Orange is not a difficult colour, it is a loud one: a colour stylist explains where on the body to wear it

Orange is everywhere in summer - mango, mandarin sorbet, an Aperol Spritz that looks best at sunset. And it is almost nowhere in the wardrobe. That is not an accident, it is a reputation: it is considered a difficult colour and so it stays on the sidelines.

This season houses like Valentino and Ermanno Scervino brought it back in full, and colour stylist Lledó Vicenti says the problem was never the colour. „It is often experienced as a difficult colour because it has great visual force”, she says. In other words - it is not discordant, it is loud. And loud demands a decision.

Her advice is more specific than the usual fashion guidance. If your skin has a cool undertone, do not wear orange close to your face. Put it in trousers, a skirt, a bag, shoes. Or in a print where orange appears alongside tones that suit you - that way the colour is there, but it is not the first thing seen.

If your undertone is warm, there is no restriction. Vicenti says that skin carries orange „even in its boldest form” - including eyeshadow, blusher and lipstick.

What is interesting this season is not the shade itself but the range. Peach, coral, terracotta and fierce orange are turning up equally on everyday pieces, on office wear and at formal occasions. No category of clothing is excluded.

Vicenti's conclusion is short: „There are no limits to its use.” So the question was never whether orange suits you. The question is where on the body you put it - and that is a decision that costs nothing to test in front of a mirror.