My mother hated me wearing black.
Now,I choose to wear red.
I chose black to hide from myself and the world.
My path from black to red has not been a simple one. Following a series of life changing events, it has been a slow and gradual process.
I always wore black. My whole wardrobe was black. There was limited colour in my wardrobe; a few whites, a bit of grey and a whole lot of black. There was nothing in my wardrobe that would make me stand out and it was a direct reflection of my life. I had no colour in my wardrobe, because there was no colour in my life. Black was my mood, my feelings and my overall perspective on life. Much of my 30s and 40s were spent this way, but a shift was coming.
The shift from wearing black to red occurred in phases. The first phase followed after the death of my mother. My mother wanted me to wear red. She envisaged me wearing a power suit in the most brightest and powerful shade of red.
After my mother’s passing, I was at the lowest point of my life, but I knew I had to make massive changes in my life. I visualised my life taking a different direction, so therefore I decided to train as a coach in order to support others who had or were facing challenges in their own lives. Whilst undergoing training, self-analysis and reflection, I realised that I wanted and needed to show up differently in the world.
So as a follow up action, I began training as a colour and image consultant with an international and exceptionally well recognised, reputable and respected image consultancy, Colour Me Beautiful.
This is when I discovered the ‘magic’ of introducing colours to my wardrobe and my life. These colours were not just colours, but shades that suited my hair, eyes and complexion. It was incredibly ironic to discover that one such shade was a vibrant red, which suited not only my colouring, but my emerging personality.
The shift in mindset and exposure to an array of colours sparked my desire to wear colours outside my norm. It ignited the fire to present myself in a certain manner. The changes in my wardrobe started small, but now has led me acquiring complete pieces in bright block colours. Now when I open my wardrobe, I see a lot more colour in front of me.
I choose red as my go-to colour, and showing up in red enables me to present myself as I want to be seen – strong, focussed, in control and empowered. I have eventually become the woman that my mother wanted me to be, and now I present myself as how she always saw me.
My transformation has taken time and effort. It has been a slow and gradual process that has included a complete mindset shift and wardrobe change. This journey has been enlightening and liberating, and I encourage others to also undertake the journey of change and transformation. It can lead you to the most beautiful of places you would have never even dreamed of.