Fashion is about self-expression. You choose outfits that appeal to you. You desire that your clothes say something significant to the world around you. At Generous Fashion, we know that the clothes that you choose say a lot about your personality.

Science Digest described a revealing study in which students were told to put on a lab coat that belonged to a doctor. When they did, they were instantly able to focus and maintain sustained attention better.

There is also research indicating that the more powerful we consider the type of clothing we are wearing, the more powerful we feel.

Color does much the same thing. It sends feedback to our brains. Wearing our neutral colors makes us feel safe. Wearing brighter, bolder colors makes us feel more extroverted, alive, and engaged with the world. The science behind the relationship between color and mood is extensive.

It is true that perceptions of colors and their meaning are somewhat subjective. Cultural factors must be considered as well. But here are some of the traits and qualities commonly associated with colors.

Learn about the magic of color and what it says about your personality, and you can always present your best image to the world.

The Power of Color

In reality, our color choices are limited only by ourselves and what we believe in. The world is made of magnificent and wonderful colors!

More than 2,000 years ago, the Chinese and Egyptians used colors to heal and influence the body. Today, there exists a sufficient number of studies on chromotherapy proving the relationship between the body and colors.

If colors create positive space and influence the energy and mood in our homes, we should be able to use the same principle in our own style.

Black for Sophistication

Sophisticated, stylish, and classic. Every woman should have her little black dress. It’s authoritative and strong while staying elegant. Beware, however, of getting caught in the trap of an all-black wardrobe.

For instance, some plus size women fixate on dark colors for their slimming effect. It’s true that black gives you a naturally slimmer silhouette and can be quite flattering. But don’t limit yourself. Use black to express one aspect of your personality, not to hide all the color you want to share.

Gray for Balance

Neutral, subtle, and balanced. Adding a touch of gray to your outfit makes you stand out for all the right reasons. It falls between two stark, dramatic colors – black and white. So, gray is great for complementing striking pieces with a neutral tone.

Don’t add too much gray to your wardrobe, though. A totally gray outfit can make you look washed out, leaving you with a sad, dull vibe. Use gray sparingly to appear confident and sophisticated.

Blue for Positivity

Peaceful, tranquil, and positive. Blue can make you look independent and clever too. Soothing tones of blue give off an easy, relaxed vibe, much like the open sky. During spring and summer, bright blue hues can brighten up your wardrobe. They give it fresh life after a long winter.

In the cooler months, use deep, earth-toned blues to accent your look. Deep, cobalt blue feels independent and dramatic. It isn’t defiant, but you can’t help but take notice.

For a softer effect, use light blue, aqua, and turquoise in your wardrobe. They offer the tranquil feel of blue without the stronger traits.

Purple to Command Respect

Rich, royal, and artistic. The richness of purple doesn’t just express wealth. It also reveals a deep personality, a fulfilling inner life, or a strong creative spirit.

Intense purple harkens to the kings of centuries past. It grants you a regal air that demands respect and attention.

Red to Go Bold

Intensity, dominance, and passion. If you love to wear red, you are probably an extroverted, outgoing person.

A red dress makes you the center of attention – and can be quite a sexy look. Want to go bold? Choose scarlet.

Pink for Youthful Energy

Energetic, jovial, fun. Lighter reds and pinks express a slightly toned down version of the red intensity. Pink is full of youthful energy but charged with fun instead of the sensual passion of red.

Yellow Adds Inspiration

Cheery, intelligent, and bright. Yellow is an inspiring color that can help you keep a positive focus. Spend the day with a friend who wears yellow and things are sure to feel a bit brighter.

Orange Goes Social

Creative, social, and ambitious. Wearing orange makes you the life of the party.

Orange draws in others for conversation and other social interactions. This entertaining, outgoing color is great for extroverted women. You’ll always make an inviting and unique social statement with a bold orange outfit.

Green for Life

Natural, healing, and calm. Green is the color that surrounds you in nature. For Americans, it’s also the symbol of success and money.

