caro, contrast & colour me confused! (long) - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

caro, contrast & colour me confused! (long)

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I was going to give myself some more time to think about where I will go with this, before posting, because it is too soon for any conclusions but with all the posts about high/low contrast I felt that this may be helpful to anyone who is feeling confused about what works for them.

Sorry but you do need to know the back-story

A friend of mine trained image consultants in the 1980s & used me as a model for beginners & advanced training; this was under the four season system. I was “analysed” over 15 times & came out as a spring each & every time.

Some of the spring neutrals felt fine but the brighter colours never felt right to me. Well you know me even though I was told how good I looked in
those colours I never wore them because they didn’t feel right.

Since joining YLF nearly two years ago I have come to see how wonderful other fabbers look when wearing colours that relate to their colouring & personality & I started to wonder about colour again. Also my on-going struggle with black made me realise I wanted some kind of objectivity about the colours that work for me. Of course it would then be my decision where I went with that information.

So I did some research, found a system that sounded more scientific than most & had another analysis. This was under the 12 type system & is only based on skin tones not hair & eye colours.

Without a scrap of make-up, I was draped in the four season signature colours – honestly they all looked bad. So at least I knew I wasn’t a true spring, yay me! Although to be fair it was probably the best pick under a flawed system. For nearly 3 hours (yes that long) it looked like nothing was working but when we got to the last lot of drapes I could actually see my jaw-line firm & my skin become smoother when draped in certain colours/neutrals.

It turns out I’m a very neutral version of a soft autumn. Which is really not a lot like the traditional autumn colours, they are way too warm on me. So it looks like all those soft, yet rich & muted colours that I have always loved are what I “should” be wearing. It also explains why I have trouble finding colours I feel really “me” in. Many colours feel too warm or too cool or too light or too dark.

I feel very excited about this new information but I feel more excited about the fact that trusting myself was right for me.

General

66 replies

Latest reply was from Caro in Oz

abc

Veteran

Great story, Caro, thanks for sharing. How do you go about finding a color consultation, do you mind sharing THAT back story?!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Caro, this is fascinating.

I did not place a lot of trust in the person who analysed me (also according to some version of the 12 season system) -- this was pre-YLF.

AND YET.

And yet -- the one thing I took away from it was -- very much like you -- I was already drawn to what works best on me. However you choose to label that. This analyst ended up calling me a "true" or "cool" summer. I had always expected to be called a summer, but she thought I was an autumn when I first came in, and then she guessed a spring. It quickly became obvious that I needed cool tones -- so she expected soft summer. As with you, it took hours for her to prove to herself that I actually needed stronger, richer colour to come fully alive. (It took Fabbers 10 seconds to tell me I don't look as good in pastels. Ha!)

Anyway -- not to make this about me. As for YOU -- what will you do with this info? Do you plan to have some items made? Will you still wear ink blue and some of your other blues? How about the occasional high contrast black and white? I think you DO look good in all of these -- whatever the typology says.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Ah, Suz just touched on the thing that keeps popping into my mind whenever color analysis comes up: I feel like many of us are naturally drawn to colors that flatter us. I believe our instincts are often more astute than we give ourselves credit for. I've never been terribly attracted to pastels, or in general to warmer colors, and it just so happens they are not the most flattering colors on me.

I'm curious to see how you proceed with your new info! I agree with Suz about your blues and black and white combos.

MsMaven

Veteran

Aha Caro. After many times being classified as a spring, then an autumn or maybe a winter, and reading many books and articles and trying many different things over the years, I have come to a sort of a neutral soft autumn as well, although I haven't come to that as scientifically as you.

I've got decades of photos of me trying to make spring colors work, but then feeling and looking great when something else sneaks in that I really love. I do believe at the end of the quest we should wear the colors we love that make us feel good.

