Technicolour Trends

Averse to colour in your wardrobe? Sanchita Nambiar advises on how you can add some vibrancy to your corporate wear

An interesting statement was published following a study commissioned by Cotton USA (a global lint cotton supplier) — “men who wear pink shirts earn extra money a year, are better qualified, more confident and get a greater number of compliments from female colleagues than their male counterparts who are dressed in common colours.” It’s a common assumption that men’s clothing has never been as colourful as women’s attire. The pink shirt your mother, girlfriend or wife gifted you may still be lying in the back of the closet — and might (possibly) be lying there forever. And it’s understandable, as the reason most men prefer the conservative black, blue and gray in their wardrobe is because these colours have always been more acceptable in a corporate scenario. However, it isn’t an over assumption to state that experimentation in formal wear colours is becoming common for the metrosexual man.

A pop of colour here and a dash of texture there can sufficiently help you break the monotony of banal office wear. Partha Sinha, head design at Louis Philippe and Luxure at Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail offers some deep insight into how our colour choices are determined by a need for self-expression; he says, “Colours play one of the most indispensable roles in a man’s wardrobe today. A majority of the current generation comprises of expressionists who are constantly hunting for inspiration. This is in contrast to former times, when it was about expressing your social status – reflected by luxury brands, with an emphasis on accessories. Now, people dress to express who they are or at least aspire to be; it is a quest toward “self-actualisation” through many aspects, and one of them is colour.”

COLOUR IN CORPORATE WEAR