Why Wear White in the Summer & Black in the Winter?
As seasons change, you may notice fashions available in stores lean heavily towards certain colors. White dominates the summer months and black makes up many winter wardrobes. These color choices are not always based on trends, but rather on long-standing scientific observations.
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The color spectrum
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The human eye perceives colors based on how much light is reflected and absorbed by an object. Some colors move on faster waves of light than others. Neither white nor black are wave colors themselves-white is all colors of light combined and black is a color void.
White is cool
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White fabric is used in summer clothing because white reflects all wavelengths of light rather than absorbing them. The sun's hot, fast-moving ultraviolet light is also transmitted in waves. White reflects the light's heat and keeps a substance cool.
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Black is hot
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Black fabric is often used in winter clothing because the black substances absorb all wavelengths of light rather than reflecting them. More light absorbed translates into more heat attracted by the substance.
Practical uses
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Ancient peoples living in dry, hot climates before the invention of air conditioning would have worn white or light clothing to keep themselves cool. Conversely, people living in cloudy, snowy regions learned to wear dark clothes in order to harvest heat from little sunlight.
Modern fashion
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People who are exposed to the outdoors for long periods of time should wear appropriate colors to hep maintain normal body temperature. People who live and work mostly in climate-controlled buildings do not need to be as concerned with color. Although seemingly anachronistic, fashion color trends are still closely tied to their original practical purposes, and the availability of off-season colors is scarce.
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