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AFRICAN AMERICAN:
MEDIUM TO HIGH CONTRAST
rymg to apply the contrast-muted paradigm to the
African-American complexion req uites .so me ex planatio n.
T he fact char the ave rage African-American face. vvhether
black or light brov\TI, cx.h_ibits little contrnst between its bajr
and ski n tone \\,.ouJd seemingly qual if)' ir as a mttted faciaJ type.
I lowe,·cr. when a dark face. regardless of shade. is smrounded
b) a white shirr. considerable conrrasr results. Therefore. for
che African-Amerjcan man to get the most our of his clothing
combi nations. he shoLJd approach the enterprise as a mediumto
high-contrast com plexion, the degree of which is dictated b)
his indi,·iduaJ fa(e's relative depth of color.
Ralph Lauren didn't put the black modcll)rson Beckford
(cJppositc) in this highest ofhigh -contr:lSt mamlt::s because oF
his bh.1nd countenance. Beck:ford,s extremely da rk skin produces
n·emendous contrast with any clothing colot. Th.crcfo rc. the
brighter and more dramatic the shadt: ofhis clothing, the better
he looks and the more rad i&omt his skin tone .
... tepping down one rung on the contrast ladder. this
nc:-;:t man's medjum-brown faciaJ rones do not produce che
same ·tark effect as Beckford's. Conscquenrl): for rhis mediumcontrast
complexion. choosing clothes with a definite, but not
deafen ing. intensity vvo tt.ld be appropriate. Integrating his striking
blue ercs into his ensemble is certainly a good way to start
Thi.-: third African-American man's skin shade is yet
another gradation down in contrast, mak ing his well-chosen
~· ~
sport jacket and matching T-shi rt ham1011 ize graccFuJJ y with his
coloring. lf one were holding up each of the rhrce model s, skin
tones against :1 white ·hirt. the amount or contrast yielded
wou ld provide a dependable yardstick for determining rhe ideal
amount o r contrast that should be likewise used in the clothes.