Choosing colours that suit your skin tone

Choosing a colour for a formal outfit can feel harder than choosing the outfit itself. A little understanding of your skin tone makes it far easier.

Find your undertone

Skin tone has two parts: the surface colour, from fair to deep, and the undertone beneath it, which is usually warm, cool or neutral. The surface shade changes with the seasons, but the undertone does not. A simple test is to look at the veins on your wrist in daylight. Greenish veins often suggest a warm undertone, bluish or purple veins a cool one, and a mix of both a neutral one. Another test is to notice whether gold or silver jewellery flatters you more.

What tends to work with each

• Warm undertones tend to glow in earthy and golden shades, and in deeper blues such as midnight and navy.
• Cool undertones tend to suit icy and silvery shades, soft blues and jewel tones.
• Neutral undertones are the most flexible and can carry almost any shade.

A note on blue

Blue is one of the most forgiving colours in formal wear, because it comes in so many depths. Our Mughal Nama collection is worked in blues, from the deep midnight of Neela Darwaza, to the steel blue of Neela Gumbat and Bagh-e-Nageena, to the ice blue of Chandni Mughal. As a rough guide, deeper shades tend to look striking against deeper skin, and pale shades look luminous against fair or medium skin. But try both in daylight before you decide.

Four simple checks before you choose

• Look at the colour in daylight, not only indoors.
• Hold the fabric near your face and notice whether your skin looks brighter or more tired.
• Consider the colour of the embroidery as well as the fabric, since silver, gold and pearl each change the effect.
• Ask someone you trust, and take a photograph.

Trust what you feel

Rules are only a starting point. The colour that makes you feel most like yourself is usually the right one.

If you would like help choosing, book a private appointment and we will try shades with you.