History and High Heels: Primary Elements

"Red, yellow, blue, I see you! You are the primary colors! Red, yellow, blue!" Remember that children's song? I believe we sang that in art class in kindergarten in order to help us remember the primary colors of the color spectrum. These are used as the basic building blocks to mix and create colors in art. They are the central points of Isaac Newton's color wheel and later used in printing by Jacob Christoph Le Bon in 1725. These colors have helped researchers understand the function of the eye and how it senses different stimuli. Theories on the psychological effects of colors have been documented in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's The Theory of Colors and Michel-Eugène Chevreul's The Laws of Simultaneous Color Contrast.

Just as the primary colors are the foundation of any artist's paint pallet, they should have the same importance in your wardrobe. Blues are easy with jeans, but its fun to switch it up with a royal or cyan blue top with a pattern. Red is a bit more difficult, but during the summer a bright red dress or skirt is a really fun look especially around the 4th of July. Yellow, I have found, is the hardest color to dress. I had thought for the longest time that yellow looked terrible with my pale skin, but this isn't true. A bright yellow top or tank dress is flattering and pairing it with a different colored cardigan or jacket will help the color seem less stark against pale skin. Tan girls of course look great in yellow and it really helps you stand out in a crowd.

Yesterday I wore a fun bright blue skirt I got (on sale!) from JCrew and a sunshine yellow tank dress underneath. I thought this color combination was very fun especially paired with my coral-red nails. While wearing all of the primary colors can be dangerous, choosing two choice colors with a dash of the third can create the perfect balance. I paired these items with my black and grey Mary Jane shoes to pull the outfit together with a neutral color. The key with all of this is using color deliberately and with strong judgement, for too much of too many colors or colors that do not mesh well can produce an outfit worthy of a fashion police citation.