It turns out that the color of clothing that suits you best is determined by the color of your eyes. Therefore, it’s essential to choose outfits that complement your eye color. Contrary to popular belief, scientists argue that the little black dress is not a universal wardrobe staple for everyone.
According to researchers from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, people with blue eyes look best in cool shades of blue. For those with dark brown eyes, the most flattering colors are orange or red fabrics.
Professor David Perrett, the lead author of the study, asserts that using skin tone as the basis for clothing choices is misguided.
Professor Perrett explains that skin tone may be significant from a distance, such as for runway models. However, for close encounters, like lunch or a job interview, the color of your clothing should be determined by your eyes.
What Scientists Discovered
Initially, the university team conducted an experiment to assess the importance of a person’s facial color in clothing selection. In this study, the researchers did not consider the influence of eye or hair color on clothing choices.
“People with darker skin typically have darker pigmentation in their hair, eyes, and skin,” Professor Perrett explained. “Any of these features can be a key factor in choosing clothing colors,” he added.
The team used photographs of white women. One half had light skin, hair, and eyes, while the other half had darker skin, hair, and eyes.
Then, the scientists used Photoshop to alter the naturally light-toned faces to appear tanned, and vice versa.
The researchers asked 100 volunteers to determine which clothing looked best on each face, using a variety of color options. The results showed that preferences for color choices remained consistent. Even when the facial color was artificially altered, as reported by the Daily Mail.
In a second experiment, the researchers showed 100 participants photographs of people with light and dark eyes, followed by images where these individuals “swapped” their eye colors.
As the researchers anticipated, volunteers most frequently recommended blue clothing for individuals with light eyes, while orange and red were favored for those with dark eyes. It didn’t matter whether the eye colors were natural or artificially altered.
According to Professor Perrett, he and his colleagues were surprised by how unanimously participants chose clothing based on specific eye colors.
The team emphasized that the study only included white women, so the results may differ for individuals of other ethnic backgrounds or genders.