How contrast in dressing can influence others

You know clothes are the first thing other people notice about us. It’s no coincidence that when the police are asking us to describe a suspect the first thing they ask is what they were wearing. Colour is key to what we wear and contrast is then the difference you see between any two colors. Now some of you reading this might think to themselves “is this really that important” but what if I told you that mastering this relatively simple technique of the right contrast in the colours you wear could greatly influence your next presentation, meeting, interview, press conference or sales pitch. Colour doesn’t only affect how others view us but the contrast in those colour combinations can also change impressions. Confused? Ok, here’s a quick and simple primer – there is high-contrast, medium-contrast and low-contrast clothing combinations.

High-contrast refers to the difference between the clothes where one article of clothing is considerably lighter and the other is very dark. High contrast dressing (also known as power dressing) is used to create the greatest influence and to come across as powerful and in-charge. Look at Obama’s uniform – dark navy blue suit, white shirt (with red or blue tie) - this says leader of the free world and forms a large percentage of our perception of him, especially when he is giving a speech. When he wears a blue tie he is actually looking for consensus or trust as opposed to the red tie which is a power play. Look at the different audiences he speaks to and notice the difference. So high contrast is good for politicians, CEO’s, if you’re leading a meeting or if you want to come across to your audience as authoritative.

Low-contrast combinations on the other hand are where there is a minor or no colour difference between clothes e.g. brown shirt and brown jacket. This monochromatic dressing is considered the least influential especially in business. Not only does it reduce your influence but can actually make you less noticeable – great if you want to hide during that Monday morning meeting, but not so great if you are on TV reading the news as ideally you should come across as authoritative and powerful.

A medium-contrast combination will be a light and medium or dark and medium change in colour and this combination comes across as most friendly and approachable yet without completely diminishing authority. An example of this is combination is a light grey suit with a white or blue shirt.

Bottom line, you can use this knowledge to gain the advantage in any situation, certainly to command attention and influence your market.


High-contrast - Navy blue suit, white shirt, burgundy red tie - most authoritative


Low-contrast - Monochromatic taupe outfit - least influential


Medium-contrast - Light grey suit - friendly and approachable