Wear green to appear charismatic and charming. People will be drawn to your natural, down to earth style. Darker tones reflect the forest or precious gems. Lighter greens are refreshing and full of life – like tropical water or fresh flowers.

Brown as a Complement

Reliable, authentic, and well-grounded. Brown is the color of the earth beneath your feet. It exudes stability and confidence.

A beautiful color for fall fashion, brown is easy to accent with other earth tones. Beige, tan, and cream give off a similar vibe and are easy to pair with complementary colors.

White Says Confidence

Clean, fresh, and new. Wearing white takes confidence. It tells the world, “I’m taking a fresh look at things. I’m ready for anything.”

Others will view you as positive and courageous when you wear white. Don’t think of it as dull or plain. White is simple yet powerful.

Work Color into Your Wardrobe

You do not need to overhaul your wardrobe to introduce color into it. A few pieces or accessories such as shoes, bags, scarves, and jewelry can change your usual look. Imagine wearing an all-black ensemble and adding a bright fuchsia bag or sunglasses with a red frame!

It actually isn’t that difficult to find great color pairings. You can always go back to your basic color wheel and check for complementary colors, contrasting colors, and adjacent colors.

What Color Best Suits You?

Of course, you shouldn’t define yourself by one color. But you probably have that one blouse or dress you love to wear. It just feels right. Because it’s the color that suits you best.

Take note of the colors the people around you choose to wear. Learn about them by the clothing they select. You’ll enjoy each interaction that much more.

If you want to try some of our plus size clothes, we are offering a 10% discount for our Sixty and Me sisters on our Etsy Shop.

What colors do you love to wear? Why? What is a new color you are excited to try? Please join the conversation and share your passion for color!

Since 2011, Cashmere Nicole has been bringing us trend-driven, high-quality makeup via her Beauty Bakerie brand. It grew exponentially in 2015 and now has hit another major milestone. Beauty Bakerie Bite Size has launched at Target! The line includes smaller and even more affordable versions of the products you know and love, as well as new launches. Most of the makeup is priced between $5 and $17, making it more accessible to a larger audience.

“Beauty Bakerie Bite Size was created in an effort to continue down the path of inclusion across as many verticals as possible including socioeconomic status,” Nicole said in a statement. “The Bite Size line will give those shopping a lower
price point, exposure to, and experience of the brand. We actually spotted the brand at Target this weekend and it looks incredible next to other Black-owned brands making moves, including The Lip Bar and Mented.

We know you just want to get down to trying the products. There are so many to choose from, it was hard to choose our favorites. Shop them all, below.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Pinch of Flour Better Not Bitter Setting Powder

Try this cult-favorite setting powder in four different shades.

Lip Whip Lip Makeup

This vegan, smudge-proof and water-proof lipstick comes in 10 shades.

Snackaroons Highlighter

These small, buttery highlighters pack a punch in two hues. 

The Jellies Lip Balm

Fans are loving these vegan lip balms that turn pink on your lips.

Eyeshadow Palette

There are two pretty nine-shade palettes to choose from.

The death of my husband more than a decade ago was the toughest experience of my life. I had turned 60 just a month before his passing.

I fully expected that at my age and stage of life, I should and would be content with my professional work, family, girlfriends, church, and other groups I belonged to.

Indeed, within a year of my husband’s passing, I started writing a book to assist other widows: Moving Forward on Your Own: A Financial Guidebook for Widows. It certainly helped heal my broken heart as I worked through my grief and learned to accept my new life.

Like the title of my book, I was sure I would be ‘on my own’ forever.

In a study published several years ago, nearly one of five recent widows either remarried or embarked on a new long-term relationship within a few years of their spouse’s death. Younger women were more likely to embrace a new romance, whereas older ones expressed negative feelings about remarriage and dating.

Many women in the study shared their experience with repartnering, counseling women to proceed slowly and be honest about the negative as well as positive consequences of a new committed relationship.

That was me after my husband’s death. I firmly declared, “I’ll never marry again.”

