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Camel, tan, brown, khaki - no matter what you call it, this color shouldn't be worn by anyone with greying hair. First of all, the two colors are jarring when seen together.

Secondly, this color very often makes the skin look yellow as well as very washed out. Check it out in the mirror. Put on your camel garment and then drape yourself with a navy blue blazer, for example. When you remove the navy blue garment, you'll see what I mean!

Even men with darker skins need to avoid this "irresistible" color. Let's face, it - it says country weekend, so who wouldn't want that?  Unfortunately, it usually makes your skin look yellow, too.  Doctors agree with Sandy Dumont that yellow skin is a sign of hepatitis, jaundice or old age.

Just like a white leather handbag, skin yellows with age.  Doctors feel concern when they see yellow skin. Designers and makeup artists think yellow skin is normal – even good. We are so accustomed to seeing yellow reflected on faces from our clothing, that we also think it is normal. It isn’t!

You may get compliments for your jacket when you wear a camel sport coat, but YOU don’t get the compliment.  Begin to take note of the times when people tell you that you look good – and the occasions when people tell you they love your suit, jacket, etc.

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A recent survey taken by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) revealed that 56% of the respondents said that they wore black to work most of the time. Eight per cent wore gray, brown or another neutral. Only 1.61% said they wore something bright most of the time.

The four women in the top center  photo above are dressed nearly identically:  black suit, white shirt, and black heels. There is nothing to differentiate one from the other. They could all be members of the secretarial pool or administrative assistants. None of them appear to be executives.

If black is your "uniform" for the office, you need to know a few things so you won't look like a nondescript  robot.

First, wear lipstick when you wear black. Black is the darkest color of all, so it will wear you unless you have even the tiniest amount of "bright" color nearby. It's like lighting one candle in a dark room and, voila, the darkness is gone. When you wear black, the severity is gone. Compare the two women with lipstick in the top photo to the two women in the bottom photo who wear no lipstick. In the bottom photo, the woman in the center stands out. She looks polished, professional and highly credible.  The two women who flank her look washed out and ordinary.

Of course, hair is also a factor when it comes to conveying an image of authority or credibility. If you have long hair, make sure it doesn't hang limply; otherwise, pull it back at the nape of the neck - not in a ponytail.

Second, if you want to augment your power, add a pair of bold earrings, or a bold necklace or brooch.

If black is your office uniform, make certain you look like a general, not a PFC.

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Apparently, fashion Guru Tim Gunn hasn't updated himself about color. A lot of famous designers are in the same boat, so it's no surprise.

The first rule of color is that you never match your clothing to your superficial appearance, or you'll blend into your garments and look washed out. So, if you have grey or silver hair, never wear grey garments. You'll look   - well, grey. Compare the two photos of Tim Gunn; you’ll see that he looks pretty pasty on the left. This look suggests anemic rather than terrific. He's much better in the photo on the right.

However, I would suggest glasses with thin black frames to really show off his silver hair; plus, they would look far more sophisticated. His current glasses look a bit clinical.

If your hair is grey rather than silver, wearing grey is even worse. You'll run the risk of looking old and grey, sad and grey, tired and grey. You could say that grey is born negative, because it inspires expressions such as a “grey area” or a “grey lie” -  neither of which is positive.

If you checked out the red carpet during the Oscars, you saw many actresses matching their superficial appearance, as Tim Gunn did -  wearing garments that matched their hair/eye/skin - as was suggested in early books on color. That information has been superseded through extensive research and experience. Check out my blog tomorrow to see what I mean.

Here’s what you (and Tim) need to know.

Think CONTRAST. If you have silver or grey, wear a navy blue or black suit, and then you’ll be judged worldly, sophisticated and elegant. Don’t wear a brown, tan, camel or beige suit or jacket ever, because it will make the hair look drab. It just doesn’t go with silver hair, because brown is country weekend, while silver hair needs a distinguished, elegant color  to bring out its sophistication. For example, black tuxedos and silver hair are just made for each other!

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Looking for a job? Hoping to get promoted?  Want to get noticed by that special someone?  It won’t happen if your style is "basic" and you look like everyone else. Don't buy into outdated information that tells you to wear a conservative suit and accessories.

In today’s economy, we want a self starter; someone who is pro active; a mover and shaker who is worth her weight in gold.

The woman on the left wears the ubiquitous blazer-style suit. It is very ordinary in terms of both style and color. Pastels do not convey power; they make you look wimpy and passive. A single strand of pearls make you look even more demure. Save them for Sunday School.

When choosing a suit, look for a style that is distinctive and in a style that flatters a woman’s hourglass figure. Dark colors convey authority, and you have many more options than a man has. Black, charcoal and navy are “their” colors, but you can branch out into deep shades of royal purple and royal blue. True red and cherry red, fuchsia, magenta and dark emerald green or racing green are also good color choices.

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The man on the left is older, giving him a slight edge, because of implied experience. However, he wears an invisible tie, taking away any edge he may have had. A man’s tie is his power tool, and it’s also what distinguishes him from other men in suits and ties. The white shirt and “matching” tie look blah and make him appear indistinguishable.

In reality, neither man looks powerful. The younger man wears a pastel pink tie, and while it’s not invisible, it doesn’t suggest power or authority. He has a “fashion” look as opposed to a “boardroom” look. He could be a museum curator or work in an art gallery. It’s a refined and pleasant look, but it suggests an artistic streak rather than a power look. The darker the color, the higher the authority, so the pale grey suit needs a power tie to convey any authority.

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There are a lot of things wrong with this picture, but here's the most serious error of all, and it has to do with focal point. The face must always remain the focal point, and something is wrong if we're compelled to look down at your feet.

