At the funeral of our beloved Queen a very prominent feature was the purple colour in the fabric of the crown and other traditional garments worn by the royals and clergy. Tyrian Purple, also called Phoenician Purple, imperial or royal purple, since antiquity this colour has been long time associated with wealth and power. How come?
The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, a town on a Mediterranean coast of Lebanon, where the dye was distilled from secreted mucous of sea snails in the family Muricidae, rock snails originally known by the name 'Murex'. The process dates from at least the 16th Century BC.
It took tens of thousands of sea snails to colour a single small swatch of fabric whose fibres, long after staining, retained the smell of the invertebrate’s marine excretions. What was unusual that unlike other colours whose lustre faded rapidly, Tyrian purple only intensified with weathering and wear, which commanded an exorbitant price and hence became unobtainable for commoners, hence the name 'Imperial'.
In ancient Greece, the right to clad oneself in purple was tightly controlled by legislation. According to the Roman historian Suetonius, King Ptolemy of Mauretania’s decision to cloak himself in purple on a visit to the Emperor Caligula, cost him his life. Caligula interpreted the fashion statement as an act of imperial aggression and had his guest killed.
Coincidently, purple is also a colour of the year 2022 as announced by Pantone Institute. In art circles it has long been associated with spirituality and creativity and as claimed by interior designers, it adds a note of bohemian decadence to a room. In the light spectrum, this colour is at the far right with the shortest wavelength and being a secondary colour (red + blue) purple can be cooler if mixed with more blue and warmer with more red. A wide range of dark to very light shades makes the colour versatility and plenty of interesting colour combinations this colour can be styled with. As Ozwald Boateng has said: "Anyone can wear any color. The question is about finding the right shade."
The discovery of a synthetic purple by William Henry Perkin in 1856 made purple available to everybody. The politicians already started to use it as a statement in their public appearances.
It is frequently seen at fashion and other high profile events. In velvet, purple is particularly stunning in evening-wear, both for Ladies and Gentlemen. Since it is highly noticeable in a busy room we suggest you need an equally colourful personality to carry it off, as it will draw attention. Someone will almost certainly say something, so better have some answers ready.
Alternatively, shirts in lilac or deep purple are a great complement underneath a navy blue suit whether with or without a tie and perhaps that's all the colour that's needed, though socks with a little purple on them would look like a million dollars. But please wear a tie darker than the shirt, otherwise you look like a gangster.
P.S. Photo credits go to various sources found on the internet (including El Gringo, M.Nilov, Boss, Zegna), not all authors are known but we acknowledge their contribution into this educational piece.