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Color (ridiculous over-)analysis

Helena

Veteran

Hi there,

Know there are some other color analysis addicts on here, so thought I would share my most recent OCD-ery with it. I more or less know the lines and styles that I like, so its always color I'm messing about with.

So, I've been color-analyzed as a winter, a cool summer, and a shaded summer (draw your own conclusions about the value of a pro analysis from that!). So I made a list of all the key colors in the palettes I was given and then took the ones that made all three of the lists, which are:

black (not on cool summer, but no way I'm leaving it behind - it's on winter and shaded summer), white, light gray, navy, charcoal, true blue/soft royal blue, fuchsia, plum, raspberry, icy blue, burgundy, periwinkle, rose pink, icy/light pink, and purple.

Based on this list I have applied both the Bobbie Thomas color compass, as well as a vague consideration of my DYT type (in which I am a Type 4; I am very not-strict about this part so it's just for added guidance), and chose this palette, which I intend to work with:

Dark Neutral: Black/Navy
Light Neutral: White
Medium Neutral: Light/Icy Gray or Chambray
Power Color: Blue (clear & cool shades)
Warm Weather Accent: Fuchsia/Brighter Raspberry
Cool Weather Accent: Plum/Deeper Raspberry
Favorite: for now, blush pink, but I'll switch this up season to season based on trends and what I'm feeling.

Of course I'll be over-analyzing it all again next week But for this week, this is no-excuses - it incorporates all the various advice I've gotten re: color and condenses it into one usable palette with plenty of variety but also (I think) cohesion. I'll try to be strict with it, at least for the next season, and see what's what with it.

I'll stop short of creating a Venn diagram although clearly that is the next logical step!!

Has anyone else tried to do this sort of cross-analysis on their color palette?

Thanks for reading this rather long post!

General

28 replies

Latest reply was from Alassë

MuseumGal

Veteran

Hello are we twins? I could have written this analysis!
Maybe I'll steal, erm borrow it for the summer ...

Helena

Veteran

I hope you will MG!!! It would keep me on track to have a color-twin!!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Hey, your colours are my colours!!

Except I go to cranberry red in winter....

And my white is more a winter white than an optic white (though I wear optic white also.

And add in taupe. When my hair goes completely silver I may take it off the list.

Helena

Veteran

Suz, yes, I think a softer white is better on me too, but I don't generally wear it right by my face (or else add a scarf or something).

I love your taste so if I'm similar to your palette I must be on the right track!

Now to order a lovely soft-raspberry scarf from BR ... you know ... because my palette say I have to!!

rabbit

Veteran

Interesting! I think those colors all make sense from what I've seen of you and your clothes from WIW. The light/icy gray is one that some versions of don't work as well on me (a winter I think) but others work great. I'm not sure why that is, except that some grays have more taupe in them?

Light matters a lot with color, too some items of clothing I've found look better when I wear them at night than in bright sunlight.

One thing I thought was interesting on the long 'what is your best color' thread is how many overlaps there were, among women with different coloring as well. For example your limited choices above are popular ones for good reasons I think.

A lot of it just comes with trying things on -- draping yourself in the fabric store too (or a sari shop if you have access to one -- great testing ground for saturated pure colors).

Gigi

Veteran

I love color analyses...or any analyses in general. This was interesting to read. I haven't done such an analysis for myself, but I felt that I fit pretty well in Deep Autumn—so I didn't need to do a lot of comparing.

Not to wreck your lovely capsule idea, but as far as changing up colors for each season (I'm talking about your "favorite" category, which sounds like it will change every now and then), what about picking a color from each of the prescribed palettes that is found only in one palette? For instance, if lime green is found only in one of the three palettes but not in the other two, try lime green. Pick one unique color from each palette and try it over the course of a year. You could do something cheap, like a scarf or a t-shirt. This may help you determine which of the palettes is indeed the best match for you.

Helena

Veteran

Gigi, that is a great idea - in fact there is a website somewhere with what it calls "seasonal deal-breakers" - i.e. if this color doesn't look great on you, you are prob. not that season ... I could play with those as the wild-card and see. Thanks for the suggestion!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Interesting that you were perceived differently by different professionals.Lots of people have that experience I think. If colour analysis was a science this wouldn't happen imo. I don't think you are over-analysing & I'd like to see your diagram. You took advice & now you are working it out for yourself

Helena

Veteran

Thanks Caro and all

Adelfa

Veteran

I love color analysis I also love how you've structured your colors. What I have learned over the last few years is that though I'm a Winter, I'm a Deep Winter, and I cross into Deep Autumn. This creates extra choices which I'm not crazy about since I'm a minimalist at heart and dream of having a really limited palette. So using your scheme here are my colors with the alternate colors in parens.

