Want to be a Taylor Swift Showgirl? How to pull off orange, the colour of the moment

SINGAPORE – It is the hue of sunset, a juicy tangerine, the iPhone 17 Pro and, thanks to American megastar Taylor Swift’s small nation of fans, the colour of the moment.

She

dropped her 12th album on Oct 3

in a glittery amber disc in keeping with the official palette of The Life Of A Showgirl.

Explaining the choice of orange on her American football player-fiance Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast in August, the singer said: “It feels like energetically how my life has felt – and this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during (The Eras Tour), which was so exuberant, electric and vibrant.”

Reviews of the album have been mixed, but Swift, pop music’s unstoppable force, sold a record-breaking four million copies in the album’s first week. The accompanying film predictably topped the US box office during its limited three-day run and interest in high-wattage orange is on a crest.

Tricky colour

But when it comes to a colour so tricky, even the profound devotion of Swifties – how Swift fans refer to themselves  – can be tested.

Ms Choi In, a South Korean colour consultant at beauty salon Kolorist in Orchard Road, says 99 per cent of her colour-analysis clients try to avoid the carrot shade. Its strong impression tends to overwhelm an Asian face and, even in pastel form, is more saturated than other colours.

The difficulty is hardcoded. Orange is a blend of the powerful base colours red and yellow, she says through an interpreter.

Warm-toned people – those whose complexion have a subtle yellow or golden undertone – carry it off better than the cool-toned, or bluish and pinkish undertone, group.

In colour-analysis jargon, that means warm spring and autumn season faces suit orange better than cool summer and winter ones.

Colour season analysis is a popular method of determining the best colours for one’s complexion. It is typically carried out by professional consultants, who drape different coloured fabrics on clients and assess which pop better against their skin. They use colour theory, taking reference from the colour wheel, to determine which combinations can most enliven clients.

The South Korean approach further splits skin seasons into three subtypes common among Asians: bright, light and mute. A bright type is more high saturation, light is low and a mute is more ash.

One is never just a blunt spring or summer, says Ms Choi. A spring bright is the top match for orange, but even those with the skin type would find Swift’s vivid amber challenging, she adds.

She recommends orange accents instead – bags, shoes, an orange print or jewellery.

For lucky spring Swifties, a soft coral is best, in line with their “lovely image”, says Ms Choi. The shade goes well with ivory. Spring celebrities include Swift herself, K-pop idol Yoona and American actress Emma Stone.

Those with warm autumn tones can opt for deeper orange like terracotta, which is most pleasing paired with turquoise, its opposite on the colour wheel. Swift matched the two colours on her album cover.

Ms Gwen Tan, founder of colour-analysis studio Style Forth in Purvis Street, says cool summer and winter tones can clash with apricot. “It can make the skin appear sallow or uneven,” she says.

But non-fatal alternatives like salmon, which is a mix of orange and pink, work beautifully. These can be paired with softer colours such as white, baby blue or soft grey for a harmonious look, she adds.

For winter types who can carry intense colours, red-orange or vermilion shades, which are richer and slightly cooler, do well. They pair nicely with black, icy white or cobalt blue for a striking contrast.

Ms Tan adds: “Orange is not the most flattering colour for these profiles, so it’s best worn in smaller portions or on bottoms, away from the face.

“Most importantly, wear it with confidence. When you carry the colour with intention and energy, it becomes part of your personality rather than something you’re trying to ‘pull off’.”

Easier entry point

A beauty look is a more subtle gateway.

Make-up artist Victoria Hwang says eyeshadow is the easiest entry point, though not the most flattering. “Mid-tone girls might have to put a white base on their lids for the eyeshadow to pop because direct application might look a bit dirty. You need more intention,” she adds.

For those with black hair, an orange-brown mascara would be cute with an outfit with orange notes. Those with a lower threshold for daring can do a small orange eyeliner wing or put the colour to the small puffy area of fat under the eyes.

For orange cheeks, a full orange blush is a little daunting, she says. She recommends trying an orange highlighter mixed with a pale blush on the apples of one’s cheeks. From some angles, it will look slightly pink.

For lips, a gradient is most accessible. Conceal the lips first and do a slow gradient by applying a light wash or nude as a base before going in with a deep orange from the inside of the lips and blending outwards, she says. The effect is of a juicy orange, “not so in-your-face”.

The colour’s difficulty is its irrepressibility, paradoxically also its draw.

Top luxury brand Hermes’ bright and citric orange house colour was more historical accident than declaration.  Before World War II, the company’s packaging was cream. Wartime shortage forced a switch and orange was the last paperboard colour the maison could get.

Now orange is inseparable from Hermes. 

And high fashion cannot seem to abandon it. Alexander McQueen dared a pleated papaya gown for Fall 2022. Christopher John Rogers, always big on colour, turned out a dagger collared buttoned dress for its Resort 2022 collection and Prada snuck in knee-high orange socks to its otherwise fully neutral 2007 Fall set.

Swift is just the latest orange propagandist. At least, until her next album.

Shop the colour of autumn, Halloween and now The Life Of A Showgirl

1. Judydoll Dual Flash Watery Lip Gloss ($16.90)

Popular Chinese beauty brand Judydoll makes a hydrating lip gloss with a non-sticky formula for that juicy lip finish. It opened its first Singapore store at Bugis+ on Oct 9 and a second is slated to open on Oct 28.

Available at Judydoll at 02-51/52 Bugis+, 201 Victoria Street, and select Watsons stores; and online at

www.judydoll.com

2. Peripera Syrupy Tok Cheek Blush in Peach ($11.94)

Pale peach is a new milky shade that has joined South Korean make-up brand PeriPera’s popular Syrupy Tok Cheek line.

Available at Watsons stores islandwide and online at

Shopee

.

3. Dior Backstage Eye Palette in Warm Essentials ($87)

French brand Dior Beauty’s eyeshadow palette packs the key warm shades, orange included. Available at

Dior Beauty boutiques

and counters and online, as well as

Sephora Singapore

.

4. JOS Mundo Simoy Top in Papaya ($93)

This sheer orange top from trendy Filipino label JOS Mundo looks just right with a brown skirt. Japanese-American model Kiko Mizuhara is a repeat customer of the “It girl” brand, which makes clothes for the tropics.

Available at

www.jos-mundo.com

5. Hermes Oran Sandal in Orange ($1,100)

The French luxury house’s fan favourite Oran sandal comes in a statement orange too. Available at

www.hermes.com

6. Beyond The Vines Poofy Bag in Orange ($89)

Puffy orange arm candy anyone? The local bag brand does an affordable one.

Available in stores at New Bahru, Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Funan and Raffles City Shopping Centre, and online at

www.beyondthevines.com