Written by SUMAIYA SHUAIBDEEN of COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE SRI LANKA for THE DESIGN COLLECTIVE
Part of my career is about making people feel beautiful in their skin. Wonder how is it like to be a stylist? It’s a dream, especially with the projects that take my mind beyond the pretty clothes and vibrant mood boards. It’s during one of those days I head out thinking I’m going to dress up my dusky-toned model in a wide array of shades like yellow, pastel blues, light pink. Then, my client turns to me and says that she is too dark to pull it off because yellow or pastel blue might be too contrasting for her complexion, and brown, on the other hand, might make her look too pale. The thing is, I dealt with body insecurities long before I became a stylist, so I tell them what I tell myself. These are the exact words.
THE MANTRA
The beauty industry has somehow forced you to look at features of your body as flaws. Dressing up to hide these features is usually known as “tricks of styling”, but you don’t need to abide by it. Taking a contrary path usually pays off and this situation is no different, so dress up to own your insecurities. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your skin colour or anything that’s part of you, that’s what defines and sets you apart.
The two things that make or break your fashion statement is proportions and oozing confidence. You can be olive-toned and still not pull off an outfit with a lack of confidence and not knowing how to tastefully highlight your proportions. So the skin tone doesn’t really matter almost anywhere. When in doubt, read that again. At times, you might not like how a shade looks against your skin or near you, that’s merely a personal preference and not because your skin colour doesn’t deserve it.
On that inspirational note, here are some celebrities who are not letting skin colour get in the way of their style choices.
Chocolatey-brown
Let’s begin with Joan Smalls, a burgeoning supermodel, here she is spotted wearing a brown sweater that blends with her skin tone, yet she is killing it. And that metallic hot pants balance the casual-ness of the top. You can wear these hazel-hued numbers from SEDA and Aaarya with either a tie-up sandal or colourful cardigan, depending on your mood and to-do list!
Bright-as-ever Orange
No introduction needed for the lady here, Beyonce’s chocolate-coloured skin has nothing with the vibrant drape dress. You can emulate the look with Dimitra’s flowy dress with either a belt or body jewellery worn over the ensemble. Bold colour palettes with orange and violet easily flatter warmer skin tones, and they’re also an instant mood-booster, so don’t shy away!
Showstopper Pastels
The British actress, Jameela Jamil, knows how to turn heads in outfits styled by the phenomenal celebrity stylist, Law Roach. Here she is donning a pastel Monique Lhuillier gown, and the best part is the daring monotonous accessories styling. The SEDA pastel blue slip is an absolute treasure, plus for those who don’t prefer a complete pastel look, the dolly dress by Jodi is a match made in The Design Collective.
Multi-coloured Extravaganza
Naomi Campbell isn’t afraid of anything, including colour-popping clothes that may look ready to drag one out of the comfort zones. Here’s a shot of her donning a Versace number like a golden day goddess. Gai by Gayanth Karunarathne’s top and trouser is here to take you closer to this fantasy.
The Quintessential Black!
What’s too much about wearing clothes that contrast with your skin tone? What’s the fear of pulling off colours that blend with your skin tone? Nothing. Pay attention to styling details like are you balancing a plain Jane shade with a bright one? Mixing and matching aside, you can still pull off anything with confidence and attitude. And for those who say that dark-skinned girls can’t pull off black, here’s a picture of Mika Tennekoon in Dimuthu Sahabandu’s masterpiece. An editorial portrait I styled for Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka.