Warm colors in fashion

What are warm colors?

Red, orange, and yellow and all the colors in between them, like pinks, and reddish-purple in a color wheel, are called warm colors. When you look at a color wheel, if you are a little familiar with it, you will sense an invisible line dividing the circular color spectrum; on the right side are the warm colors, shining bright and bold.

You can find the warmest color of the color spectrum in the middle of this half-circle – the warm red color.

Why are warm colors called warm?

Maybe because sun, fire, and all the warmth from them are all represented by this group of hues on the colour wheel. The term “warm color” refers to any hue that is bright and bold in nature – various tints of red, orange, and yellow – coral, gold, peach, and amber.

Warm colors are connected with strong feelings, passion, excitement, and fun. Consider the intensity of a deep, rich crimson or the vibrancy of bright orange.  Think about the connotations of the word warm in a ‘warm hug’, the warmth of the house, etc. Warm colors are supposed to have the quality of making people feel good.  Do you now see why these colors are called warm colors?

Psychology of warm colors

Warm hues communicate a wide range of emotions, from simple optimism to ferocious fury. The warmth of red, yellow, pink, or orange can elicit feelings of joy on one extent to debilitating rage on the other. Warm colors are also associated with love, passion, happiness and jealousy.

Warm colors elicit sentiments of joy, optimism, and vitality. Yellow, red, and orange  can draw your attention and alert you to danger or prompt you to take action (think to stop signs, hazard warnings, and barrier tape). They are said to stimulate creativity and hunger. Warm hues are also seen as provocative. They stimulate the senses.

Why are warm colors called advancing colors?

Advancing colors are any colors that appear closer to the eye than other colors lying in the same plane. Warmer colors, such as red, red-violet, orange, yellow, and yellow-orange, have longer wavelengths, so your eyes notice them sooner than other colors. Advancing colors are the most dominant colors in the color spectrum; they can be considered a little aggressive and bold. If used in the wrong way, they can be a little overwhelming.

What are warm colors associated with? The symbolism of Warm colors

Red

The red color is associated with passion, love, and anger.

Energy, passion, strength, courage, physical activity, inventiveness, warmth, and security are all represented by the color red. It is also linked to aggressive behavior.  Red is a strong hue that should be used sparingly. Red represents materialism, ambition, a focus on sensual pleasures, and a short temper.

Related post : What are the different shades of red 

Orange

Orange color is associated with energy, happiness, and vitality.

The color orange is associated with fun, amusement, and high energy. It is also used to indicate danger – the safety uniforms are all in orange. It is an attention-grabbing color.

Yellow

Yellow color is associated with happiness, hope, and deceit.

Yellow represents intelligence, creativity, enjoyment, and the ability to persuade. Yellow is a happy color – the color of sunshine and sunflower. On the downside, it has also been linked to cowardice and frustration

You can find more shades of yellow color here.

How to know if warm colors suit you?

First and foremost, determine if you have a warm color skin tone or not?

Your skin tone has a big influence on the clothes you wear. Knowing your skin tone can help you choose colors that complement rather than clash with your natural skin undertone.

It is not about whether a person is fair or dark but whether the undertone of the skin (be it fair or dark) is warm or cold that determines whether warm color will suit you or not. The skin undertone is called ‘warm’ if a person’s overall skin has more yellow, peach, and golden undertones.

And a no brainer; Warm colors suit people with warm skin tones.

All the lovely warm colors like red, red-violet, reddish-purple, pink, peach, coral, amber, and gold are warm hues that you can use if you have a warm skin tone.

But does that mean that you have to eschew all cool colors from your wardrobe? No. Cool colors can also come under the classification of warmer tones.

Warm shades of cool colors 

Any cool color can be turned into a warmer tone depending on the colors mixed to get them. By manipulating the undertone of cool color, you can make it warmer or cooler. So a person with a warm skin tone who loves blue can still wear blue if it has a warmer tone.

Warm blues have a red/purple bias as opposed to a green bias of cooler blues. Ultramarine Blue and dark purple are examples of warm blues

Reference for colors: trycolors.com

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