Wear RED

The stars dazzled in red, celebrities at the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards. For mothers and single gals alike, who have not had a chance to pull together a big girl Halloween outfit, take a page from the red carpet. Go red. The color drives men wild.    Halloween is no longer children’s night out. Adult parties are springing up from suburbs to cities. Each year certain themes, from movies or hit television shows, take center stage on the Halloween Hot List. We’ve all seen the red look depiction from Lady Gaga, an 80s satin gown with high front slit, and of course those huge black sunglasses decorated with feathers.    Each year studies appear that reconfirm what has already been confirmed, red clothing flames desire in men.    A few years ago Andrew Elliot, psychology professor at the University of Rochester, New York, said that when men see a woman in red, they “rate her as sexier and more attractive.”    Why is this so? Theories range from the cultural associations of Valentine’s Day and romance to sex in the wild.    For women who like the idea of red — but prefer subdued — you can choose to portray Sarah Palin in her red blazer. For an added effect, you might have a newspaper peering from a pocket suggested to Sarah by Katie Couric.    For the more daring, there is the Katy Perry outfit that was banned from “Sesame Street” because it was considered too sexy for Elmo. It wasn’t red, but you can certainly add a red sash to this skimpy little number or purchase one in red from a Santa shop.    Red is so hot a color this year that a new book has just been released by artist Alyson Fox called “A Shade of Red.” It is comprised of interviews and photos of more than 100 women of all ages and ethnicities and they are all wearing Revlon’s Certainly Red Super Lustrous.    So whether you radiate in a red dress or paint red lusciously onto your lips, be beautiful this Halloween. Prepare yourself for an evening of fun. Let the adults’ Halloween night be one of treats for the one you love. Or share it with those best girlfriends who always bring out the giggles in you.    Whether you are a mother, who waits until the last minute to hunt for a Halloween party outfit or a single gal obsessing over the perfect costume, go to a local thrift shop and find a shimmering red dress to wear with flashing sparkle earrings and a red boa. Then slap on some bright red lipstick and voilà, you have become a “Red Hot.”    ‍Rita ‍Watson, one of our relationship columnists and a regular op-ed page contributor, is an author, mother and incurable romantic. You can reach her at www.ritawatson.com  .