Ambrose Wilson collection 2023
I’m so excited to bring to you some of my favourite pieces from this year’s new collection from Ambrose Wilson. I’m delighted they have asked me to collaborate with them again.
In this blog, the focus is mainly on colour and I’ll throw in some style tips too. So without further ado – let’s go!
Sometimes the colours which we love most to wear, aren’t always the best colours that complement our hair, eyes or skin tone. Without seeing women individually it’s difficult to conclude which are their best colours. However, here are some simple pointers that may help. I use the Munsell colour system which means, women (and men) fall into six main dominant categories. These are:
WARM – you have beautiful warm, golden, honey, and red tones to your hair and it’s your most striking feature
COOL – you have striking silver hair or your hair is more ash brown than a warm brown which has flashes of red in the sun
DEEP – you are a brunette and your dark can be dark to mid-brown or black
LIGHT – you are very blonde, you have fair delicate skin and your eyelashes and eyebrows are indistinguishable
SOFT – your look is very blended there’s not a great deal of contrast between the colour of your skin and the colour of your hair
CLEAR – your bright eyes are your most striking feature and sometimes you get compliments for your sparkly eyes. You are a brunette
Tops or jumpers with vertical stripes
Generally, stronger darker colours directly near your face look better if you are deep, clear or cool. Pastels and light colours can wash you out. With this lovely striped T, it would look better if it was navy ground as opposed to white i.e. if the background and stripe colours were in reverse.
If you have a full bust or broader shoulders than your hips, wear horizontal stripes with caution as they draw the eyes across the widest part of your chest, hence making your torso look bigger and wider. Striped tops that are striped evenly are the most flattering.
This top would suit light and soft dominants who are neat hourglass, full hourglass, rectangle, or triangle in body shape.
Layering with colour
There’s still a nip in the air so when you’re layering always near your best colours as close to your face as possible. So if you are a deep, clear, cool or warm dominant keep it dark or medium in depth such as navy, black, charcoal and pewter for layering.
I love this pink top and I’ve layered it with navy and down a french tuck with the jeans. This tuck gives my torso a bit more shape otherwise it can look too boxy and column-like.
Pink is a lovely colour and suits most colourings. Slanted sleeves are better than straight across if you have a full bosom and want to detract from it. This smaller print is flattering for all body shapes.
Light neutrals or pastels
Light neutrals and pastels look wonderful on soft and light dominants. I’m afraid as a brunette, these colours wash me out. However, wearing light and pastels works as trousers and skirts as the lighter colours are not near my face. Light colours also work on your top if you want to balance out fuller hips. Light colours on your lower body work a treat if you are an inverted triangle body shape.
This striped cardigan is beautifully soft and you can always add a belt to give your torso a bit more shape.
The trousers have a comfortable elasticated waist and as I’m 5ft 4″ tall the length was perfect.
Open necklines
This is a lovely knitted printed dress with a neckline that can be opened up by unbuttoning. If you’re not sure which colours suit you near your face, wear an open or lower neckline. That way what will be reflecting up will be your natural skin colour which is the most flattering colour you can wear!
The colours on this dress with suit all six dominants, so go for it!
Bright and bold cardigans
Bright or bold colours in a plain colour can be worn over a plain or printed dress for extra warmth. I’m a big fan of layering under as well as over dresses. These bright colours are perfect for clear, cool, light, deep and warm dominants. If you are a soft dominant, the bright colour may overwhelm your colouring.
Scarves
One accessory you cannot compromise with for colour is a scarf. The reason for this is because it is being worn or tied so close to your face, it MUST be one of your sensational neutrals or colours.
If you have any scarves in the wrong colour, now’s the time to give them away to a good home.
The most useful scarves are those that are plain neutrals or colours. That way they will complement most plain and pattern items you are wearing underneath.
I hope you’ve found it useful seeing these key pieces and understanding a little bit more about colour. If you have any questions, please email me on anita@feronclarkstyle.com
Happy January, stay warm and toasty!