigan on Instagram that red is the colour the cool girls are wearing. Cue hundreds of imitators both on and offline reaching for it.
It’s a divisive colour, one you rarely see men wearing unless it’s in the form of a football shirt, but for women it has much more glamorous connections.
The soles of Christian Louboutin shoes spring to mind and some of the most iconic dresses in movies have been red, think Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, or my personal favourite, Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. If you are someone who loves to wear a riot of colour, red looks amazing with magenta and purple but if subtle is more your vibe stay neutral. Black and red works but it’s not my favourite combination. Softer neutrals such as chocolate brown, navy, beige, camel and grey all look amazing with red.
Red no-nos for me include red velvet – unless it’s a shoe, and red mohair – no exceptions.
Red is a great accent colour, you don’t need to wear it head to toe for it to be the main event. Pick one red piece, a coat, a jumper, or – my favourite – the lazy girl’s way to do red, (visible) red socks with open-toe sandals, red lips or red nails.
It’s lady in red but for 2023.