Many women fall into the trap of matching their clothing and/or makeup colors to their "superficial appearance." Redheads, for example, often "match" their beautiful locks to orange-family garments, such as brick red, coral and tangerine. And they continue with corresponding makeup colors in tawny shades of rust, coral or peach. Fair-skinned blondes complement their looks with delicate pastels such as baby pink, pale orchid or oxford blue. They opt for so-called "natural" makeup that produces invisible lips and few facial contours. Dark or olive-skinned brunettes may match their mysterious, shadowy good looks with the dusky colors of autumn, such as teal or dark army green. Tawny blushers and lipsticks in deep shades of burgundy or purple "go" with the clothing and hair.

FALSE HARMONY
To the casual observer with an untrained eye, this is harmony. However, to the professional image consultant, it is "false harmony." False harmony is insidious and slips by undetected,even with image consultants, mainly because it is so non-threatening. As a result, in this fast-paced, stressful world, false harmony is ever popular. It goes unchallenged in fashion magazines, books about image consulting and color analysis and in the studios of famous makeup artists. It is safe. It is also uninspiring and down-right boring. Upon close inspection, false harmony produces a tedious monotony of colors that causes the face to blend into the clothing.

As a fashion and image consultant, I ask my clients to think of themselves as potential masterpieces. A masterpiece on canvas permits only one focal point. The same rule applies to individuals. Your face must be that lone focal point. Your clothing, makeup, and accessories must not be more noticeable than you. It doesn't take a fashion or image expert to note that flashy shoes or gaudy clothing and accessories take the attention from the individual.

MONA LISA SYNDROME
The problem today is that the world of fashion and image consulting are suffering from what I call the "Mona Lisa syndrome." Everyone wants to look "understated and elegant," like Mona Lisa. However, most people are not aware that artists, like image consultants, cheat! Yes, cheat. They improve upon colors or change them to set a particular mood, and they change com-position until the results look natural and memorable.

Let's face it, we wouldn't even know who Mona Lisa was if she had been clad in bright emerald green, as opposed to the mysterious dark green tones which envelop her.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM
You may have some garments in your closet that make you disappear. They could be the very ones that make you feel good when you wear them because they "go" with your coloring. You may even get compliments when you wear them. Don't we all just love to see redheads in rust and strawberry blondes in tangerine and salmon pink!
Don't be fooled anymore by false harmony.