I'm going to pay closer attention to your WIW posts--maybe I'll learn something from you and your search for what is right for you.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

abc - I always start by eliminating what I don't want So all the 4 season ones were out because that hadn't worked too well for me first time round. I ended up with the 12 & 16 type systems. I thought the 12 seemed a nice balance between science & art which is how I like to live After that it was easy - only a couple of companies in Australia - one seemed to make some fairly pretentious claims imo, so after that it was easy

Suz & Janet you are two of the people I thought of when writing about fabbers who look great in "their" colours. However you cut it it is a really interesting topic. Artists have their particular palettes & dressing well is an art form
I do have a version of blue I can wear, which for want of better words is a kind of light navy - so I'm very happy with that. As far as black goes I've been wanting to let go of it for years so this may be the push I need. Before I do that I will find some tops in my best colours (ones that stand up to black) & see how I feel in those outfits - if they work for me I will keep the black for now.

Kristin L

Veteran

I'm glad you have finally been able to figure out what really works for you. I'm excited to see what you come up with now that your armed with new(er) ideas.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Yes MsMaven I agree. When I look back at the outfits that felt & looked most me, they are mostly in softer mid-tones. So some part of me "knew" what was right. The other surprising thing is my grey hair works so well with the colours too:)

LACeleste

Veteran

I love color analysis and I love your story Caro!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm glad you won't be losing your navy.

Here is another thing. I think it's useful to have a sense of our most flattering range. But also -- I think it IS a range. As Angie says, colours are always viewed in relation to one another. So I'm not so sure we have to get stuck on a very specific tone or shade -- as long as we're working within the same general palette, the tones will flatter.

So, for example, I know I look good in most berry shades. Yes, for sure, some are better than others. But I can't really go too far wrong unless I go super, super intense (which I wouldn't really be tempted to do). It's the same for me with navy and ink. Some navies are better on me than others, but all are more than merely acceptable.

Yet another point to ponder -- I suspect mid tones may not photograph as well. At least in the very non-professional conditions that most of us adopt here for our WIWs. A high contrast black and white look will appear more flattering on camera than it may IRL. Whereas the mid tones will flatter more in person. They will still look good on camera but maybe not with the same pizzazz.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Great story, Caro. I think we are naturally drawn to the colours that look best too. xo

SarahTheWhite

Veteran

I love your story, especially how your instinct was best in the end!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Thanks K & LaC - it's all part of the style journey I guess:)

I agree Suz I remember the 1980s with women going around trying to match "their" colours. Colours are light which depends on so many factors. I feel very comfortable about this in a way I didn't with my other experience - I guess that tells me what I need to know.

Angie I agree I also think we can make most colours work for us given the right information but somehow do feel more "us" in certain hues.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Thanks Sara - yes trusting ourselves is so important.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Agreed, Caro. I wear so called blah colours I like with white and stronger lipstick. Does the trick to my eye.

Gigi

Veteran

Great story, Caro! I'm so glad you found a clearer answer. I agree that we are instinctively drawn to the colors that look best on us.

Blue has always been atrocious on me, especially light blue. Well, I was shopping the other day online and came across a tunic in a light blue. But I was immediately drawn to it, which surprised me! Then I realized that the blue wasn't baby blue but had gray and maybe a little yellow mixed in with it, to give it a slightly greenish tint. And *that* type of blue looks good on me. So there you have it—instinct takes over.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Caro, thanks for your story. It is enlightening. I had a similar experience with the four season system in the 80s. I was a winter, and the draping was eye-opening to me. I went out and bought clothes that were in the "right" colors, and I tried to stick with it for a while. But I was drawn to a lot of the summer colors! I had a bad case of summer envy! I stopped referring to my color swatches so diligently and gravitated back to the cool muted tones I had been wearing pre-color-analysis.
Fast forward about twenty years: I had a color analysis done several years ago, and I just had it updated a few months ago. I don't know what system it is, but the result seems more in tune with the colors I gravitate toward anyway. I find my swatches can help me stay more or less on track so that more of my clothes will coordinate with one another. I still wear black and charcoal, even though they are not actually in my palette. They are just so easy to style with other colors I like to wear.
All this talk of color, contrast, prints, and the like gets me thinking about another problem I have with managing my wardrobe. I find I focus a lot on color, and I end up with pieces that would seem to go with a lot of my clothes, but don't, because the silhouettes are incompatible! The art of dressing is just so complex! But I digress.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

P.S. All of my previous comment amounts to this: Me too!

