What Does Wearing the Color Orange Mean?

Contents:

• 1. The Meaning and Psychology of Orange
• 2. Effects of Pure Orange on Others
• 3. What do Light and Dark Oranges Mean?
• 4. Interpretation of The Color Orange
• 5. Key Takeaways of How to Wear Orange

Last updated: May 2021

---

Wearing orange clothing can be a way to make a truly remarkable statement, as it could have a different interpretation for both the wearer and whoever is looking. So why choose orange? What does wearing the color orange mean?

The Symbolism of Orange

Wearing orange means you give off a friendly, fun, creative, and bubbly vibe. Personality-wise, it indicates that you are a social person, and you are not afraid to be seen. In sports, wearing orange depicts both mental and physical energy. Besides that, orange as a fruit, is known for being high in vitamin C. Maybe that’s the reason why the color symbolizes energy?

In light of all these qualities, orange is a magnificent and enthusiastic secondary color that emerges from mixing the boldness and passion of red and the freedom, optimism, and happiness of yellow.

What does the color orange symbolize and what does it mean if you wear it?

In fashion, orange is considered a confident, warm, happy, and energetic color. Although it might be tricky to pull off, when paired the right way, it is eye-catching and daring. It makes a bold statement that you are not afraid to be seen.

On an interesting side note: In 2013, orange became the official defining color chosen and worn for the gun violence prevention movement.

This is interesting because we all know that orange is also the color of U.S. prison inmates. Orange is the new black, right? Well, orange is slighty more eye-cathcing than black. Obviously, this is why they make the overalls orange in the first place.

According to Wolf Kahn, "orange is very blatant and vulgar. It makes you immediately start having feelings". In all honesty, we think this is a perfect summary of the orange color. So, should you wear orange?

---

The Meaning and Psychology of Orange

We all wear clothes in various colors and styles. And we choose and pair them together by considering what we prefer and what we feel comfortable wearing. We often wear certain colors, sometimes based on how we feel and what we hope to portray.

So, what does wearing the color orange mean? Orange is a color that provokes an immediate response. Some cultures consider it sacred, while others think of it as a color of royalty. In Asia, orange is the hue for the monks and holy men. It symbolizes a state of illumination and perfection.

Either way, according to verywellmind, orange is eye-catching, attention-grabbing, and commands a certain presence when it is worn.

It is warm, satisfying, and welcoming. It provokes a feeling of excitement and danger all at once. Why do you think we use orange in our logo?

From yellow-orange to red-orange: the gradient of the COLORBUX logo

For some, orange is closely associated with abundance and fertility. As the ancient Greek goddess of fruitful abundance, Pomona is often draped in its lustrous color.

Orange can mean things to different people. Colors are so effective that they can communicate your intention, as well as your state of mind. They even express things without you having to say a word.

From the monks wearing it in Asia to your favorite orange accessory, item of clothing in your closet, or even Cheetos; Wearing the color orange is an intense choice for anyone who intends to make a bold statement and get noticed. What’s more, wearing orange does so in a non-threatening, yet powerful way.

To fully grasp the concept of orange, you need to get to know the various different versions of the hue and what they represent.

---

Effects of Pure Orange on Others

The pure orange hue is orange in its truest form. Untouched and fully saturated. No other color has been added to it. No black, white, gray, or any other hue – just full-blown orange. Here are some of its effects:

• The orange hue represents boldness, a daring persona, and a flair for adventure. This vibrant orange ranges from the runway fashion couture to the orange vest of construction workers and traffic cones, even to the orange fruit and Cheetos.

• The presence of orange commands, and, when worn, gives off a warm, happy feeling. People interpret it as approachable and friendly.

• Pure orange is also considered a spiritual color as it enhances meditation and evokes feelings of peace, probably due to the fact that the Dalai Lama dons it.

• This hue is an intense form of the color that has a tendency to overpower other colors. So, when pairing it, you may want to do so carefully.

Orange is bright and fun - especially as an accent color. | Socks: Color Crates

We suggest wearing bright orange as an accent color, rather than a canvas color. This is especially the case if you are a man. Women can pull off wearing only bright orange (like a dress) more easily. As a general rule of thumb: It’s easiest for dark-skinned people to wear orange because it suits their skin tone. More on matching clothing colors to your skin tone in another article.

If you’d like to learn more about how to use accent colors (like bright orange) correctly, we seriously suggest you read this article:

---

What do Light and Dark Oranges Mean?

Dark Orange

This variant of orange is referred to as a shade of orange. It indicates that black has been added to the original orange hue.

Dark orange or dusty orange is the color of autumn. It evokes that warm feeling of the holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, the last warm days before the onset of winter.

Dark orange is also the color of a sunset.

Due to its association with holidays such as Halloween, it can sometimes be represented in a cartoony way in advertising or the media.

