I’m wearing a bright yellow sweater today. Yesterday, I chose a green dress with flowers instead of the same dress in black.
I’m doing my part to support this vital cause—because color matters!
Color literally gives us energy. Studies in color psychology show that vibrant hues can boost mood, increase alertness, and even impact how energized we feel.
So yes, this yellow sweater is science-backed joy. 🌼💛
I try to keep my Substack colorful—and to write about color and other underrated sources of energy.
I think many people are not confident about using colour so opt for the safe choice of neutrals instead. With a little help from the “colour savvy” though, they can break out of this rut.
I’m a case in point. When I was young I dressed in black, gray and navy until one day I visited my younger sister’s apartment. She was a painter and her apartment was an explosion of coral, turquoise and green. It was spectacular.
She told me I was too young (32 years old) to dress like a Greek widow from 1940 and she was right, so I ditched the dark clothes, have painted all my apartments since in bright colours, and have never looked back!
I love this story because I’m right around that age, and I’ve noticed the same thing.
Friends who once wore bright colors suddenly wear them less, often because some version of “color analysis” told them they only look good in neutrals.
I actually had my colors read recently as part of a bucket list challenge, and I was told the same thing. I look best in muted greys and browns and blues. #1 Honestly, what nonsense! #2 I'd rather look bad but be in color! I’d rather look imperfect in color than perfectly muted!!!! And I don’t want to dress like my presence has an expiration date.
My apartment is yellow too. Wherever I live, there will always be at least one yellow wall. If you have photos of your sister's apartment, I'd love to see!
Sadly, I have no pictures of her place. Sorry! Wondering what happened though to the good old - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter colour analysis that prescribed colours for everyone, just in the right shades? I appreciate not everyone looks great in brights but that doesn’t mean the alternative is beige and grey. Europeans wear tons of colour and they look great!
So true! When the pandemic hit, I bought 10 of the brightest coloured sweaters I could find online and wore one everyday to communicate joy, confidence and optimism to my team as we worked remotely. No matter what was happening, they never saw me looking down or out and it helped…
You reminded me that during the pandemic, one of my clients was a wig company, so I collected a bunch of fun wigs and wore them on our Zoom calls to bring a little whimsy into the day-to-day.
You might be interested in this article in the NYT fashion section, where the passion (well, it's too dull to be passionate -- more like an unthinking mantra) for neutrals holds sway -- free link:
"Does Wearing Bright Colors Make Me Look Like a Tourist?
In a sea of Parisians dressed in black, wearing color can feel like a neon sign announcing your vacation. Our critic gives advice for blending in abroad — and a few exceptions to the rule."
Love this! Thanks for the link. Really makes you wonder when wearing joy became a faux pas.
I had to laugh at the idea that bright colors instantly mark you as a tourist. I must always look like a tourist everywhere! And why not look like a tourist everywhere! I think it is better to be a tourist than someone who doesn't notice the lovely world around them. To be a tourist is to be curious and present.
Katya, years ago when I was writing for Style Magazine, I wrote this cheeky article on fashion and especially color (the pics and my byline have mysteriously disappeared, the latter of which pisses me off, but c'est la vie):
I was visiting The Netherlands, walking to the train station in my bright turquoise rain jacket. A video crew stopped me and asked if I would mind appearing in their photo shoot as a pop of color. Of course! Who doesn’t love a pop of color?!….well, maybe lots of people…
Interesting contrast to the Impressionists. Monet avoided using black in his art & instead used dark blues & purples. Capturing the interplay of light with the environment was diminished by using black or grey.
I can't comprehend it. It's bad enough to paint the house white with black trim. But the dark slate gray houses look like they belong in a horror movie.
Christmas lights in my childhood were primary and multi-colored. From the trees shining in the front windows, to outside on the neighborhood houses, glowing colors emanated warmth and joy. As I aged, the lights of the holiday season transitioned to pastels, to warm white, and now they are cool white. I am a boomer, and a “retro” holdout with my home’s incandescent multicolor clear lights for the holidays. I string them on the branches of my indoor tree, and outdoors amongst my redwoods. Both of my cars are black, and my house is painted a greyed sage green, but I’m committed to multicolor holiday decorations. I’m a dang freak.
Vulgar? Drab, perhaps (though there is historical precedent for the use of black, and it can come across as bold), but the use of the word "vulgar" makes no sense here whatsoever. Misuse of color can also come off as tacky and cheap.
