Here's the picture seen round the world -- Lindsay Lohan clad in prison issue orange, freshly bleached hair, frosty pink lip gloss in place.

It made me think…

Orange is kind of hard to pull off.

Remember when Hillary Clinton tried it with the scary mango suit? Fail. Ginnifer Goodwin did better at the premiere of He’s Just Not That Into You. Cute.

Sure, Lindsay doesn’t have much choice at this point. But (there by the grace of warrant) we still do! You don’t have to fear this crazy gourdian hue -- you just have to wear it the right way. Herewith, tips for wearing orange (without looking like you just missed seven court ordered alcohol education classes):

Consider skin tone: I’m ghastly white and flush easily, so orange is not my best friend. Howevs, when I’m employing a subtle fake glow from a bottled skin darkening agent, I’m more likely to go there. Try a little bronzer, and your orange will look a million times less sickly. If you have gorgeous dark skin like supermodel Alek Wek here, wear it till you pass out. (Now can someone tell Valentino about his orange skin?)

Mix colors: Orange and black can look like Halloweenish, so try brown to anchor your look. Orange also looks great paired with opposite colors like green (Go Miami!) and blue (Go Gators!) and purple (Go, uh… Clemson!). Risky gals might mix orange with its brothers from another mother, pink and red. But please be confident about it or it’ll look like a tragic power outage mixup.

Seek structure: Prison jumpsuits don’t come with much darting and seaming and waist-nipping, darn the luck. But a little structure makes you less Oompa Loompa and more Tropicana Pure Premium spokesmodel. Invest in a tailor and look for strong silhouettes, like Ginnifer's waist.

Accessorize: Nervous? Try a sprinkling of orange, like a big cocktail ring, nail polish or shoes, like these kicky Nine West sandals from Zappos. I have a pair of orange straw wedges that I love with neutrals in the summer. And my friend Kelley sports a bright orange bag from Coach that always makes me happy.

Be selective: Unless you're 96, retired and manning the craps table on the Carnival Cruise, never wear orange pants with an orange top (see: Hillary Clinton). Except for Lindsay, we mean. In which case, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, do what they tell you.

Deal Diva Stephanie

Photos: Times files, Getty