The Golden Globes red carpet the other night reinforced my belief that a brilliant orange-red color is so ultra gorgeous and flattering. More of us regular people should be wearing it more often, including me, I say! However, it can definitely be kind of intimidating to buy something so bold and bright, let alone wear it.
I mean, what if you look like Ronald McDonald instead of, oh, say Lupita Nyong’o or Emma Watson? Fear not! There are some easy ways to make sure you look totally gorgeous embracing this trend.
First of all: Find the shade that works for YOU.
I'm pretty fair-skinned, with blond hair, and one of my favorite dresses is, in fact, a brilliant orange color, with a slight hint of red. I think it looks great on me, if I do say so myself, but I know that it might look different on someone with different coloring. Here's a photo of me in my dress, along with my daughter Isabella:
I tend to just try things on and see how they look, but there are some smart rules of thumb when it comes to guessing what shades of orange and red will be most flattering on you. I asked my friend, the uber-fabulous style expertBridgette Raes, to give me some tips to share with you, and here's what she said:
Blue-based reds, or cooler reds, look better on people who have cooler undertones. These types of reds are brighter, clearer, and are often known as "true reds." (Imagine the color of a Coca Cola label.) Typically, people with fair skin and dark hair (like Snow White) or light skin and light eyes (like Grace Kelly) and who typically look good in pastel shades have cooler coloring.Warm reds, or yellow-based reds, have a lot more yellow in them and look better on people with yellow-based skin tones. These types of reds are like brick red and tomato soup red. Typically, redheads, more ethnic skin tones, brunettes with warm skin tones look better in these shades.BUT WAIT, you say! I'm not sure if I'm my skin tone is warm or cool!
No problem! "If you aren't sure if your skin tone is warm or cool, look to the metal colors of the jewelry you typically gravitate toward or make you look the best," Bridgette tells me. "You can flash a large metallic silver and metallic gold fabric swatch under your chin to look at how your skin tone reacts to each color," she adds. "The more flattering color can help you determine if your undertones are warm or cool."
Isn't that brilliant!? I love it!
Now, like I said, my favorite item in my closet is that orange-red dress. But there are a lot of other ways to wear your best version of this color ...
A bright orange-red jacket will really make a statement. I have one similar to this Jones New York Women's Lip Collar Jacket (on sale for $50 at Amazon!); mine is from Coldwater Creek.
A top in a bright orange-red, like designer red lace top, is an awesome look either under a blazer or with a pair of jeans. ($79.99, Tjmaxx.com for store locations)
But, if those ideas STILL seem too drastic, or you feel like there are really no flattering shades that look good on your upper body (against your face), go for some gorgeously colored accessories!
Designer bright red bag. ($149.99, Marshallsonline.com for store locations)
Dolce Vita Women's Laci Ballet Flat. (On sale for $22 - $79.20 at Amazon)
Are you into the bright orange and red trend?