It communicates an instant message and yet tells a compelling truth.  We choose colors by our emotions and when you walk into that roomful of viewers you are saying something about yourself.  Color has an emotional appeal, noted by expressions or phrases like green with envy, red-hot lover, moody blue, mellow yellow.

I feel color when I wear it.

Fall winter is my moody period and I project myself in mostly blacks and whites with teases of intense hues for what I like to call a laid back sophisticated style.  While in spring I like to adopt a refreshing hue of lightness reminiscing of the blue sea, sand and crystal day sky, perennial yellows and oranges, orchid purples with silver accents, luscious blue-green, hummingbird iridescence.  Indulge me in silky sheers and feathery light drapy linens with the luxury of movement that projects an illusion of a summer ocean breeze.

It all makes sense, with the staggering heat and sluggish humidity of summer or the deep chill of winter, you must feel a connected part in the midst of the elements of nature.  My solution is to borrow from nature the colors in their natural surroundings.  Wildflowers, mosses, the projected turquoise of the sea, the apple blossom with an array of citrus colors all lend a brilliant palette.

The lesson from nature is to trust the spectrum of color it offers.

When choosing your style colors be playful. I like to layer the same color in different hues and texture, showing dimensions of the color and creating a rich image.

If brilliant colors suit your palette and your style imagines a range that transforms your spirit to be more fun, alive and brighter, use nature to discover the stunning choices you can connect with intimately.

Patterns dazzle the color spectrum with movement and fantasy.

Often projecting a diverse style, they allow for a lively palette of personal choice.  Spring summer lends a delightful opportunity to expand the color vocabulary while bringing a theatrical highlight to your taste.

Look around and discover the multiple color choices in bloom or on a rocky cliff or while walking a desert path, look closely.

Design is about transforming your shape; color simply identifies your soul.

By Gabrielle Ruvolo