領帶顏色暴露了你什麼？

When Joshua Blue, a vice principal at the Kennedy School in Hong Kong, hosts an assembly for his students, he wears a light violet-coloured pastel tie to give him an edge.

The bluish-purple tie is “colourful yet muted”, he said, which Blue believes keeps students from being as bored when listening. On the other hand, he avoids brighter purples and pinks when standing up in front of students.

“You don’t want so many bright colours that the kids will get distracted,” said Blue, 35.

It might sound a bit like hocus pocus, but experts say that no matter the audience — clients, staff or even children — picking the right tie colour can help get your message across.

“Colours give off very specific signals,” said David Zyla, New York-based author of Color Your Style. “The same suit can be transformed with different tie colours, each with a very different impact and message.”

Wondering what colour tie to wear to your next meeting? Here’s how to choose the perfect tie colour for every occasion:

All powerful reds

It’s not a coincidence that many politicians wear red-coloured ties with light shirts and darker suits.

“Red is the power tie,” said Mark Woodman, a trend analyst who studies colour in Laurel, Maryland, in the US. “There’s something about red that always comes back to strength and passion.”

But the tone of your reds matters, too. Darker reds, such as a burgundy, can help build trust, while lighter red and pink ties can be more of a statement about your personal style and be associated with creativity. In the last decade, a pink tie can sometimes signal “solidarity with women,” added Woodman.

When you are taking the lead on a project or want to convey a sense of ambition, consider a bold shiny red. A matte or printed red tie can be a more subtle way to convey power.

Royal purples

Ross Znavor, an executive in financial services in New York, wears purple ties rather than red to business meetings because the colour shows a bit of self-confidence and helps him create lasting first impressions.

Wearing a tie in a hue that’s less traditional shows clients, he is “comfortable in my own skin and someone with whom you want to build a relationship”, he said.

Lindsay said purple, traditionally a sign of royalty and wealth, is becoming more acceptable in the workplace.

“Men are wearing shades of lighter purple shirts and darker purple ties,” she said. Wear one of these shades if you want to stand out from the crowd with a slightly bolder look that’s not distracting.

Black affair

While you might not wear them to executive meetings on a regular basis, wearing black ties to a cocktail party or even an upscale dinner gives off a sophisticated vibe, said Zyla.

But beware: the formal black colour can feel arrogant or overdressed in many situations. “Avoid it if being one of the ‘boys’ at work is necessary as you climb up the ladder,” Zyla said.

It’s often smarter to stick to grey shades, added Woodman. A grey tie can help give you a more sophisticated look without seeming pretentious, said Woodman.

“Grey is kind of edgy and it can look very modern,” he said. To pull it off, pair it with a lighter, pastel-coluored shirt. Look for lighter grey shades and shiny finish for a more polished look.

Shades of the garden

Green can signal several things, from rebirth to the colour of money in some countries. But, surprisingly, it can be too loud for the workplace.

“Do you want to be remembered for the tie or who you are as an individual?,” Woodman asked. Choosing the right green can be tough. A bright green is often too distracting, and it can also be difficult to find matching suits or shirts, he added. Still, a light green tie with a subtle print can pair well with a neutral-coloured shirt.

Yellow is a traditional tie colour in countries, including England, which can signal assuredness, along with radiance and vitality, he said.

Yellow ties can make you more approachable to colleagues because it’s a vibrant colour that’s symbolic of the sun. For many, wearing a yellow tie, “can show optimism and a positive outlook on life,” added Eve Roth Lindsay, an image consultant in Hong Kong.

Be careful of committing cultural faux pas when it comes to colour. For example, a yellow tie in India can signal that someone is a merchant, said Zyla. Wearing a white tie in China signals a period of mourning.

Fifty shades of... blue

Afraid of sending the wrong message with your tie colour? Consider blue as the all-purpose tie hue.

Blue ties are a good investment because the colour reminds people of the sky and ocean, which has a calming effect, said Lindsay.

“Blue is the safest colour to wear,” she said.

Patterned blue ties tend to give off a classic professional feel and can be worn in a global business environment without sending the wrong message. A subtle blue can be “soft and introspective” while a cobalt or royal blue can help you stand out just the right amount, she said. “Dark blues are often reminiscent of well-respected pilot uniforms. Navy blue is a trusted colour and gives us confidence,” Lindsay said.

Be one with nature

“A more relaxed wardrobe of friendlier colours such as tan, brown, earthy colours, salmon and yellow works for people dealing with other people such as sales, teachers and the service industry,” said Lindsay.