The woman on the left wears boots that look so dated and clumsy that they catch the eye. The woman on the right wears bright yellow shoes that don't seem to belong to the rest of her outfit, so they also catch the eye and will command attention intermittently. Not a good idea if you're engaged in serious communication or negotiations.

What else is wrong?

Look at the woman on the left and you’ll see that she wears no makeup, no accessories and has stringy, unprofessional hair. Her skirt is too long, so it makes her look dowdy, and her blouse is uninteresting and powerless. Additionally, boots often look cumbersome when worn with a skirted  business suit. Check your mirror to see whether or not your boots become the focal point or if your face does.

The woman on the right looks professional and dynamic, even though the outfit she’s wearing is literally “a dime a dozen.”  When that’s the case always set yourself apart from others by having great accessories – a brooch, bold earrings or a bold Omega necklace, for example. This woman’s hair looks very professional, and the woman on the left could take a cue from her and pull her hair back when she’s having a bad hair day or a bad cut. Black classic pumps would be better than the yellow ones.

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This man has a lot going for him. He is handsome as well as slim and toned, so he looks great in his dark navy blue suit and slim-fit shirt in French Blue. However, there are a few things that need tweaking.

First of all, the belt buckle is too large and sporty looking. A classic belt that is worn with a business suit (see photo above) should be more discrete than the one our executive wears, and it catches the eye because it’s so shiny and large. On the positive side, his tie falls at just the right distance. However, he’s committed a classic faux pas with his tie.

Our executive’s tie would be more effective if it had a pattern, because a gentleman never wears a solid color tie when his suit and shirt are also in solids. It comes across as unimaginative and smacks of a uniform of some kind rather than the look of an executive. Of course, he could wear a blue and white striped shirt and solve the “blandness” problem.

The best solution, however, is a tie in a contrasting color; yellow with blue stripes or small repeating patterns. Another good choice would be a tie in the red family, including, magenta, burgundy, plum or raspberry (see raspberry tie in photo above).

Lastly, in terms of body language, this “gunslinger” pose can be construed as confrontational; but it can also have an element of suggestiveness. It depends upon whether you are a man or a woman who is encountering this man.

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Kate Middleton, the enchanting wife of Prince William, has a very good eye for style, and she knows what suits her. Nevertheless, every now and then she picks something that doesn’t flatter her perfect hourglass figure. Most often, Kate shows off her tiny waist. However, the suit on the right makes her figure appear so straight that she looks almost boyish.

Kate is known to prefer garments with V-necklines, perhaps because they accentuate her slim waistline. However, the rounded cowl collar of the two-piece suit looks matronly. The “sloping” hemline of the skirt also misses the mark, because it creates a rounded arc, which makes the young Duchess appear bow legged.

Cowl collars are difficult for women of most ages. If you’re past forty, you definitely want to avoid them, because of their inherent matronly look. Wearing a cowl collar if you’re under thirty may result in looking as if you’ve borrowed your mother’s jacket. If you’ve got jackets with cowl collars, have your seamstress remove the collar and turn your jacket into a collarless V-neck design.

If your legs are as slim and shapely as Kate Middleton’s, stick to pencil skirts so you can show them off. Fuller skirts slim the legs, and they’re a good choice for women who want their legs to look slimmer.

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-------- Oxford Blue --------------- Original French Blue --------- Current French Blue -------

Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppé was the first person to have worn a business dress shirt (center shirt) in a shade of blue several times darker than the classic Oxford blue. It was about 1995, and my Belgian husband Stefaan and I were living in Brussels at the time. I noticed how attractive the shirt looked, and also how flattering it was to Juppé’s skin, so I went to nearby shops to purchase one for my husband. The only blue shirt available was Oxford blue, so on our next tip to Paris we found one. Christian Dior had the only one available and Stefaan guarded that shirt ferociously until it finally wore out. That’s it in the middle, and the reason you see only the back side of this shirt is because over the years the front has faded slightly.

Within a year or two, the popularity of the color had grown and it became known as French blue. It was available in Brussels, not just Paris, so Stefaan bought more of these lovely French blue shirts. On the left you’ll see a classic Oxford blue shirt, which is quite pale. In the middle is my husband’s slightly-worn original French blue shirt, which I showed to male clients so they would know what color to look for when shopping for a French blue shirt of their own.

To the right is today’s classic French blue shirt from Brooks Brothers. The one thing you’ll notice about a French blue shirt is the very subtle purple undertone when compared with other blue dress shirts. Royal purple got its name for good reason: it’s a regal color, and it gives French blue shirts a very classy look.

Over the years, the French blue color got darker and darker, until today what is called French blue bears no resemblance to that original shirt from Dior. In fact, most men wear a version of dark blue that is too dark to look businesslike. Please note, that the shirt on the right is the very darkest French blue a man should wear with a tie and business suit. That’s because darker shades look gangsterish. They also make classic red or yellow ties look very bright and garish, because their color is intensified when placed next to the dark blue. Unless you want to be known as the man who wears garish colors, use darker shirts only as sport shirts.

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"Perfect Makeup" vs. "Perfect Skin" - Vive la Difference!

Dear Secretary Clinton,

Your makeup changes from natural-looking cool colors to artificial and cakey-looking warm colors (photo on left).  If you look closely, you'll see that those yellow-toned warm foundations do a pretty poor job of making you look better. When you're in the wrong foundation and blusher colors, any little furrows or lines will be exaggerated. Makeup is not about "heavy coverage" - it's about making the skin color uniform. When that happens, you're judged to be younger (in university studies), because any "lumps and bumps" are smoothed away.

You'll also notice that you look prettier and more natural in the photo on the right. Your skin also looks more luminescent and youthful in cool foundations with subtle pink tones. Don't sell yourself short. Get rid of all those yellow foundations and blushers.