Neutral:
Black (dark brown)
Light Neutral: Cream (white)
Medium Neutral: denim/heather gray (taupe)
Power Color: Cobalt
Warm Weather Accent: Pink, pale and bright (coral)
Cool Weather Accent: Burgundy/Aubergine
Favorite: Acid Green
Metal: can't decide but I THINK gold is my favorite (if I must choose)

You see how I'm choosing both cool and warm colors. So black is definitely my main neutral. But I have loved playing with dark brown for decades. I couldn't live without gray. But I love love taupe as well, mostly in the form of suede shoes or boots. And acid green is NOT in the Winter palette but is my favorite color along with cobalt.

I'm planning for a 5-day trip and the colors I'm packing are black, cream, gray, blue denim, and burgundy. Just like in the list!

Thanks for the fun post!

Ariadne

Veteran

Those are basically my favourite and best colours, too! I'm a true (cool) summer. I'd add in blue-greens for myself, and a certain cool cherry blossom pink that doesn't yet exist in my closet.

deb

Veteran

Torantogirl, I have not figured out how to incorporate the warm tones into my wardrobe. It always looks off, especially when next to my skin. Good job blending the groups.

Adelfa, I am also a deep winter. I had my color analysis last August and have honed down my colors to:

Neutral:

black/navy blue
white/cream
cpbalt
burgundy/wine
accents - teal, chambrey, silver grey
yellow gold

My closet is working really well now and I am loving it.

Helena

Veteran

Thanks all for the input - love seeing everyone's different color schemes.

Adelfa, that's the lure of color analysis for me too - the idea of a limited palette with max. flattery, in order to simplify! One thing I'm learning through all this - I LIVE for simplicity ... it is the end-game of virtual everything I do. Of course I want things done well too - it's the combination that is the holy grail; my closet is sort of a microcosm of what I am trying to do with my life.

Vix

Veteran

Hi TG --

Love your thoughtful analysis and process.

From your color typing by others, it sounds like you can just experiment with boundaries for cool-toned shades. I'm another who has cool as her main characteristic, and that's what I did.

Because one of the 12 season systems *insists* one can't cross over from his/her palette, for kicks I photocollage'd the cool toned ones against some of the items that are (subjectively) my best. In SO MANY of the cases the differences between the palettes were eensy weensy.

Don't know if you'd want to see the results? It's about 10 photos IIRC.

Really for me it's the broad-stroke color combinations that matter most.

Adding in darker tones when I wear lights. Wearing lots of tone-on-tone colors, or ones that share the same color value if large swathes are involved. Not wearing all black/dark navy/espresso unless I'm showing skin (oops, I did it again!)....

Helena

Veteran

Vix, yes please - I'd love to see! I was quite surprised at the overlap actually - it makes me wonder if one might be as well to stick to the four season, and then experiment within ... or even just within the cool/warm divide. I do think contrast makes a bit difference too - I can be in the "right" colors but without med to high contrast it doesn't look as good.

JulieJohn

Veteran

TG - what a great thread! I love your analysis, doesn't seem too much to me at all. But then I am a definite overanalyzer ad nauseum myself, so take that with a grain of salt (preferably pink Himalayan, please).

I enjoyed Adelfa's go at her version of the palette too, and have similar problems (or plusses?) about wanting both warm and cool hues in my palette.

My other problem is a distinct love of almost all colors, especially in combinations, like the classy version of a rainbow clown wig.

So here's my take on your brilliant breakdown:
Dark neutral - blue or brown (exception: black only when paired with white)
Medium neutral - camel or gray
Light neutral - white or cream
Power color - green!
Warm weather accent - orange
Cool weather accent - red
Favorites - bubblegum pink, neons, aqua, bright lavender

In Color Me Beautiful terms I am a warm spring and/or a warm autumn. In Dress Your Type, I am the bubbly one with all the circles.

Figuring this out is lovely and helpful, because it helps me rededicate myself to focus on color. I need to gravitate ruthlessly to the colors that make me sing, and ignore the others.

Helena

Veteran

JulieJohn, so glad you liked, and thanks for sharing your colors and philosophy too!

I can take no credit for the breakdown; it's from the Bobbie Thomas book The Power of Style. She calls it a "color compass". I actually created a diagram of mine in Powerpoint using RGB codes so I could print it off and keep it in my purse

fuzzylogic

Veteran

Thanks for sharing your approach, TG! What a great idea!
I have not had a professional analysis. I think 'cool summer' colours work best for me but I see it as a bit of a sliding scale and I don't follow this strictly. For example, I often add orange or orange-red pieces (perhaps from the adjacent light summer palette?) to contrast with the blue and green I like so much! And I also borrow burgundy (from the soft summer palette) particularly over winter. I'd also love to add some pops of lemon/citron because it looks so fresh!

