Red is the colour women associate the most with confidence, a recent poll by Dove has revealed. Scarlet dresses dominated the 2014 Emmy Awards red carpet on Monday, with celebrities such as Claire Danes and Giuliana Rancic opting for red gowns.
Jennifer Lawrence also chose the colour for her dress at the 2014 Oscars ceremony, while Jennifer Lopez stunned in scarlet at the Billboard music awards.
The top five colours linked to confidence also included hot pink, purple, black and blue. While the Dove Colour Confidence poll revealed that 40 per cent of those asked admitted they receive more compliments when wearing colour rather than black or white, 51 per cent of women admitted they still opt for black outfits when it comes to interviews or dates. "Women in the UK are shying away from wearing colour because they often lack the confidence to do so," said colour psychology expert Karen Haller. "But wearing the right colour can often play a role in giving women a confidence injection." Designer Olivia Rubin, who counts Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Fearne Cotton amongst her celebrity fans, was quick to highlight that wearing colourful clothes doesn't have to be a challenge.
"Colour need not just be about the brights," she revealed. "Pastel colours are a great way of injecting some colour confidence into your clothes without going outside your comfort zone." "Colour is so important to me," she added. "I have built my label upon relying on the use of colour and print within all the textiles I design. Whether it be a combination of pastel hues, fluorescent tones or more subtle nudes, there is no reason for UK women to shy away from colour."
The Dove Colour Challenge celebrates Dove Invisible Dry deodorant, a range of deodorants proven to leave no white marks on 100 colours. Head to dove.com/colourconfidence for more information.