The color dark orange is not as aggressive as pure orange. It's a more somber color and can be paired nicely with neutral colors when picking out an outfit.

In advertising, orange is preferably used seasonally. It's used in advertisements that have to do with autumn for that warm homely feel. Therefore, it might not come as a surprise that dark orange should also be worn primarily in fall.

Very dark orange can almost look like brown, in fact. This is why it gets mistaken very often for being a “warm brown” - the color of fallen autumn leaves at the end of the season.

This is dark orange. It looks like brown doesn’t it? We left the orange accents in the picture just so you can see the resemblance of both colors.

Very dark orange is very easy to use for clothing since it goes well with almost anything. It’s great as a canvas color due to its resemblance to brown. Try wearing dark orange during the later months of the year (if you live in the northern hemisphere) to get others into that festive Thanksgiving mood.

Light Orange

The lighter variant of the color orange is derived by adding white to the orange hue, giving us an orange tint.

Light orange, also known as tangerine or baby carrot, is much more soothing than pure orange and dark orange. It's often considered a feminine color because of its calmness.

It is the color of communication. Light orange is worn in most seasons, but mostly in early spring, where you can pair it with baby blue for that calm, innocent look. Here are a pair of socks to go well with a nice light orange shirt or so:

Squorange

CHF 14.95

Orange tints are associated with feelings of calmness, innocence, softness, and femininity, but men can also wear it, especially with a sharp navy-blue, for example.

Try wearing an orange tint as a canvas – it could be fun! Go for a nice pair of shorts in light orange for the beginning of summer or a funky light orange T-shirt. Alternatively, you can simply wear orange tints as accents for a slight touch of innocence.

Orange tones

Orange tones are the variants of orange that are made by mixing in the various shades of gray. The feelings orange tones evoke depend on the shade or tint of gray it was mixed with. Some example names for toned orange colors would be rust, iron or dirt - depending on the darkness of the gray added.

Unsaturated orange, as they are also sometimes called, are midway between the shades and tints of orange and they are considered calmer than bright, pure orange.

The darker the tone of orange, the more dominating it tends to be. Wearing orange tones shows strength, energy, motivation, creativity, and enthusiasm.

If you need a little something to brighten up your day, then you should consider adding a little orange tone to your outfit. Although, when you do this, you have to be careful because unsaturated orange can also be perceived as manipulative, self-centered, and proud.

That said, in fashion, when it comes to wearing orange tones, it is vital to strike a balance that is comfortable for you but still sends the right message you intend to convey.

The “rusty” look of these orange toned pants looks fine by itself but somehow distracts from the blue elements in the outfit. Why? Find out in our article about the 10 Golden Rules of Color in Fashion [link below]. | Socks: Spicy Chili

Even though unsaturated orange is somewhat eye-catching and fickle, orange-toned clothing can be worn as accents as well as canvas pieces depending on what you pair them with.

So, if your intention is to boost your own and others’ creativity, you should definitely try wearing orange tones to the office.

---

Interpretation of The Color Orange

The color orange is a warm color. When paired with yellow, it evokes the feeling of a campfire: safe and warm. Orange is the color of joy and creativity – a reflection of the yellow that was used in creating it in the first place. It's also a very bright and bold color, just like red, but without the harshness.

Despite the appearance of orange, according to shiftelearning it “can be welcoming and mood-lifting for learners, which in turn promotes comfort and improves neural (brain) functioning”.

In the food industry, restaurants typically use this color to evoke the feelings of hunger, warmth, and competence in their customers. Unfortunately, in advertising, it was voted the cheapest looking color. Nevertheless, the color orange is a beautiful color in all its variant.

---

Key Takeaways of How to Wear Orange

• Orange originates from two strong primary colors and is equally perceived as a strong and vibrant color.

• It is attention-getting, and regardless of it being perceived as cheap, it's often used in advertising.

• Orange is also a color of comfort, creativity and autumn. But, it’s meaning changes depending on the amount of black, gray or white added to it.

With so many positives, it's hard to believe that it still has negative perceptions. However, here are some not-too-positive perceptions about orange:

• Apart from being looked at as cheap and unsophisticated, too much orange often provokes feelings of insincerity, a self-centered personality and can even cause a lack of motivation.

• Due to its affiliation with cartoons and holidays like Halloween, it's also seen as a childish color. As such, adults tend to shy away from it, especially in the workplace environment.

All in all, orange is a very daring color and, as such, should be worn with confidence and nothing short of it. Just remember to pair it up nicely.

Just remember that it’s not the best choice to wear to the office. Orange is considered to be the least professional-looking clothing color due to the reasons discussed above.

We have many articles on the topic of color clothing. If you are unsure how to match and mix colors in clothing, we suggest you check them out.

ARTICLES ON COLOR PSYCHOLOGY: