I have an embarrassing confession to make. I was a teenage Goth. Yes, it’s true. I was so Goth, I resembled a walking corpse. I’m talking white make-up, heavy eyeliner – the works. Cringe.

I moped around, I read trashy vampire novels and my wardrobe consisted of black, black and more black. Actually, aside from the most crimson of reds and the occasional deep purple hue, my signature style was black. Let’s just say I had the perfect wardrobe…eh for a mortician or a funeral director.

While I may have grown out of my Goth phase, my aversion to bright colours was something that stuck with me. It got to the point where I was a happy, young, twenty-something, yet my wardrobe was completely miserable. It didn’t reflect how I felt and to be honest? It was pretty depressing.

We all know the merits of the colour black – it’s one of the most flattering colours there is. It flattens, smoothes, nips and tucks. It slims us down, it’s classy but it’s also one of the easiest fashion ruts to fall into. You know yourself – if you’re heading for an impromptu night out, what’s the first item of clothing you’re likely to grab from your wardrobe? I imagine it’s the sartorially-sound LBD.

Why should you embrace colours?

It’s a scientific fact that there is a direct relationship between colour and our moods. Colour can have a profound impact on how we feel. Imagine how you’d feel if you were put sitting in a room with bright yellow walls. Chances are your mood would be bright and happy. Now imagine if you were sitting the same room, only this time, the walls were painted black. Not so happy now, right?

Have you ever noticed that people who drape themselves in bright colours are usually positive, upbeat and happy individuals? And likewise, have you ever noticed that people who predominantly wear black are usually pessimistic and unhappy? It’s not a coincidence.

Clothes are supposed to be fun and adding a splash of colour to our wardrobes can instantly make us happier and lift our mood considerably.

Adding colour to your wardrobe

Start slowly: If you’re used to wearing black, then it can be a little bit of a shock to start rocking neon colours. After all, they do require a certain swagg to rock them effectively, do they not?

Therefore, we recommend that you start small. Buy a coloured scarf. Start wearing hot pink socks. Invest in one coloured item and wear it a few times – this will help to ease you in to the world of technicolour clothing.

Choose colours that suit your skin tone: A good rule of thumb is the following: if you’re dark-haired, go for warm colours (oranges, pinks, red). If you’re fair-haired, then go for earthy colours (blues, greens, ambers).

This is just a basic guide, check out the internet if you want to find out more information about colour-matching to your skin tone. There’s buckets of info out there on the topic.

Never say never: If you really, really, REALLY like a colour, no matter how outrageous it is, just go for it. To be honest, you can wear any colour you want, the only thing stopping you is a bit of confidence. So go, buy that neon-green tank top and wear it like there’s no tomorrow!