But dating? Maybe that could be different. By the end of my first year of widowhood, I decided that dating would probably be OK for me.

An occasional social outing with a male companion might be fun. Possibly dinner at a nice restaurant with a guy across the table would be pleasant. Or attending a concert or the theater with a man could be enjoyable.

Hang in There – Don’t Just Settle

After being out of the dating game for more than two decades, initially I didn’t know how to play. It seemed to me the rules had changed. Looking back at my first dates, you might even say I was pathetic.

When I tried online dating, I didn’t realize that many of my potential partners’ profiles didn’t describe them honestly. For example, many men posted pictures taken years ago when they were in better physical shape. Some lied about their smoking and marital status, or financial situation.

Fortunately, I didn’t make any big mistakes as a novice dater. Early on though, I almost made some blunders, spending time with guys who tried to take advantage of me. I was quite naïve, to be honest.

It helped a lot when I created my personal list to help screen in or out potential dating candidates. Here are some examples:

• Must have: accept my vegetarian/pescatarian food choices; financially independent
• Nice to have: enjoy healthy activities such as walking and/or bicycling together; lifelong learner
• Can’t tolerate: big red flags like a dysfunctional family; sarcastic personality

Unfortunately, I’ve met several widows and divorcees who just plunged in to any dating relationships that came along. Some even remarried too quickly, before they really understood their new partner, and later regretted it.

Others became seriously involved because they were lonely or afraid to be on their own. Some married hoping for financial stability. Or they didn’t realize before they remarried that their new partner had not been totally frank about his problems. Several were simply taken advantage of.

Because these women just settled, they found themselves trapped in bad new relationships – worse off than being alone. Sadly, many of those marriages ended in divorce.

Wrong Reasons to Remarry

I dated casually for a few years, adamant in my commitment never to consider remarriage. That resolve made several of my dating relationships very awkward. The guys wanted to marry, but I didn’t. Several of them actually proposed. When I declined, it ended the relationship.

A Change of Heart

But today, many years later, Charlie and I are engaged! The time was right – my 71st birthday and just starting our eighth year together. We took this next step, moving forward together. I’m wearing Charlie’s ring. Yes, we’re officially engaged.

I love what this decision represents. We’ll certainly always cherish memories of our late spouses, who both died more than a decade ago. Now an exciting time lies ahead for us as we start a new phase of our relationship.

Moving forward together as an engaged couple, with love, commitment, joy, high hopes, laughter, adventure and companionship. Yes, now the time is finally right. I’m feeling so happy and grateful.

After the death of your spouse or a divorce, did you also say ‘never again’ to the possibility of a committed new relationship or even remarriage? How has that worked out for you? Please join the conversation below.

Since 2011, Cashmere Nicole has been bringing us trend-driven, high-quality makeup via her Beauty Bakerie brand. It grew exponentially in 2015 and now has hit another major milestone. Beauty Bakerie Bite Size has launched at Target! The line includes smaller and even more affordable versions of the products you know and love, as well as new launches. Most of the makeup is priced between $5 and $17, making it more accessible to a larger audience.

“Beauty Bakerie Bite Size was created in an effort to continue down the path of inclusion across as many verticals as possible including socioeconomic status,” Nicole said in a statement. “The Bite Size line will give those shopping a lower
price point, exposure to, and experience of the brand. We actually spotted the brand at Target this weekend and it looks incredible next to other Black-owned brands making moves, including The Lip Bar and Mented.

We know you just want to get down to trying the products. There are so many to choose from, it was hard to choose our favorites. Shop them all, below.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Pinch of Flour Better Not Bitter Setting Powder

Try this cult-favorite setting powder in four different shades.

Lip Whip Lip Makeup

This vegan, smudge-proof and water-proof lipstick comes in 10 shades.

Snackaroons Highlighter

These small, buttery highlighters pack a punch in two hues. 

The Jellies Lip Balm

Fans are loving these vegan lip balms that turn pink on your lips.

Eyeshadow Palette

There are two pretty nine-shade palettes to choose from.