Quick! When you think of February, what color comes to mind?
Red, of course, for Valentine’s Day.
It’s also the color that the American Heart Association hopes you’ll wear Feb. 5. That’s the day set aside to raise awareness about heart disease among women.
There’s no argument from me about the importance of this topic. We all need to learn how to prevent heart disease.
But the thought of wearing such an eye-popping color might make some of you want to hide in the closet. Some women are not even comfortable wearing bright-red lipstick, let alone slipping on a candy-apple red dress.
You really want to support this great cause. So what’s a woman to do?
One of Richmond’s leading fashion designers and one of Virginia’s top businesswomen have advice on how to wear red the right way.
“Red is such a powerful color. It’s a color you choose if you want to stand out in a crowd,” said Michael Taylor of Michael Taylor Couture.
Sheila C. Johnson, CEO of Salamander Hospitality and president and managing partner of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Washington Mystics, said red makes you feel empowered.
“Red is a ‘take no prisoners, get out there and change the world’ kind of color,” said Johnson, who also is co-founder of the BET network.
As the keynote speaker at Richmond’s Go Red for Women lunch on Thursday, Johnson won’t hear any excuses for not supporting the cause fashionwise.
“On Feb. 5th, red is EVERY woman’s color! A bold fight like fighting heart disease requires a bold color,” she said.
Taylor and Johnson said you don’t have to do red head to toe unless you want to. It’s all about following some general guidelines. Taylor advises women to consider their personality, their size and what’s hot this season when choosing how to wear red.
His advice: “Extroverted women should feel good in all shades of red. If you’re more conservative fashionwise, go with a jewel tone of red.
-- Smaller women can do red all over. If you have “voluptuous” hips and great ankles, wear some fabulous red shoes.
-- Want to go trendy? Then pick a subdued red shade with “washed-out” bluish tones. Another trendy option is to accent with chunky red jewelry. “Costume jewelry is absolutely immaculate as an accessory,” Taylor said.
The jewelry can be worn at the neckline or on the waistline in place of a belt. Johnson said red as an impact color works for all women.
“I have a great red blazer and a pair of shoes that I love,” she said. “They both add the perfect shot of color and instantly improve my mood.”
So there you have it. You can – and should – wear red. Just take the time to figure out what works best for you.
Happy Wear Red Day!
SUNDRA HOMINIK, senior editor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, may be contacted at (804) 649-6765 or shominik@timesdispatch.com. “In My Shoes” is a forum for women to share advice, insight and inspiration on topics important to them. Readers are invited become a fan of ‘In My Shoes’ on Facebook/shoes.rtd and share their stories. Hominik also welcomes discussion topics by e-mail at shominik@times-dispatch.com.
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