What to wear to compliment your skin tone

Each person has their own individual fashion style some people prefer smart and tidy, others prefer casual and comfortable. However, just because you like a certain style, it doesnt mean that it will necessarily suit your body shape and skin tone.

Our body shape, build and skin tone actually dictate how our clothes look on us; once you know your body build, shape and tone you can choose the correct colours and fits to suit you.

This what not to wear series helps you to understand exactly what your body shape, build and skin tone is and how to dress (and how not to dress) to compliment them.

YOUR SKIN TONE

Skin tones are diverse and unique to each person; just because a person has the same colour skin as you, it doesnt necessarily mean that you will both suit the same colour clothes.

Which colours you should and should not wear depends on your ethnicity, hair colour, eye colour and skin undertones.

To determine your skin tone have a look at the colour of your nail bed. Does the tone tend to appear more reddish-orange, reddish-blue, pinkish-blue, peachy or yellowish? There are 4 main categories that your skin tone will fall into:

Winter tones (also known as deep complexions) have blue, red or pink undertones. Skin can be pale white, olive (Mediterranean, Asian), or dark (Black). Winter people are generally brunettes, with deeply coloured eyes.

Summer tones (also known as cool complexions), like winter complexions, have blue, red or pink undertones. The skin is often pale and pink and more often than not, Summers are natural blondes or brunettes with pale eyes.

Autumn tones (also known as warm complexions) have golden, warm yellow undertones. Many redheads, brunettes (with golden brown eyes), Asian, mixed raced and darker skins fall into this category.

Spring tones (also know as light complexions) have golden undertones and are usually creamy white or peach. Spring people generally have straw-coloured or strawberry red hair, freckles, rosy cheeks, and blue or green eyes.

WHAT TO WEAR (and what not to wear)

Wearing black even though black is often slimming and flattering, not everyone can pull it off. Black can be overwhelming for some skin tones especially when it's worn close to the face. Winter/deep and Autumn/warm toned individuals can carry it off very well but Spring/light and Summer/cool types should try to avoid wearing too much black, especially near the face.

Wearing red reds tend to suit autumn and winter tones more than spring and summer tones, but that doesnt mean that the paler skin tones cannot wear red at all. Its all down to the tone of red. There are 10 shades of red commonly used in fashion so try testing some of them against your skin to see if its right for you. You will know the moment you put it against your skin; a wrong shade will clash immediately and the right one will look very natural.

Winter/deep tones

Winter people should wear colours that are sharp, stark and clear. White, black, blue, red and magenta/cerise pink all go well with winter complexions.

For lighter colours, wear icy tones rather than pastels e.g. turquoise or teal rather baby blue

Avoid subdued tones like beiges, biscuits and dusky terracottas

Summer/cool tones

Summer/cool types look good in lilacs and pale blues

Summers should choose pastels and soft neutrals with rose and blue undertones.

Lavender, plum, rose-brown and soft blue suit people with summer tones, while black and orange do not

Autumn/warm tones

People with autumn or warm skin tones should select colours with golden undertones, like camel, beige, orange, gold and dark brown.

Avoid colours with blue tones, like navy or indigo

White is a good colour but should be worn with another colour e.g. couple a white dress with gold or orange accessories

Spring/light tones

Spring tones look best in wear warm orange-based colours like peach, ochre, and coral

Soft types should choose soft or pastel shades while clear types can wear more contrasting colours.

If wearing red, choose a shade which has more orange in it like a scarlet red or sangria red