I pulled this post out of my first month of blogging, because of its illustration of the Gestalt principle of Figure and Ground; that is, how the eye differentiates between a figure and it’s background. It is reflecting on an event from December 1, 2005; but the principle is no different now, eight years on.
Flashback to last Thursday, that is. I just can’t get over how slim and elegant some of the ladies looked at the event I attended. How they did it:
- Each one created an outfit within her natural silhouette.
- The ubiquitous notion that black makes everyone look slimmer really works for dimly lit evening affairs- but NOT for swimsuits!
- Obvious reflective elements, like glued on little mirrors or glitter, caused their outlines to be less distinct.
Something else about this event that was fun: it was ladies only! No flashbacks to the high school dance, when you were all decked out and your date arrived in a sweater.
Your comment about causing the outlines to be less distinct is very original. I followed a link from 12 blueprints to this article explaining a similar concept related to – wait for it – avoiding looking old!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2293798/Secret-women-wear-makeup-Research-reveals-decreasing-contrast-facial-features-key-sign-getting-old.html
Perhaps, then, one key to not looking old is indeed to utilize more boldness and contrast but in a way that emphasizes distinct edges as in a print.
Love your saucy new haircut – but then I have always liked all of your hairstyles.
“In your correct colours, features are most defined in colour and in shape. It really matters.
Defined in colour… Though they have a place, I am not a fan of nude lips on most types of coloring, particularly when hair or eye colors are intense, or the person is over 35 or 40. It doesn’t have nearly as much excitement on Lisa herself. Why pick the more exciting face? Because why pick the more boring face.
Defined in shape…How does feature definition look young? Because the opposite…think of an eroded statue, an eroded landscape. Signifies wear and tear.:”
http://12blueprints.com/a-pca-perspective-on-matching-foundation/
I feel like I could research those ideas and write a ten page paper! 🙂
One thing I noticed yesterday, when just looking around at pictures on the Internet of fsmous beauties who are in my age range, is how they look just as beautiful nearing 50, but a little bit softer. Like Halle Berry. And softer is a good thing.
But softer may not be the thing with me, lighter may be.
The “building blocks” of perception: spots and edges, colors and shapes, movements and textures.
Hmmmm. Much to chew on, 😉
Btw thanks for the compliment on the hair. I also bought two new headbands to play with!
Pingback: The Often-Overlooked Element Which May Be Aging You » The Space Between My Peers