A Beginner’s Guide To Dressing For Your Aura

There may just be a force greater than your credit limit controlling your wardrobe. We're talking auras. (Hey, it's nearly Halloween. Time for some mystical, spooky fun.) Believers in aura colors would say that everyone has one, and they impact everything — even outfit selection. Skeptics though we may be, we're always down to investigate new ways of getting dressed.

Let's start with the basics: An aura is said to be a colored energy field surrounding your body. But, unlike zodiac signs, there isn't any one hue that defines everyone. These "signs" change in tandem with your mood, lifestyle, environment, and day-to-day goings-on. And, while some colors are intrinsic to different personality types, each person could exhibit any number of them at different times.

As research for this piece, we went straight to the highest rated aura reader in Manhattan, according to Yelp. Upon first glance, Magic Jewelry's Chinatown storefront didn't look like much; but it was a pleasant and illuminating experience. Some psychics claim to visualize or sense your aura color. Here, they used Kirlian photography, which is a technique used to capture one's energy field. Not only were our auras drastically different — mine a mix of red and magenta tones and our production assistant Ana's a landscape of cerulean and lavender — but also surprisingly accurate to those who know us.

Though our reader told me that my light red patches spoke to my passion and determination, she pegged my murkier, maroon tones to a lack of sleep (hey, it was a Friday afternoon), stress, and frustration over the past week.

This is a guide to the basics of the whole color spectrum. Even if you've never had your aura read, it'll be fun to guess which colors — perhaps multiple — you exhibit based on the descriptions ahead. And, we've styled outfits that reflect each hue's key attributes for you to shop. (Maybe, let that be your deciding factor.) From brown's practical, down-to-earth vibes to blue's creative, freethinking qualities, see where the spirit moves you.