Make sure the brown tie does not look too plain, because it can signal a dull personality. A beige tie can sometimes come across as too relaxed, she said. Avoid pairing earth tone hues with similarly coloured shirts. And if you are eager for a promotion and want to stand out in the workplace, skip these colours altogether.堅尼地小學（Kennedy School）的副校長約書亞·布盧（Joshua Blue）在給學生講話時，一條粉紫色領帶給他增色不少。

布盧說，紫中帶藍的領帶“多彩而柔和”。他覺得這能讓學生聽他說話時，不至於想打瞌睡。另外，在學生面前發言，他不會選擇亮紫色和粉色領帶。

“不要用太多的亮色，這會讓孩子們分心，”35歲的布盧說。

這聽起來可能有點荒唐，但專家說，不管是觀衆——顧客，員工甚至是孩子——挑對了領帶顏色能幫你傳信達意。

寫了《用顏色秀出你的風格》（Color Your Style）的紐約作家大衛·茲拉（David Zyla）說：“顏色會傳遞特定的訊息”。他還表示：“不同的領帶顏色讓每一件西裝看上去都與衆不同，每一種顏色都會產生不同的影響，傳遞不同的訊息。”

在想下一次開會要系什麼顏色的領帶？下面的小貼士能幫你選出匹配每個場合的最佳領帶。

萬能的紅色

很多政治家都熱衷系紅色領帶，穿淺色襯衫和深色西裝，這並不是巧合。

“紅色領帶象徵權力，”美國馬里蘭州勞雷爾市（Laurel）研究色彩的潮流分析師馬克·伍德曼（Mark Woodman）說，“談及紅色，總繞不開力量和激情。”

但紅色的色調也很重要。深紅色，比如酒紅，能幫你樹立威信，而淺紅和粉紅色領帶則更多彰顯的是你的個人風格，與創造力掛鉤。近十年，粉色領帶有時也表示“團結女性”，伍德曼補充道。

如果你在帶一個項目，或想彰顯你的雄心，可以考慮一下大膽的鮮紅色。麻面或印花紅領帶能低調地展現權力。

貴族紫

在紐約一家金融公司工作的高管羅斯·基納爾（Ross Znavor）參加商務會議時，系紫色而不是紅色的領帶，因爲他覺得紫色能顯示自信，幫他留下持久的第一印象。

見客戶時，系一條不那麼常見顏色的領帶，說明這個人“大方自信，也讓你想和他建立聯繫”，他說。

琳賽（Linsay）說，傳統意義上，紫色是貴族和財富的象徵，現如今越來越爲辦公室所接受。

“眼下男士開始穿淺紫襯衫，系深紫領帶，”她說。如果你想脫穎而出，用一點大膽色調搭配這些領帶也無妨。

高貴冷豔的黑色

茲拉說，你可能平時不會系黑領帶去參加高管會議，但它絕對是雞尾酒會和高級晚宴的好伴侶，繫上它，一種高大上的感覺油然而生。

但注意了：在很多場合，黑色會給人一種傲慢囂張或過度裝扮的感覺。茲拉說：“如果你還只是辦公室‘小弟’，那你在往上爬的過程中要小心避免這一點。”

伍德曼補充說，灰色是更爲明智的選擇。灰色領帶能讓你看上去老練卻不做作。

他說：“灰色看上去略顯精明又不失時尚感，”要想穿出範兒，一件淡色襯衫絕對少不了。如果想要看上去更加光彩熠熠，除了一條淺灰色領帶，亮色處理必不可少。

花園色

綠色會傳遞一些訊息，從再生到一些國家的鈔票顏色。但，小心了，綠色在辦公室可是很扎眼的。

伍德曼問道：“你是想因爲領帶而被人記住，還是想因爲自己本身而被人記住？”他還表示，選個合適的綠色還真不容易。亮綠色通常太扎眼，想找個西服或者襯衫搭配也困難。但是，一條淺印花的淡綠領帶和一件素色襯衫堪稱是完美組合。

他說，在很多國家，包括在英國，黃色是傳統的領帶色。它給人一種自信、活力的躍動感。

黃色會讓你在同事中更具親和力，因爲它代表了活力，是太陽的象徵。對很多人來說，系黃色領帶“顯示了對積極向上的生活觀”，香港的形象顧問伊芙·羅斯琳賽（Eve Roth Lindsay）補充道。

茲拉說，在顏色選擇上，要注意避免文化失誤。比如，在印度，黃色領帶可以說明這個人是個商人。在中國，白領帶是悼念的時候系的。

一半的……藍色

擔心領帶顏色讓人誤解？考慮一下最保險的藍色吧。

琳賽說，藍色領帶值得購買，因爲它讓人想到藍天大海，有心平氣和之效。

“藍色是最保險的顏色，”她說。

她說，印花藍領帶釋放一種經典又不失專業的感覺，繫上它出席國際商業會晤，也無須擔心傳遞錯誤訊息。淺藍會給人一種“柔和內斂”之感，而鈷藍色和寶藍色在助你成爲焦點的同時，又不會給人過分張揚的錯覺。琳賽表示：“深藍常與讓人肅然起敬的飛行員制服掛鉤。藏青色可以放心使用，它能給人自信。”

自然色

琳賽說：“那些和銷售、老師、服務業人員打交道的人，可以選擇一些更爲輕鬆的色調，比如棕褐色。棕色、大地色、橙紅色和黃色。”

她說，確保你的棕色領帶看上去不會太普通，不然這會讓人覺得你很無趣。米黃色領帶有時會讓人覺得過於隨意。繫了大地色領帶就不要再穿顏色一樣的襯衫了，如果你很想升職，想在辦公室脫穎而出，那碰都別碰這些顏色了。