The Yellow Edit
Hello Friends,
After going live with the green edit last week, I sat down to think of something to journal for this week. I had so many ideas but one that I just kept going back to; Staying Bright through this Pandemic! With that being said, I bring you “The Yellow Edit; A way to stay happy and bright through Troubles.” We all go through difficult times, I have personally gone through a few that have shaped me to be who I am today. I know this pandemic will do the same when I look back in a few years. I have met a lot of people who go through hardship and doing it while looking beautiful and fierce. They look into the eyes of troubles and say “Come at me, I am positive, happy, and ready!” The color yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honor, loyalty, and joy. This is why it is one of my favorites (along with green!). Just like green, there are so many different shades, a shade for everyone. Yes, people may say “Mellow Yellow”, but there is nothing mellow about wearing it now a days.
However, I am well aware that contrary to its contemporary associations with sunshine and summer, the color yellow has a far darker history. Yellow’s origins were lofty enough: Chinese emperors used the saffron plant to dye their robes and, later, the color was reserved for the daughters of European royal families as the dye only took to the finest of silks (peasants who tried to dye their cotton garments yellow only succeeded in turning them gray). Yet all that glitters is not gold and the hue’s reputation was sullied over time as the yellow robes said to be worn by Venus, the goddess of love, mutated into a discriminatory marker for maligned sex workers. Great artists of the medieval and Renaissance periods used yellow to portray sinister moments like betrayal – Judas often appeared shrouded in the color – terror, sickness, and the apocalypse, and, in its darkest days, yellow became a way to single out and ostracize Jewish people in Germany during WWII.
In the natural world, too, colors which sit beside yellow on the spectrum mix with it to create putrid shades that bring to mind acid, pus, poison, and toxic foods and flowers, causing revulsion and fear. Shakaila Forbes-Bell, fashion psychologist and founder of Fashion is Psychology, notes that it’s the color most associated with urgency and alertness. "Having a greater effect on attention compared to cooler colors like blue and grey, yellow has been proven to induce feelings of high arousal which activates the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) in the brain, leading to increased heart rate, blood pressure, mobility and readiness to respond," she explains. Think of the use of yellow in everything from road signs and horror films (Kill Bill, we’re looking at you) to graphic designer Harvey Ball's 1963 smiley face, later adopted as the symbol of rave culture. What gets hearts beating faster than ecstasy and two-stepping?(1)
For these reasons and more, we’ve long been told that yellow isn’t a flattering color to wear. So how did that all change? One word: Beyoncé for many but for me: How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days! I mean who doesn’t remember that movie poster with Kate Hudson rocking a beautiful satin yellow dress?
Let’s dig into the color, ways to wear, and more.
XX,
Heidi Coletto
Photography by Frankie Coletto | July 2020
“In the world of safe hues, like black, red and white, yellow shouts: ‘Look at me. I’m happy!”
Fashion trends: 12 photos that prove yellow is the color of spring
Whether it's vanilla, anchored in the pastel trend or in brighter hues, here are 12 looks to dare this chromatic trend.
Read the full Vogue article HERE
10 ways to bring yellow into your winter wardrobe this year
A key catwalk trend for the upcoming season, here's how to brighten up your look!
Read the full Harpers Bazaar article HERE
Color Mixing
Let’s have some fun and mix the color yellow with some others from the color wheel.
If you haven’t already read up on the color wheel, head over to my last journal; The Green Edit .
Mixing Pool:
Yellow and Pink
Yellow and Green
Yellow with other variations of yellow
Yellow and White
Yellow and Black
Yellow and Grey
Yellow and Purple
Yellow and Navy Blue
Image by IMDB
Movies to Watch:
(Yes, Yellow outfits included!)How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Beauty and the Beast
Clueless
La La Land
Outlander
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Shade for Fall/Winter to look out for:
Marigold
Designer: Christopher John Rogers
How to transition yellow summer pieces into Autumn:
Maxi Dresses - Wear with a cardigan or a blazer. Anything over it with long sleeves will transition all maxi dresses. So, do not get rid of them!
Mix your yellow pieces with deeper colors!
Add boots
Layer up!