I agree with the last line. All, I mean ALL new apartment and business construction in my metropolis (Phoenix) are black/white/gray. Every renovated kitchen, the same. My theory? We are in a state of muted depression, perhaps fall-out from COVID. Metaphorically, we are divided; all is black or white. Economically, who has budget for ornamentation? To top it off, Pantone's Color of the Year...BROWN! Ugh.
There was a Simpson episode where they put the kids into gray uniforms to make them more docile and controllable. And it worked, until it rained and the uniform dye became rainbow colored.
In Europe, the grey fashion is 20 years old, predating both COVID and the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession. It’s hideous but appears to be passing. Thankfully!
It is the U.S. too - has been around for the past 20 or so years; I've read a few think pieces about this. The longevity of grey trend in decor is astonished decorators, who previously thought trends shifted every 5 - 10 years.
Native Phoenician here and you are so right! All the new buildings are unimaginative, hideous, stark and cheap (if people only knew how quickly these new builds are thrown together -it’s shocking) It’s like living in a gulag.
I believe this is a cultural projection of the coming dark age. Impossible to stop, impossible to hide from, all encompassing, and fatal. The ultimate black pill, on steroids, across all demographics. Perhaps this was the mood in Rome before the fall.
It's also interesting that colorless places like Greenland, Iceland, and desert regions people often choose bright colors to paint their homes. I suppose to bring some color into their lives.
I am a colorist -an art dealer and color was the impetus which started my journey…yet I find myself now painting walls white…
Or dark dark brown/charcoal. This article makes me rethink the importance of color into my life. My daily comings and goings/experiences. The psychology of it matters.
Yes. Let’s bring color back (and not just the Sherwin William’s trend of the year(s))
Agree. I use the neutrals so I can pop the art color. But. I also am realizing my clothes/cars are often neutral…just this exercise makes me think about every day interactions (food especially!) and the important color element which hasn’t been so front of mind
Another major reason for this is the lack of children in our society.
Consider the shift from classic McDonalds to our modern McDonalds. They've removed the vibrant colors, and many have gotten rid of the playgrounds entirely (like my local McDonalds).
It's no longer profitable to cater to children. We need to inspire a love for the family in our culture again.
Inspire love for family? I disagree. People naturally prefer the intimacy of family. How about when they cannot afford children? That defines our current scenario. This is the result of the loss of the middle class across all of Western democracies. This ends bad. Really bad. I saw this while visiting Europe two plus decades ago. Middle aged women who gave up on the hope of family, or even a spouse. Those people are now retiring. Their native populations? In extreme collapse. Italy, Spain, France, Germany, etc. Their 'so called' leadership encouraged unlimited immigration from poor countries with an excess of people who had little hope. Now they get what they deserve. Unassimilated groups unable or unwilling to adapt. History literally repeats when it does not rhyme.
The demographic collapse, from the 2.2 children per female to the current 0.5-1.2, is a symptom of the collapse of the middle class. Semi-rational people do not have children when their future is bleak. That is not changing soon. In fact, this demographic collapse must run a full cycle before any changes may occur. Imagine Western nations surviving 50% population reductions. This rivals the age of the black plague. Our debt based systems will implode, forcing complete monetary resets. Its more disruptive than war.
Because as Kandinsky said, “Colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another to cause vibration in the soul.”
I see it as an attack and rejection of the divine beauty of our world. The Lord of creation showed all His glory in the beauty of nature that surrounds us. Sumptuous colors and shades everywhere!
Neutrals can also be beautiful. I love the visual poetry found in many of the classic black & white movies. Shades of taupe and greys have always appealed to me. The deliberate stripping away of anything but neutral is however, wrong. It echoes some of the themes of how culture was in the novel 1984. No variance and exultation of beauty allowed. It diminishes our souls. Plato and Kant are wrong.
That’s a thoughtful comment. And big farming is doing the same to nature. Where are the colourful wildflowers, trees and birds? All is brown, grey and (very controlled) green. Nobody can ‘consider the lilies in the fields’ anymore, as there aren’t any left.
Sharp observation. I wonder what is the psychological impact to people of the 'everything is grey' attitude. General depression? And is it on purpose, to control the people? My impression is that everyone is so colorless, so dim, so easy to control.
While I read the article, I was thinking about why I, personally, dislike colour so much. I always prefer toned-down, harmonizing palettes to vibrant, mixed colours. But the article also gave me the answer: To me, it's sensory noise. As a person with ADHD, in a world where anything and everything grabs for my attention, I often find colour as being too much. BUT, this is also the first time I ever considered challenging this belief and maybe trying to embrace vibrancy more.
