Is red in fashion?

Seeing red - this season's hot colour

Polish tennis player Iga Świątek made recent headlines as the only one of the

eight finalists at the WTA end-of-season finals dressed in red. It looked as if the world number 2 - and former world number 1 - hadn’t got the memo about the expected dress code. On the contrary, the WTA had almost immediately overturned the all-white expectation, and indeed a number of the doubles finalists were also dressed more colourfully.

Iga’s beautiful red dress by Polish designer Magda Butrym looked stunning amidst the white outfits of the other finalists against the backdrop of the Cancún beach. Although Świątek was alone amongst the group of eight elite women tennis players, she’s certainly not alone in her fashion colour of choice. Red is a hot pick for Autumn/ Winter 2023 and was seen across catwalks, from David Koma’s LRD (little red dress) to Christopher Kane’s shiny red latex (see images below).

Red has a physical, emotional and psychological impact. It's the colour with a longer wavelength than other colours and is the first colour after black/white/grey that babies see. It undoubtedly makes an immediate visual impact, and medical studies have shown that red raises blood pressure and metabolism. So if you want to create impact and energy, wearing red is a great choice. Wear red for example if you want to motivate listeners when public speaking, or if you want to radiate confidence. Male daters beware: although it’s symbolically linked with passion and desire, your blind date may be signally the softer romance and love or simply wearing it to give herself confidence, because it suits her complexion or simply because she wants to. A further warning - like the danger symbols in red - it can be perceived as aggressive so you might be advised to wear it in more minimalistic ways for example at a job interview, sticking to a red accent through your accessories.

For me, it’s a happy coincidence that red is ‘in’ this season as it’s one of my absolute favourite colours to wear. But my advice to you as a stylist is NOT to trend chase but to wear what suits you, what you love and what you want to wear. And the good news is that there is a shade of red for everyone! ‘True’ red, the equal balance between cool and warm, will suit all skin tones. Still unsure if cool burgundy, orangey red or tomato is ‘your’ red? Having a professional colour analysis with a qualified colour analyst can set you up with your best colours for life. I’m excited that I’ll be adding this to my repertoire of paid services in the new year both online and in person.