The Theory Behind Color and why the Wealthy Prefer Neutrals

Beige, cream, ivory, grey, more grey, and grey again, also beige again. Going shopping is a nightmare, not only can people not afford new clothing, décor, or furniture, but the options are somehow becoming more limited when we do go shopping. Grey top, black pants, white couch, beige pillows. A white couch costs more than a purple one. Black pants are more than floral ones. Grey tops are more than rainbow blouses. And beige pillows are more than pink ones. This is luxury. The idea of less is more when it comes to color is being heavily used among the wealthy in all aspects of design.

To understand how this happened I need to present a little history of textile dyes. Though not in depth, this can provide some context to where we are. Natural dyes, derived from wood, flowers, insects, or weeds were introduced to textiles. Some of the first in recorded history being Indigo (a flower), Madder (a root), and Tyrian Purple (crushed sea snails). With these dyes taking a significant amount of time to produce, the textile having to be made, then dyed possibly far away from the person who commissioned this dyed good, this was a very expensive process for a long time.

People wore less garments than we wear now, 1970’s to present day. For a common person from the Middle Ages up until the early 1900’s, a woman would only own one or two dresses that she would alter and mend throughout the years. With that number slightly increasing until the 1970’s.

Martha Jefferson (1743-1826), Thomas Jefferson’s wife, journal indicated she only owned 16 gowns with 2 to be made up, 9 petticoats, 18 aprons, and 20 shifts(undergarment). While this is a stark difference to someone who owned only one or two dresses, the Jefferson family is known to have kept over 600 enslaved people throughout Thomas Jefferson’s life. Thomas Jefferson lived a high life of luxury with immoral free labor on stolen land and a very high position in power in the United States government. His net worth in today’s standards is about 250 million US dollars and even died in debt because of his lavish spending habits. I mention this because all evidence points to that him and his wife were donning the most expensive garments, even though she owned less dresses than Melania Trump owns Birkin Bags. This means some of the wealthiest people alive in the United States during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, the lady of the house only owned 16 dresses.

One of the most influential women in fashion Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), used color to express her status and wealth. She was known for her lavish gowns and being the peak of the Rococo era of fashion. It was said she would commission 300 dresses a year. And while she didn’t keep enslaved people her attire often had parts made abroad by enslaved people. The dyes used in her dresses created the color palette of the Rococo period. The blues, pinks, yellows, and greens showcased her wealth, along with the ornate colorful palace she lived in and the number of items and clothing she had in her possession.

Common people were not wearing pastels or vibrants. They were wearing sewer-stained garments which were often ripped, mended, handed down, shared, and worn hundreds of times. Color was exclusive for the extremely wealthy. The gap between common people and the regals were huge, very similar to the gap today between billionaires and everyday people who cant afford food on the table. While all accounts say that Marie Antoinette loved the French people and wanted everyone to find happiness, actions speak louder than words and her rate of overconsumption did not historically go over well with the common French people.

As time went on, we started making synthetic dyes and using those in everyday textiles. The first synthetic dye was created by 18-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin in Germany in 1856. It became more popular during the Industrial Revolution when industry was directly linked to the health of a nation. Then, in the 1970’s, fast fashion started spreading. Companies were outsourcing manufacturing to South America and Asia where labor was cheaper. These companies got so big, wiped small boutiques out, put many small businesses out of business, and almost killed everyday skills such as sewing, mending, embroidery, and knitting. The push on everyday people to buy was everywhere. The correlation between consumerism and the health of a country became so interwoven that it’s almost impossible to detangle now. Everyone was able to wear vibrant colors or pastels. We can print a painting of Marie Antoinette on a T-shirt and still only pay under 10 dollars for it. It is cheaper to buy new clothes than hiring a tailor and more convenient than to learning to sew. Brands have done well convincing us thrift stores of full of “dead peoples clothes” and are “unhygienic”. Ads sell us a lifestyle, not a product and that’s celebrated among many groups of people and taught as good business in many universities around the world.

So now after the rich have manipulated, lied, controlled, and exploited us, they drop color for themselves. Neutrals are considered what luxury is, since color is much too accessible.

Pattern is considered tacky, which I could write an entire book about the underlying racism behind that sentiment. Vibrant and any matching colors on any pride flag are considered obnoxious, which I don’t find a coincidence. And anything that has familial or childlike whimsy colors on it are considered old-fashioned and immature. This is not a trend but a way for the wealthy to make themselves feel better and make us feel little.

However, the wealthy do not realize we hold the power. Aristotle said, “In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.” It is important that we realize this. The wealthy using neutrals is not just about setting themselves apart from lower-income people, but showing their ignorance, arrogance, and their attempt at establishing their power. Personally, I prefer being surrounded by bold colors, family heirlooms, whimsical trinkets, and bold sweaters than pretending I’m someone who has a little bit of power that can be taken away at anyone’s whim.

Note: While I have done extensive research into this topic, this is only a small peak into my research and opinion. I would love to write more about colors and their establishments of wealth, natural dyes, pigments, overconsumption, the wealthy and their relationship to textiles, and much more on textile history. Even though I have a list of some sources, the ideas presented in this are interwoven with my personal opinions and experiences.

Online Sources

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0030399205001076

https://inspiring.tonello.com/en/the-history-of-fabric-dyeing-from-its-origins-to-the-present-day/

https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/notes-on-early-medieval-womens-dress/

https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/events/milliner-and-mantua-maker/how-much-clothing/

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1400-1409/

https://luxurylondon.co.uk/culture/art/marie-antoinette-style-exhibition-v-and-a-london/

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/chemistry/colourful-chemistry-artificial-dyes

Books:

Dress Code: How the Laws of Fashion Made History by Richard Thompson Ford

The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St Clair

Worn: A Peoples History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser