Does this color wheel of emotions show what Kate is feeling? As the princess says, Louis’s class uses a clever psychological tool

When the Princess of Wales stepped out in a bright purple trouser suit this week, she joined the growing ranks of women – and fashion designers – for whom the hue is a winter favorite.

During the autumn/winter shows, purple appeared on the catwalk at Burberry, Fendi and Versace, to name just three. Rich, bold and regal, it’s a color guaranteed to impress.

But there is much more to Kate’s choice of clothes than just the fact that she follows the seasonal trends.

They say that the mind carries the color of the soul – a lyrical way of expressing the idea that we are drawn to shades that reflect our mood on a given day.

Although we may not be aware of it when we open our wardrobe, the color of the clothes we choose to wear says more about our mentality than we might think.

We know that Kate believes in expressing emotions through color codes. Speaking at her Shaping Us National Symposium event on Wednesday, she revealed that her five-year-old son, Prince Louis, and his classmates at Lambrook School in Berkshire use a “really good” Feeling Wheel to “reflect how they are feeling that day ‘. .

A what-what?, I hear you ask. A feelings wheel is a circle depicting a range of emotions radiating through spokes, with the strongest in the center and the subtler, more difficult to pinpoint ‘secondary’ emotions on the edge.

Originally designed by American psychologist Dr. Robert Plutchik in 1980, his Wheel of Emotions is back in fashion as a tool to get in touch with our deepest feelings – even among the youngest schoolchildren.

Now that it’s been given the royal seal of approval, the question surely has to be: Does Kate use it when considering what to wear?

While the theory of dressing to reflect our emotions may sound vague, there is a large amount of scientific evidence to support it.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine conducted a study where participants were exposed to test spots of different hues and noted that responses to specific colors were consistent, indicating that specific colors are strongly associated with certain emotions.

Anyone who has used a color to express their state of mind will surely agree: we see red, we feel blue, or we are green with envy.

As for Kate’s state of mind as she stepped out in her bright purple suit, we can definitely conclude that she was determined to feel every inch the princess. Purple has always had strong associations with wealth, power and royalty, since the Byzantine era, when natural purple dye became a status symbol because it was the most expensive.

Loved by the kings and queens of the ancient world, it was adopted by Tudor Queen Elizabeth I, who discouraged everyone except her inner circle from wearing it.

And the royals have since followed suit. For our late Queen Elizabeth II, it was a perennial favorite, both in public and private.

That Kate wore purple during her most important speech yet is significant. Described as her ‘life’s work’, the Shaping Us campaign channels her belief in the importance of child development in the early years, and how a positive start in life can positively impact the adults we become.

As for which colors have a positive – or negative – effect on Kate, we asked color psychologist Jules Standish to interpret some of the princess’s previous clothing choices, in an effort to determine if there might be more to it than meets the eye. seemed.

Was Picasso right when he said that colors, like facial features, follow the changes of emotions?

Read on – and draw your own conclusions.

Light blue: miss her children?

On the Queen’s 93rd birthday in April 2019, Kate attended an Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle wearing a light blue Alexander McQueen coat. None of her children were there, so she may have felt lonely, which is what the color indicates.

Psychologist Jules Standish says: ‘It suggests that Kate does not want to stand out, but wants to maintain a calm demeanor.’

Medium blue: show of loyalty

At the end of a tour of Scotland with William in May 2021, Kate wore a Catherine Walker coat dress in medium blue, a color that suggests ‘pain’. Two months earlier, Prince Harry’s shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey had aired. ‘This shade suggests that she takes her role seriously. It says, ‘Trust me: I’m loyal,'” Standish says.

Marine: Hiding her sadness

What better shade to meet the Royal Navy than Navy? But Kate’s smart Alexander McQueen suit could also act as a shield, as she wore it in September 2022, three weeks after the Queen’s death, when her emotions were undoubtedly still raw. “Navy blue is a protective color and can help mask the sadness she is feeling,” says Standish.

Purple: inspiring

In addition to its royal connotations, purple also represents strength, enthusiasm and ambition; qualities that Kate is keen to convey as she promotes her much-loved Shaping Us project this week. “Purple is associated with royalty, but it is a beautiful color to choose when working with children because it is soothing and inspiring,” notes Standish.

Coral: in a festive mood post-covid

Kate opted for a bespoke coral coat dress by Emilia Wickstead for the Queen’s Buckingham Palace Garden Party in May 2022, following the two-year Covid hiatus. “This is a playful shade that is popular for socializing and having fun,” says Standish. “It’s also a symbol of compassion.”

Fuchsia: content during pregnancy

During a visit to the Stephen Lawrence Center in London in March 2015, Kate makes no secret of the impending arrival in the form of Princess Charlotte: her cheerful Mulberry coat exudes the calm she feels during her second pregnancy. She also wore the coat when she was pregnant with Prince Louis. “It’s the perfect maternity pink, highlighting feelings of comfort, care and love,” says Standish.

Copper: the color of comfort in sad times

It was ‘settling in’ at her children’s new school in September 2022, but was Kate’s copper brown Rixo polka dot dress more than just suitable for autumn? That she wore it the day before the queen died, when she would have known that the monarch – and her husband’s grandmother – were seriously ill suggests this.

“Warm brown is a color of comfort in sad times,” says Standish about this color associated with powerlessness. ‘It can also help people feel grounded. It also highlights Kate’s down-to-earth, practical nature, perfect for a school visit.”

Orange: nervous about solo event?

It was her first solo event of 2023 – on January 18 – a visit to Foxcubs Nursery in Luton to highlight the importance of early childhood development. So it’s understandable that Kate felt a little apprehensive, as her orange ribbed turtleneck and matching skirt, by Gabriela Hearst, suggests.

Yellow: uncomfortable on tour?

When William and Kate arrived in Jamaica during their eight-day Caribbean tour in March 2022, the government was planning the process of transforming the country into a republic. It was perhaps the most awkward part of what turned out to be a much-criticized royal visit, so no wonder Kate wore a yellow Roksanda dress, a color that signals unease.

Light green: dissatisfied?

For the Earthshot Prize in Boston in December 2022, Kate rented one from Hurr instead of buying a new dress, showing her commitment to sustainability. Designed by Solace London, the zesty lime green shade suggests Kate was feeling ‘slightly irritated’. Could it be because the event was overshadowed by a race involving lady-in-waiting Susan Hussey?

Green: cross but strong

In January in Leeds, Kate wore a bottle green Alexander McQueen coat to promote Shaping Us. The visit came just weeks after Prince Harry released his memoir, Spare. It’s no surprise that this shade suggests she was irritated. “It also means strength,” Standish says.

Navy blue and green: masking her true emotions?

In December 2022, the Princess wore a traditional Blackwatch tartan coat, in navy blue and dark green, designed by Holland Cooper, to plant a tree in honor of the late Queen at Westminster Abbey. It was just days after Harry and Meghan’s tell-all documentary was released, so if Kate was furious, as this color suggests, she had good reason. “These two colors sit next to each other on the color wheel and can indicate a need to protect herself and hide her emotions, but in a dignified way,” Standish notes.