I have ADHD and I love colour. I also colour-code my life to help with concentration. But there are times when I enjoy a gentle blue or sage green, as a rest. Those are colours too.
As a Southerner I LOVE color! My spring and summer clothes are all colorful. I got a new RED car a year ago, although I had to look hard for one. Our bedroom is blue, our kitchen is green and our sunroom is red. Our house outside is red brick with dark green shutters. Just thinking of Rainbow Row in Charleston makes me happy!
This was gorgeous—one of the rare essays that doesn’t just inform, it reveals. You pulled back the curtain on something I’ve felt for years but never quite articulated: the creeping sterility of a world allergic to vibrancy.
I think we’re witnessing more than an aesthetic shift. This feels like a cultural numbing. A retreat into grayscale not just in cars and logos, but in spirit. In a time of overstimulation and algorithmic everything, muted palettes become the visual equivalent of emotional detachment—safe, apolitical, frictionless.
I’m a woman in her 70’s. I noticed color leaving my clothes, my surrounding, my choices.. in my 20’s. It was happening to many of my women friends, too. Colorful clothes and bright things were not given as much respect as “mens’ colors” and so we often chose darks and neutrals so that the world would have to get to know us before it dismissed us.
Bring back color!!!
I’m wearing a bright yellow sweater today. Yesterday, I chose a green dress with flowers instead of the same dress in black.
I’m doing my part to support this vital cause—because color matters!
Color literally gives us energy. Studies in color psychology show that vibrant hues can boost mood, increase alertness, and even impact how energized we feel.
So yes, this yellow sweater is science-backed joy. 🌼💛
I try to keep my Substack colorful—and to write about color and other underrated sources of energy.
I think many people are not confident about using colour so opt for the safe choice of neutrals instead. With a little help from the “colour savvy” though, they can break out of this rut.
I’m a case in point. When I was young I dressed in black, gray and navy until one day I visited my younger sister’s apartment. She was a painter and her apartment was an explosion of coral, turquoise and green. It was spectacular.
She told me I was too young (32 years old) to dress like a Greek widow from 1940 and she was right, so I ditched the dark clothes, have painted all my apartments since in bright colours, and have never looked back!
I love this story because I’m right around that age, and I’ve noticed the same thing.
Friends who once wore bright colors suddenly wear them less, often because some version of “color analysis” told them they only look good in neutrals.
I actually had my colors read recently as part of a bucket list challenge, and I was told the same thing. I look best in muted greys and browns and blues. #1 Honestly, what nonsense! #2 I'd rather look bad but be in color! I’d rather look imperfect in color than perfectly muted!!!! And I don’t want to dress like my presence has an expiration date.
My apartment is yellow too. Wherever I live, there will always be at least one yellow wall. If you have photos of your sister's apartment, I'd love to see!
Sadly, I have no pictures of her place. Sorry! Wondering what happened though to the good old - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter colour analysis that prescribed colours for everyone, just in the right shades? I appreciate not everyone looks great in brights but that doesn’t mean the alternative is beige and grey. Europeans wear tons of colour and they look great!
So true! When the pandemic hit, I bought 10 of the brightest coloured sweaters I could find online and wore one everyday to communicate joy, confidence and optimism to my team as we worked remotely. No matter what was happening, they never saw me looking down or out and it helped…
Aw, your team was so lucky to have you!
You reminded me that during the pandemic, one of my clients was a wig company, so I collected a bunch of fun wigs and wore them on our Zoom calls to bring a little whimsy into the day-to-day.
I’m coming to work for you in my next job!😊
So true! And I have heard one doctor recommending to wear green for healing! Color does matter.
Katya, I'm with you!
You might be interested in this article in the NYT fashion section, where the passion (well, it's too dull to be passionate -- more like an unthinking mantra) for neutrals holds sway -- free link:
"Does Wearing Bright Colors Make Me Look Like a Tourist?
In a sea of Parisians dressed in black, wearing color can feel like a neon sign announcing your vacation. Our critic gives advice for blending in abroad — and a few exceptions to the rule."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/fashion/tourist-clothes-colors.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-k4.O5fe.SWBQBu9LBM_c&smid=url-share
Love this! Thanks for the link. Really makes you wonder when wearing joy became a faux pas.
I had to laugh at the idea that bright colors instantly mark you as a tourist. I must always look like a tourist everywhere! And why not look like a tourist everywhere! I think it is better to be a tourist than someone who doesn't notice the lovely world around them. To be a tourist is to be curious and present.
