The best clothing colors for you may be determined by your eye color. So choose outfits that complement your eyes. Contrary to popular belief, the little black dress isn’t a universal wardrobe staple.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland found that people with blue eyes look best in cool shades of blue. For those with dark brown eyes, orange and red fabrics are the most flattering.
Professor David Perrett, the study’s lead author, says basing clothing choices on skin tone is misguided.
Perrett explains that skin tone can matter from a distance, like on the runway. But for close encounters — lunch or a job interview — pick clothing colors that work with your eyes.
What Scientists Discovered
Initially, the team ran an experiment to test how important a person’s skin color is when choosing clothing. In that first study, the researchers did not consider the influence of eye or hair color.
“People with darker skin typically have darker pigmentation in their hair and eyes,” Professor Perrett said. “Any of these features can be a key factor in choosing clothing colors.”
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 make light-toned faces look tanned, and to make tanned faces look lighter.
The researchers asked 100 volunteers to pick which clothing looked best on each face from a range of color options. Preferences remained consistent even when skin color was artificially altered, the Daily Mail reported.
In a second experiment, the researchers showed 100 participants photos of people with light and dark eyes, followed by images where those individuals had “swapped” eye colors.
As the researchers expected, volunteers most often recommended blue clothing for people with light eyes, while orange and red were favored for people with dark eyes. It didn’t matter whether the eye colors were natural or digitally changed.
Professor Perrett said he and his colleagues were surprised by how unanimous the participants were in choosing clothing based on eye color.
The team emphasized that the study included only white women, so the results may differ for people of other ethnic backgrounds or for other genders.
