Color Analysis - 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

Color Analysis

Kathleen

I keep reading about what color season everyone is and I'm struggling with what I might be. Is this an analysis you did yourself, or did you go see a stylist to have someone else evaluate your colors? I'm thinking I'm most likely autumn, and leaning towards deep autumn but I'm not sure.

General

22 replies

Latest reply was from Style Fan

kellygirl

Veteran

I think some people see a color analyst but many figure it out on their own with help from various websites. Do a search for "color analysis" in the forums--lots of good information available on those threads. I'm pretty sure I'm a Deep Winter and based on your WIW, I agree that you could be a Deep Autumn.
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....analysis-1

Staysfit

Veteran

If you fall neatly into a category you can do it yourself, but if you don't then get it done professionally in person. I had mine done professionally in person. I tried an online service first and it was wrong. Online they made me a soft autumn, no doubt because of my green eyes and natural brown hair color, but in person and in photos it was clear that the autumn colors washed me out. I had no luck guessing my color type myself because I guessed light spring which was too warm for my neutral to cool skin tone.

I'm a tough one to type being a light summer with green eyes and natural hair color that is not blond.

carter

Veteran

TorontoGirl wrote a post about the virtual color analysis she had done. She was very pleased, as I recall. That might be the simplest, fastest way to go.

Banoffi

Veteran

I worked in the UK in the 1990's after I got married and worked at an audit firm there. The partners decided that all the female employees were going to have their colors done and bodies analyzed one day after work. (Yes really, just the females.) The consultant draped swatches of colored fabric over our shoulders to figure out the season. I ended up being a Soft Autumn. Most of "my" colors were ones I tended to wear anyway (like turquoise, salmon pink and pewter), but it was interesting to see how these colors really lit up my face when the fabric was draped next to it. Others colors looked dreadful next to my face.

Good luck!

rachylou

Veteran

(Lol re. female employees having to have their colours done. A last hold out!)

Helena

Veteran

Kathleen, based on your photo, I think Dark Autumn is a great place to start; you certainly look great in the dark brown column, as well as the gold accents.

As Carter mentioned above, I enjoyed my virtual analysis from Carol Brailey: http://carolbrailey.com/image-.....-analysis/

Have fun with it; it's a bit of process to figure it all out, but lots of fun!

Kathleen

TorontoGirl- I was just reading Carol Brailey's website.

I do think those dark autumn colors tend to look better on me. I've been finding that they are not the easiest colors to shop for this time of year.

Helena

Veteran

Indeed - but the fall merchandise will be here before we know it!

Anonymous

I had mine done professionally.

Kathleen

Plus, I do feel like the dark autumn colors work well for the winters here as pastels in January when it's -20F might feel a little off.

E

Veteran

I did it myself, after reading a lot about the 12 season system online, by checking to see how I looked in various colours. My hair is undyed, which makes it a lot easier! And I react strongly to the wrong colours, which made it even easier. I'd always assumed I must be 'warm,' because my skin has a yellow overcast. But then I read a post about how it's usually the cooler seasons that turn yellow, when they wear colours too warm for them, and that proved to be true in my case. So I ended up in the 'soft summer' category. I don't take have a fan or anything though; I just try to make sure the clothes I buy are generally muted enough and cool enough to complement my colouring. But I definitely cheat sometimes, as long as it falls into the JFE camp. One thing I really like about sticking to one season (or 'theme' really) is that it makes it very easy to mix & match clothes!

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I had my colors done by my mom's stylist when I was 12 or 13. Back then, they said autumn, but with the more granular seasons, I think I'm probably a deep autumn. At least, those are the colors I choose to wear, so *hands over ears* lalalalalalalalalalalaala.....

deb

Veteran

I had mine professionally done and am a dark winter. Mine was the 12 season sic art system. This system does mot use eye nor hair color in the analysis. My hair was covered in a neutral grey scarf and I wore the same neutral grey smock while being draped.