Vix

Veteran

Hi again TG --

I think any experimenting is worthwhile. Many roads to Rome and all that!

The palettes I used are from one of the 12 season systems -- the cool or cool-netural ones. Elea Blake Cosmetics has a nice display of all 12 here:

https://www.pinterest.com/eleablake/

I knew I was cool-toned, but figuring out my not-goods -- too bright, too light, too icy, too blackened (though I cheat with neutrals) -- took a little trial and error.

I already mentioned my main takeaways upthread; if my zillion photos leave you with questions just holler. [ETA #12 is my central palette the last 2 spring/summers -- used to keep me on track when buying -- and what Pantone has deemed the "it" colors"]

Keep us posted on how it's going!

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Golden

Veteran

This is very interesting I may need to sit down and make a chart myself. I think it would make it easier and more cohesive!

Freckles

Veteran

Wow, what a lot of work you've done. If indeed you are a season right in the middle it's no doubt that you are I find. If you are one of the shoulder seasons (soft summer for example) you can pull quite a bit from your sister season (autumn) perhaps just not quite as strong...
I really can't tell if a colour is warm or cool so I'm not sure knowing my season is that helpful as you never find exactly the colour of the swatch in your booklet due to fabric.
When I had my colour analysis done there were only the four seasons. I went back for a style session and the categories were further broken down so I asked. She told me even though this particular summer really wasn't my true season to act like it was. There were too many neutrals in one, the other called for substantive pastels which didn't suit me but the last was the great mix of all things wonderful for me. It said to gently mix the colours in a top in a pattern or one could look older than their years. Unfortunately I can't find any prints I like since the 80's...lol. They had some soft, subtle patterns then.

Helena

Veteran

Been Eastering all day today so just a quick note of Thx to all and Vix your palette looks so beautiful can't wait to study in more detail tomorrow!

carter

Veteran

Just chiming in to say that I'm still thinking about how to apply this to my own wardrobe. When you look at the colors you selected, does it mean you are ditching things already in your closet that are non-compliant, only buying based on the new plan, or just trying to wear mostly this palette but with no real rules? For instance, I am only buying (for a while now) black, white, ivory, deep pink, teal and animal print. However, I'm not ditching the other colors in my closet if I still like the item.

fuzzylogic

Veteran

Thanks for prompting me to look into this TG! I now wonder if I am borrowing colours from Cool Winter and not from my sister Summers.... Hmmmmmm. Guess it's still academic but fun to ponder!

Helena

Veteran

Hi everyone, thanks so much for keeping the thread going; I love hearing everyone's thoughts about this stuff.

Vix - your palette is so beautiful, and the way you've applied it is terrific. It is stunning to see the cohesiveness. The blue and green are terrific together in particular. Also, it is interesting to see the subtley of difference between the seasons ... it makes me feel better actually removing a level of complexity, and holding the rules a little more loosely.

Carter - that is a great question, and thanks for asking it because it gives me a chance to clarify for myself. Here are my main ideas for the palette:

- Unity - I've spent so much time reading about the different seasons, styles, types, etc. that everytime I feel "off" it makes me second-guess my latest conclusions. I feel this palette has unified the information enough that I can rest confident for a bit (and move on to over-analyzing something else ha )

- Appropriateness - By defining the role of the colors, I can feel more confident wearing them. Yesterday I incorporated fuchsia into my Easter outfits - no matter what anyone else was wearing - fuchsia is the color of warm seasons, what could be more appropriate? I didn't feel garish is such a bright color when I saw other ladies in chic black, because I knew precisely why I had chosen it. Also whereas plum, as good as it looks, prob. would have felt drab and then I would have spiralled into, maybe I'm not in that palette, etc. etc. No - I'll feel great wearing that one next January.

- Ease of decisions - more specifically to your questions. I will shop this palette going forward, with both the colors, and the circumstances under which I will wear them, in mind, which should make life easier. I anticipate my wardrobe will remain neutral-heavy, but I can be a bit more strategic about what I buy in colors, so they are easy to add in as needed. I have very little color in my wardrobe as it is, but I will say yesterday, I almost reached for a red cardi. to go with my black dress and went for the blush scarf instead - so I do think I will stick to those colors more closely.

I don't think I could ever be so strict that I would stick to the palette 100% - if I love something, then I'll get it - but more often than not, I'd just rather think about something else (unless I'm chatting on here!!!) so it should just make life easier.

harmonica

Veteran

wow, I'm so impressed! I wish I could go through the same analysis and come out like you. I have no clue about colours, but people say I look great in brights and cooler toned colours

Helena

Veteran

Harmonica that's more or less what I am too - cool tones and watered-down brights as well as some cool rich shades such as the plum. Perhaps your compass would be similar with maybe red or emerald rather than plum?

Alassë

Veteran

You did a great (and very thorough) job, torontogirl!