Paint It Red

Red color is the warmest color in the spectrum and one of the colors that catches our eye most immediately. If it’s to believe in psychological research, that’s the exact color that should be our seducing tool. Generally, people associate red with love, anger, passion or violence. In politics symbolizes socialism and revolution, on the streets is the warning sign. In China is associated with courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune, fertility, happiness, passion, and summer. In fashion we are most likely to associate color with Valentino gowns, Marilyn Monroe, Warhol, Halston, Pretty Woman Dior gown, Givenchy on Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, Louboutin soles, tongue on Rolling Stones tee or Chanel lipstick. Interesting is that on one side can be symbol of tackiness and on the other can make an icon out of femme. Can it be that is sometimes tacky because we will spot the faux pas with the cut, fabric or style of a red outfit faster than that of the black outfit?
This year in fashion, red means that this color found its place on runaway and in the shops. If you just search for the Red on runaway look finders, it will pop out more than thousand images and it varies from tones of orange, terracotta, jazzy and Bordeaux.
Some of designers had idea of complete femme fatale till some were just coquettish with the reddish prints. Altuzarra and Nanette Lepore, with red velvet dressed 21st century Vampirella and edgy Maria Antoinette, while Givenchy with a red suit dressed a hot businesswoman. Balmain and Isabel Marant let the red leather pants down the runaway, Ronson was playing with the red a la thrift shop and Jiri Mendel made of it charming pleated dresses. Yigal Azrouël find the perfect balance of bright red, which we cannot state for many designer. Lot of them wished that Valentine’s Day lives whole year, so the coats and small leather goods in red overwhelmed the runaway. Is someone out there trying to squeeze into more and more catwalk reports? Thanks God no one was painting fur in the red. No matter, I loved Oscar de la Renta pea coat with fur-trimmed hemline that reminds on coat Holly Golightly was wearing while trying to purchase a gift for 10$ at Tiffany’s.
So if you are not sure whether you fancy the red this season or how to dose it properly keep it minimalistic. If you won’t shop the red carried away with invasion, good old T-Shirt in red will do enough for ladylike or military combination on jeans. Or your dress can sometimes peep out of your black coat, like on Margaret Howell runaway. But if you'll experiment, you are blessed with supply of reddish goods everywhere you turn.



From left to the right; Samantha Pleet, Laurence Pasquier, TV, Asos fall lookbook, Mark Fast RTW fall 2010