This is a continuation of my first post, How to Wear Pink Part I. Check out that link for my first four tips.

5. Show Some Skin

Your skin, eyes, and hair are what make up your individual colouring that your ‘best colour palette’ is then based on.  This is why you may feel that you cannot wear certain colours near your face but can ‘get away’ with it in a skirt or pants. But say you are in a situation where someone has SELECTED a shade of pink for you to wear which really doesn’t do you any favours?  If you have some say in the style of the dress, pay attention to the neckline of the dress. Your own skin is your best accessory.

Your skin is obviously part of your colour palette and a useful way to keep a ‘bad’ colour away from your face.  Choose necklines like low scoops, V necks, and U necks, or strapless over necklines like jewel, halters, and turtlenecks.

In my example below, with my ‘wrong’ colour on the left, it is a good thing that I chose a neckline which shows flesh.  (A scoop neck would have suited me better and accomplished the same purpose).

In the picture on the right, with my ‘good’ pink, I was able to completely cover my skin with a jewel neckline because the pink is part of my colour palette.

6. ADD ACCESSORIES IN ‘HELPER’ COLOURS

Accessories such as boleros, scarves, hats, headbands, and hair accessories like clips and flowers can be used to put a ‘helper’ colour closer to your face.

Gold or silver can be considered ‘helpers’, too, so use jewellery if it helps.

In the below photo,I am utilising two of the ‘tools’- my own skin by having an exposed décolletage, and a hat in a colour I know suits me.  Dress pattern is a DIY drawstring dress pattern found here and the fabric is a rayon knit from Lush Fabrics.

The above may not be the best example since those pinks ARE in my colour palette, so let’s look again at an example where the colour is NOT a good shade of pink for me.

I sewed up a George and Ginger With Love maxi dress using this very tropical rayon knit from Spotlight.

I knew the shade of pink really did not suit me, so here is what I did:

• I pinned my hair up to minimise some of my own colouring which clashes with the hot pink
• Showing Skin- I stayed away from the closer fitting jewel or crew necklines.  A lower scoop neck would have been even better, but I wanted to try out the With Love pattern, so this relaxed boatneck will have to do!
• Accessories- I added an orange flower to my hair and pearl earrings to highlight the colours in the dress which suit me better.

7. Less Is Best

If you are in doubt about how to wear pink, just keep it very small and simple.  A pink breast cancer ribbon is always the perfect accessory for Breast Cancer Awareness functions.  For other pink-themed events, pink socks are a foolproof way to get involved and are fun to sew. Two great sock sewing patterns I have used before are Jalie 2448 and The Wolf and The Tree Going Rogue socks. Jalie 2448 pictured below.  Fabric is from Cheeky Chops Fabric.

So there you have it- my top tips for how to wear pink.  And I’ll let you in on a secret. Just in case you hadn’t figured it out…

you can apply these same tips for ANY colour which you feel does not suit you!  Hurray!