Yes, color makes us feel happy, sad, sexy, confident, or gentle…and this list can continue. Yes, color has psychological and aesthetic power. If I feel a little sad on a Monday morning in unison with the grey color of the weather and the cloudy sky, I might think to wear my soft grey turtleneck and silvery skirt. It looks good with my complexion and with the weather. So I am in harmony with the universe today and I feel at peace. If I have an appointment with a client today, I will be wearing a black suit and red lipstick. The color black speaks with authority and commands respect. The red lipstick says: “I am confident and I know what I am doing. Trust me!”
What color we chose says a lot to other people: it is good idea be aware of this gift of nature and relish it. I remember twenty years ago, when I started working as a fit model for a clothing company in Boston, during a fitting session I got the opposite of a compliment from a designer. I was trying on an olive-green shirt, and she said, “Anna that color make you look sick!” I looked at myself in the mirror: yes, oh! “Yes. I look sick!” and my mood went down.
So to summarize my color experience: Ladies, enjoy COLOR. Use COLOR. It’s hard to over-estimate its importance on mood and appearance!
Working with mature, sophisticated ladies a lot, and designing for them my special couture gowns and dresses, I encourage them not to be afraid. Be assertive instead! Show your natural beauty! This is what color should do for us: make our eyes shine, our skin glow, our hair extensions smolder and glisten! I have a dress in my collection named “Color of my eyes,” a dress designed to transform itself to match each woman’s beautiful gaze!
This spring/summer fashion season is now in full bloom of colors and pattern with flowers, so I am creating the Anna Nieman Collection “Bloom,” flush with flowers, sensual colors, and a sense of fulfillment and happiness–everyone’s ultimate goal!
Author: Anna Nieman (FGI Boston – Executive Member)
I grew up in the Soviet Union, specifically in the western part of Belarus which was Poland until 1939. I remember when I was about fourteen years old, my favorite thing to do was to read the Polish magazine—“Pshyyazulka.” (If you’re surprised that I remember the name, so am I: it’s Polish for “Girlfriend.) Though Polish was my childhood language, we were focused on the study of Russian in school, but because I loved to read about fashion, I taught myself to read in Polish, thinking that I would love to be a fashion writer and fashion designer. Time passed by and I became a freelance writer in both Russian and Polish newspapers. I emigrated to US in 1991. I could not speak any English at all, but I had the very good luck to became a fit model for numerous clothing companies in the U.S. I opened Anna Nieman Couture in 2010 in the Boston area and now working in my studio/boutique on creating a” Couture Style” for everyone. This is my idea about fashion: to bring art, integrity, and style to every dress. And I still love to write about fashion, expressing my ideas about beauty and fashion to the world.