Katya, years ago when I was writing for Style Magazine, I wrote this cheeky article on fashion and especially color (the pics and my byline have mysteriously disappeared, the latter of which pisses me off, but c'est la vie):
Fashion 101
By BaltimoreStyle - August 21, 2007
https://www.baltimorestyle.com/fe_fashion101_so07/
Wow, it’s so cool that what you wrote about fashion in 2007 still rings true for me today.
I especially love “Long Skirts Are for Everyone.” As someone who’s 5-foot-2, I own more long skirts than short ones and always want more.
I was visiting The Netherlands, walking to the train station in my bright turquoise rain jacket. A video crew stopped me and asked if I would mind appearing in their photo shoot as a pop of color. Of course! Who doesn’t love a pop of color?!….well, maybe lots of people…
Our bathroom is a ridiculous cardinal red. Because color!
My wife and I were remarking on the vulgar trend of painting your house black or dark grey.
Even the accessories and toys for babies is down to grey and black.
Every day I see a new line of truck and car that are completely blacked out.
Interesting contrast to the Impressionists. Monet avoided using black in his art & instead used dark blues & purples. Capturing the interplay of light with the environment was diminished by using black or grey.
I can't comprehend it. It's bad enough to paint the house white with black trim. But the dark slate gray houses look like they belong in a horror movie.
Christmas lights in my childhood were primary and multi-colored. From the trees shining in the front windows, to outside on the neighborhood houses, glowing colors emanated warmth and joy. As I aged, the lights of the holiday season transitioned to pastels, to warm white, and now they are cool white. I am a boomer, and a “retro” holdout with my home’s incandescent multicolor clear lights for the holidays. I string them on the branches of my indoor tree, and outdoors amongst my redwoods. Both of my cars are black, and my house is painted a greyed sage green, but I’m committed to multicolor holiday decorations. I’m a dang freak.
Very true. Christmas lights decades ago were magical. Christmas lights now look like they belong on a kitchen appliance.
Vulgar? Drab, perhaps (though there is historical precedent for the use of black, and it can come across as bold), but the use of the word "vulgar" makes no sense here whatsoever. Misuse of color can also come off as tacky and cheap.
It’s offensive and lazy. Vulgar.
I agree with the last line. All, I mean ALL new apartment and business construction in my metropolis (Phoenix) are black/white/gray. Every renovated kitchen, the same. My theory? We are in a state of muted depression, perhaps fall-out from COVID. Metaphorically, we are divided; all is black or white. Economically, who has budget for ornamentation? To top it off, Pantone's Color of the Year...BROWN! Ugh.
There was a Simpson episode where they put the kids into gray uniforms to make them more docile and controllable. And it worked, until it rained and the uniform dye became rainbow colored.
Wow. So prescient! And sad.
In Europe, the grey fashion is 20 years old, predating both COVID and the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession. It’s hideous but appears to be passing. Thankfully!
It is the U.S. too - has been around for the past 20 or so years; I've read a few think pieces about this. The longevity of grey trend in decor is astonished decorators, who previously thought trends shifted every 5 - 10 years.
Horrible
Native Phoenician here and you are so right! All the new buildings are unimaginative, hideous, stark and cheap (if people only knew how quickly these new builds are thrown together -it’s shocking) It’s like living in a gulag.
There are still Phoenicians? Or are you just a very, very senior citizen?
Born and raised in Phx. We refer to ourselves as Phoenicians. By your photo, we look to be about the same age, but I’m prettier 😉😊
Oooohhhhh. I see. The land of 100 shades of tan. Thought you meant these folks.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Phoenicia
I believe this is a cultural projection of the coming dark age. Impossible to stop, impossible to hide from, all encompassing, and fatal. The ultimate black pill, on steroids, across all demographics. Perhaps this was the mood in Rome before the fall.
It's also interesting that colorless places like Greenland, Iceland, and desert regions people often choose bright colors to paint their homes. I suppose to bring some color into their lives.
Good point.
Look at Orthodox churches in Russia!
I am a colorist -an art dealer and color was the impetus which started my journey…yet I find myself now painting walls white…
Or dark dark brown/charcoal. This article makes me rethink the importance of color into my life. My daily comings and goings/experiences. The psychology of it matters.
Yes. Let’s bring color back (and not just the Sherwin William’s trend of the year(s))
Agree. I use the neutrals so I can pop the art color. But. I also am realizing my clothes/cars are often neutral…just this exercise makes me think about every day interactions (food especially!) and the important color element which hasn’t been so front of mind
Yes! I’m about to do my dissertation on this exact issue!