Neel

Veteran

I know jack about colours .... But I really enjoyed reading your story and the sense of relief was evident in it. So glad you are feeling sorted and isn't it funny how our intuitions are mostly true

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Gigi that's really interesting. Testing what's in our heads as in, "I can't wear....." with the reality of how something looks is so important imo. Glad you found your blue

Firecracker, thanks for sharing your experiences. I hear you about silhouettes. For me sticking to a small number of silhouettes, rather than dabbling in everything that came along like I used to, has really allowed me to reduce the size of my clothing wardrobe. The best thing though has been culling a lot of my shoes that I wore once or twice a year at most - very freeing.

Yes Neel relief is what I feel & anticipation, can't wait to see where this takes me.

Joy

Veteran

Caro, I'm glad that the colors you are drawn to got some validation. In the 80's none of the four seasons worked for me. I made my own color cards to stay focused when shopping by getting the colors I felt best in in the hardware store paint department. I will pay more attention to your outfit colors

deb

Veteran

Caro, this is a great story. I had the 12 system analysis done last year and found I am a dark winter. Like you. I was always drawn to the colors in that palette. In fact, I was already using makeup for a dark winter because I felt better in it. I think, for me, the validation gave me more confidence. I do have to say though, the one color I did not wear was cobalt and navy/ink blue. Whenever I wear these colors in my WIW's, I get the most compliments.

catgirl

Veteran

I totally agree that your instinct is spot-on. I don't know which comes first, the liking or the realization, but there are very few colors I *wish* I could wear that I can't. I like them on others, but not on me. Lavender, avocado, taupe, optic white, mint, salmon, sage, SSB, and most pastels all come to mind. I never even give items in those colors a second glance. I think it's similar to the way we instinctively gravitate toward what fits us best, then when we learn about body type, it's an "AHA!" moment when it all clicks.

I would be interested to hear which colors you specifically mean, and see examples of them!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Una I've just started a board with some colour ideas. They will give you a much better idea of the colours than I could.

http://www.pinterest.com/49caro/colours/

Astrid

Veteran

Beautiful board, Caro! And really interesting to read of your experience with color analysis. I've also been analysed with the 12 system analysis, as a soft summer. But I'm not quite sure the analysis was done very professionally. I think "soft" is definitely a good thing and I also prefer cooler tones to warm ones, but a lot of the colors of my color swatch feel very blah to me. I often prefer colors that are kind of "medium".

Caro in Oz

Veteran

That's interesting Astrid. Do you feel as though the soft summer colours, in general, are right for you?

Anonymous

High five fellow Soft Autumn! It just shows though, that your own instincts proved right in the end. I was analised with the 12 system about 5 years ago and I've always felt at home with the outcome. Here's my Soft Autumn inspiration pin board : http://www.pinterest.com/dibev.....spiration/ if you're interested.

Deborah

Veteran

Caro thanks for sharing and welcome back from your holiday:). I must conduces to finding colour analysis very confusing. The few times I have tried it I'm afraid I switched off as soon as I was told I shouldn't wear black lol.

I'm glad you linked to your pinterest board. I can definitely see some of those colours looking beautiful on you but some I cannot imagine...will need to see them:).

The striking thing is that it seems you actually knew what worked for you. And while it's great to have that confirmed, I think we need to trust our instincts more. I'm interested to know if there are colours in your "new" colour palette that you actually don't like? I ask because there are some colours that I know look good on me but I just don't like them:).

Watching this part of your style journey with great interest. I did sigh with relief to read you are keeping navy and blues:)

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Yay Diane I was hoping some of the soft autumns on YLF would chime in. Thanks for the link to your board it is beautiful.

Anonymous

I see I have a new follower

I have to say that I do often wear some of the brighter shades the are associated with Soft Autumns, though I think I get away with it more in the summer when I have a tad more colour to my skin. I can wear navy as long as it's a muted navy. I think key to all the Soft Autumn shades is that they are tempered with grey to mute them down and take off the harshness which can drain you of all colour.

Here are a couple of good websites for you:

http://www.12blueprints.com/

http://www.prettyyourworld.com/ this particular page mentions the variants in Autumn, i.e, pure, tinted, toned and shaded : http://www.prettyyourworld.com.....asons.html

12 3