Choosing the Right Colors For the New You

By Tsutomu Yamashita, Asahi Weekly

　After hanging up their gray or blue suits and white shirts for good, many retiring salarymen have no idea how to dress for the rest of their lives.

　Sonoko Koie, president of Studio System Four in Shinjuku, has come to the rescue of ex-salarymen everywhere, with her fashion book titled "Colored Anti-Aging."

　Koie's primer, released in the fall, has a subtitle in Japanese, "The best choice of gentlemen's color of clothes to appear 10 years younger than one's real age."

　Her three business cards show us several different types of jobs she has had in the color coordinating field, including color counseling, coordinator, analyst, therapist, coach and lecturer at a junior college on the study of colors.

　Nowadays, the casual fashion boom for men seems to be associated with the words "cool biz" in Japan -- comfortable summer fashions for men, which involves going without a tie or a jacket.

　The air is filled with the fresh aroma of pretzels, hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies and roasting chestnuts. On every block are dozens of shops offering everything from tree ornaments to smoked cheese.

　However, it is often pointed out that men over 50 are now seeking casual styles to express themselves.

　Koie says, "To attain a good sense of color is to change the sole mindset you have had for your entire life, because you do not have to wear ordinary gray or blue suits that are the symbol of the salaryman, nor to suit yourself any more in order to match the company color you have long had to belong to."

脱・顔のないサラリーマン

　Koie also criticizes the rigid suits that once represented the social identity of Japanese companies. The important point lies not in individual fashion style, but in the social commandment that the suit fits Japanese business culture.

　That's because this mind-set might have killed any sense of fashion. So many office workers have lost their interest in their clothes, and in the worst cases, their appearance is based solely on their company's tastes.

　When they were children, these same office workers' clothes were chosen by their mothers; in their school days, school uniforms deprived them of the choice.

　So, it was the first freedom for many salaried workers to have the right to choose their clothes for themselves.

　Still, some clients who asked Koie for advice after retirement often complained, "I really feel at ease when I wear plain suits for business."

　Koie says a strong "anchor effect" on colors and fashion style has pulled down Japanese men. We should pull up on this invisible heavy anchor from the bottom of our minds, she says.

　After giving a one-hour lecture in March, Koie showed me textile samples that would suit me.

　She recommended that I not wear cool colors such as traditional gray, but warm colors such as bright brown, since I am not thin nor have pale skin.

　She recommended that I not wear cool colors such as traditional gray, but warm colors such as bright brown, since I am not thin nor have pale skin.

　"Do you believe your 'inferiority complex' affects your style? Can you turn your inferiority complex feelings into a resource to express yourself better?" Koie asks.

コンプレックスで自己表現

　Koie says, for example, being fat, tiny, or bald-headed are elements that can be emphasized for a positive image. If you are losing your hair, try cutting your hair shorter; if you are stout, try wearing tighter-fitting suits; and so on.

　As for myself, every conventional rule and habit Koie suggested almost matched my own situation when I was in my 30s and at present. It also seemed to be good advice for most men to follow when I checked the fashion sense of male passers-by on the way back to my office after Koie's lecture.

　So, Koie's advice is also expressed by the popular monthly fashion magazine for men, "Leon," which advocates that middle-aged men be a little more daring and "delinquent" in their dress, rather than adhering to conservative styles.

　Some magazines recommend that you should try to be more fashionable to show your age off -- not to hide it. But sometimes we should use black or brown to appear that we are younger. For example, it depends on your sense of contrast of colors and combination of colors.

　What about womens' fashions and colors?

　Koie says, "When women want to change their lives, they dare to change their hairstyles and fashion mode. What is in their minds will tend to come out in the choice of their colors, and may even show a change from their favorite colors."

• has...ex-salarymen　元サラリーマンに救いの手を差し伸べた
• change...life　これまでもっていた唯一の考え方を変える
• commandment　おきて
• anchor effect　係留効果。（行動経済学などで）ある事象の存在が大きいと、他の選択に対して必要以上の影響を及ぼす現象を指す
• inferiority complex　劣等感
• be...dress服装において、少し大胆で「ちょいワル」になる
Asahi Weekly, April 1, 2007より