Stop stripping colour to appeal to the masses! 🌈
Will we be able to read it?
Absolutely will share it, probably I’m a more accessible format on here as soon as I have permission from the Uni to do so.
Only about to start the research process though so it will be a while before anything is posted. 🧡
Another major reason for this is the lack of children in our society.
Consider the shift from classic McDonalds to our modern McDonalds. They've removed the vibrant colors, and many have gotten rid of the playgrounds entirely (like my local McDonalds).
It's no longer profitable to cater to children. We need to inspire a love for the family in our culture again.
I suspect that in McDonald's case, they also wanted to appeal to more "adults" to increase business.
Inspire love for family? I disagree. People naturally prefer the intimacy of family. How about when they cannot afford children? That defines our current scenario. This is the result of the loss of the middle class across all of Western democracies. This ends bad. Really bad. I saw this while visiting Europe two plus decades ago. Middle aged women who gave up on the hope of family, or even a spouse. Those people are now retiring. Their native populations? In extreme collapse. Italy, Spain, France, Germany, etc. Their 'so called' leadership encouraged unlimited immigration from poor countries with an excess of people who had little hope. Now they get what they deserve. Unassimilated groups unable or unwilling to adapt. History literally repeats when it does not rhyme.
The demographic collapse, from the 2.2 children per female to the current 0.5-1.2, is a symptom of the collapse of the middle class. Semi-rational people do not have children when their future is bleak. That is not changing soon. In fact, this demographic collapse must run a full cycle before any changes may occur. Imagine Western nations surviving 50% population reductions. This rivals the age of the black plague. Our debt based systems will implode, forcing complete monetary resets. Its more disruptive than war.
Because as Kandinsky said, “Colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another to cause vibration in the soul.”
Love this quote
I see it as an attack and rejection of the divine beauty of our world. The Lord of creation showed all His glory in the beauty of nature that surrounds us. Sumptuous colors and shades everywhere!
Neutrals can also be beautiful. I love the visual poetry found in many of the classic black & white movies. Shades of taupe and greys have always appealed to me. The deliberate stripping away of anything but neutral is however, wrong. It echoes some of the themes of how culture was in the novel 1984. No variance and exultation of beauty allowed. It diminishes our souls. Plato and Kant are wrong.
That’s a thoughtful comment. And big farming is doing the same to nature. Where are the colourful wildflowers, trees and birds? All is brown, grey and (very controlled) green. Nobody can ‘consider the lilies in the fields’ anymore, as there aren’t any left.
"But history offers plenty of counterexamples — times where color and form worked together to overwhelm, inspire, and elevate" - thank goodness! ❤️😊🦋
Sharp observation. I wonder what is the psychological impact to people of the 'everything is grey' attitude. General depression? And is it on purpose, to control the people? My impression is that everyone is so colorless, so dim, so easy to control.
Wonderful piece of work, Thank you.
While I read the article, I was thinking about why I, personally, dislike colour so much. I always prefer toned-down, harmonizing palettes to vibrant, mixed colours. But the article also gave me the answer: To me, it's sensory noise. As a person with ADHD, in a world where anything and everything grabs for my attention, I often find colour as being too much. BUT, this is also the first time I ever considered challenging this belief and maybe trying to embrace vibrancy more.
I have ADHD and I love colour. I also colour-code my life to help with concentration. But there are times when I enjoy a gentle blue or sage green, as a rest. Those are colours too.
Maybe you hit the nail on the head. ADHD seems to be everywhere these days so perhaps it’s the designers culture now
As a Southerner I LOVE color! My spring and summer clothes are all colorful. I got a new RED car a year ago, although I had to look hard for one. Our bedroom is blue, our kitchen is green and our sunroom is red. Our house outside is red brick with dark green shutters. Just thinking of Rainbow Row in Charleston makes me happy!
This was gorgeous—one of the rare essays that doesn’t just inform, it reveals. You pulled back the curtain on something I’ve felt for years but never quite articulated: the creeping sterility of a world allergic to vibrancy.
I think we’re witnessing more than an aesthetic shift. This feels like a cultural numbing. A retreat into grayscale not just in cars and logos, but in spirit. In a time of overstimulation and algorithmic everything, muted palettes become the visual equivalent of emotional detachment—safe, apolitical, frictionless.
I’m a woman in her 70’s. I noticed color leaving my clothes, my surrounding, my choices.. in my 20’s. It was happening to many of my women friends, too. Colorful clothes and bright things were not given as much respect as “mens’ colors” and so we often chose darks and neutrals so that the world would have to get to know us before it dismissed us.