Anonymous

Sometimes a person has both war and cool shades naturally. I am one of them. Last year two professional color experts with the 12 season program were completely confounded and couldn't come up with anything for me. My eyes are warm, hair is cool, skin is warm on the surface but cool at a deeper level. I just go with what seems to look best.

anne

Veteran

I've never done it and don't know what "season" I am. But I think I'm pretty good about knowing what colours look good on me (after a teenage dalliance with murky colours, I went back to my mother's advice and wore clear ones)

Gigi

Veteran

I just figured out what season I probably was by visiting online sites. I think I am a Deep Autumn. Back when there were only four seasons, I couldn't figure out what I was, because some stuff from Autumn fit, but so did some stuff from Winter. Likewise, there were some real no's in both those seasons. So it makes sense that I would be a Deep Autumn, since I am between the two.

I recently did the color analysis in the Triumph of Individual Style book. That is interesting. It's not based on seasons, but you check your skin, hair, and eyes against certain color charts. That analysis made me realize why I can wear both warm and cool colors: I have neutral skin, warm eyes, and cool hair. That book might be worth a look also, just to give you more information.

Style Fan

Veteran

I had my colours done 3 times. I always thought I would be very easy to type because when I read about the colour analysis online and in books I always came up with a True Autumn in the 12 season system. I had strawberry blonde hair when I was younger that turned golden blonde, teal coloured eyes with golden sunbursts in the middle and a very warm complexion with freckles. I also tan very easily although I do not tan anymore!!!!!

In the early 80s I went with a group of friends to have our colours done and I was a spring. I found the colours hard to wear. They were too light or something. I continued to wear Autumn earth tone colours which I felt looked best on me and most people agreed with me.

About a month ago I went to a Sci/Art analyst. This was very expensive. After a long 4 hours she decided I was a True Summer. It was a very strange experience because she thought my skin was cool toned and my eyes were gray. Then she sent the pictures of me in my new colours and pink lipstick. DH (who has a very good eye for colours) said I looked like I had died. Someone else said I looked like I was waxed.

Okay. I was going to Hamilton for work reasons and heard about someone who uses the 16 season system and then personalizes the colours. Success. In her system I was a Warm Autumn and I love the colours. Of course DH pointed out that they were the colours I was already wearing and I could have saved myself a lot of time and money by not doing any of this. But not really because she also suggested some colours that I had never worn. Now I am officially what I always thought I was.

Summer

Veteran

Kathleen, I think you already have a good grasp of which colours suit you, and you should be able to fine-tune your palette using the many websites and books available.
I self-analysed many years ago using the four season system, then reassessed from time to time as these systems became more sophisticated. The results were very clear-cut for me, and the summer/cool-soft palettes were exactly the colours I was drawn to instinctively, but I appreciate that some colourings are more difficult to pin down. In those cases a professional analysis may be more helpful.
Good luck with finding your colours.

Anonymous

Interesting thing about color analysis. I had my colors done once upon a time, was mistyped and the recommended colors made me look ill. I spend years trying to find my best color palette, and read a lot about it. I also spent a lot of time trying various colors (including makeup). Lo and behold, I'm back wearing the soft autumnal colors I was wearing before I ever had my colors done in the first place. So I've come full circle. I could have saved myself a lot of grief had I never heard about color analysis in the first place and had gone with my gut instinct.

Helena

Veteran

bettycrocker, that's funny, as that's sort of what happened to me too ... I just kept trying new analysts until they told me what I knew (or wanted to hear ... either way ...).

I do find the whole thing a lot of fun though, and enjoy all the analysis and self-exploration that comes with it ... but yes, probably our instincts are correct a lot of the time. Also our mothers

Another tip I heard was that people wearing the wrong colors tend to decorate their homes with their correct colors ... not sure if this is true, but would be fun to explore!

Alassë

Veteran

Torontogirl, that's interesting (reverse correct colours).

Style Fan

Veteran

I also enjoy the process of colour analysis. Well I did not enjoy the Sci/Art analysis but the rest I did. I also love reading about colour and design. My house has always been decorated in rich autumn colours.

I never listened to my mother. She was a winter and wore lots of pink. She had a hard time figuring out what to dress me in. I hated pink.