Superstition has it that you should avoid wearing the traditional colours of Chinese royalty, purple and yellow, because it'll bring you bad luck. This warn- ing should be disregarded because there is no basis for it in fung shui or Chinese astrology. From a Chinese astrological perspective, the most appropriate colours for an individual to wear are determined by their eight characters of birth, which are derived from the time, day, month and year they were born. To establish a chart, the precise time of birth is not necessary but it must be narrowed down to a two-hour period. An experienced astrologer can then analyse the chart to identify which of the five elements (water, wood, fire, metal and earth) are the most supportive for an individual and which should be avoided. If fire and earth are your best elements, for instance, you should wear red, orange, pink, purple, yellow, beige or brown. Metal, wood and water are the elements to be avoided, so you should give white, grey, green, blue and black a miss. Wearing the regal purple or yellow will only bring you bad luck if fire and earth are negative elements for you.