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Color Analysis

Nomad

I just got back from my color analysis, and it was indeed fun! And while I was open to any result, I got the one I was most hoping for: True/Leaf Autumn! (Keturah, we're sister shades!) My colors are "rich, warm, earthy, and vibrant."

I'm so excited; I get to keep *all* my favorite colors. Autumn leaf shades, lots of foresty and olive greens, and peacock colors. I love it all. My "navy" is a very deep teal, which is exactly the color that I painted my bedroom walls. I seem to have been unconsciously painting my house in a variety of autumn shades, now that I think about it. I guess it makes sense that I'm drawn to those.

What I don't get in my palette are black, gray, white, and cool colors... and indeed, those drapes made me look notably pale and kind of sickly.

So if I just got all my favorite colors anyway, was it worth paying for the session? It was for me... it was a good time, and it gave me confidence to go with my instincts. It expanded my range of colors when I saw how pretty some of the other autumn colors look with my default favorites. She also suggested that I'd generally look best in 5 autumn colors all at once (including tonal combos)... I don't think I've ever worn that many colors at a time! But seeing groups of them laid out together, I had to agree that they did look more pleasing and interesting. She recommended not just sticking to the more muted colors in my range, because I can handle bolder colors and look good in them; left to myself, I would definitely have gone almost entirely muted neutrals.

We also went over makeup, which was very helpful because I never knew what colors to choose. I've previously thought I was cool-toned, so I picked blue-red and pink lip colors and then felt really discordant. I once got an orange-red lipstick in a sample kit and loved it, and now I know why.

So now it's time for a closet sorting and edit. My color analyst recommended putting my best colors on one side of the closet, and colors that don't suit me on the other, and try to only add to the side with my colors going forward, which seems like a sensible plan that lets me change over slowly (I do have a couple beloved black and gray things that are definitely staying). I realize there's no rule that says I must only wear autumn colors, but I love the idea of an easy palette that suits me and looks great together in any combination. And the autumn colors make me happy, so it's no burden, other than taking more work to find... black was always an easy default choice.

So yay! I feel energized. What's your season, and do you stick to your seasonal palette strictly, loosely, or not at all?

General

30 replies

Latest reply was from Jenni NZ

LJP

Veteran

I’m the same season and colour and you . I like the idea of separating the closet into warm and cool tones and being more aware of the outliers that are the cooler toned pieces . I still wear a ton of black though and don’t see that changing . I can mitigate any “ draining “ properties or black through makeup and hair colour .

Runcarla

Veteran

Sometimes you just know, and sometimes you need a little help or validation. Good to learn you session went well. I especially like that the consultant didn’t advise you to toss what doesn’t fit your best colours, but rather to sort your closet, and build from there.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

That’s great that you had such a positive and helpful experience!

I was “diagnosed” some sort of winter way back in the 80a when my BFF’s mom hosted a makeup party. It was a little surprising as my two best friends were also declared winters, but they had brown eyes and darker, more olive skin that tans easily. I am fair, blue-green-eyed, with freckles and burn easily, with distinct pink/blue undertones in my skin.

It’s possible that I’m operating on a mistaken assumption, but I do think I have a pretty good handle on what colors suit me. Blues and greens are a slam dunk (until you go too yellowish or brownish with the greens). I do ok in black, but it’s not as flattering as I get older. Reds and purples and berry shades are ok. Jewel tones are great. Most pastels wash me out. Some deeper browns are ok, but beige is just sad on me. I avoid most yellow and orange, even though they are beautiful colors and I like seeing them. If I do wear less-good-for-me colors, I do them in a print or with accompanying pieces in more flattering shades.

Helena

Veteran

Oooh my favourite rabbit hole! So glad for you that you've gotten a result you are happy with. Which system/analyst did you use ... was it in person or online?

I am some sort of summer, either cool or soft - but I basically just stick to cool colours and that's good enough for me in practice. But I love exploring palettes and reading all about the topic.

Sal

Veteran

Sounds like a great experience and well worth while. I like the pragmatic plan re existing pieces too. It’s a fun project!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Sounds like a terrific and very affirming experience. Yay!

My colour analysis was similar -- it turned out I already knew what worked best on me, LOL. But I did confuse the analyst a bit because she found I looked better in brighter/ clearer tones than she had anticipated and she actually pulled from spring's wallet and subtracted some of the more pastel summer tones.

I never actually carry the little swatch book around. But occasionally I glance at it to remind myself of colours that I tend to neglect and that could be rewarding to wear. Also, as you say, it can be really interesting to look at for possible combinations.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Nomad, FAB to be sorted and feel energized! Always helpful to have a plan forward, and a solid starting point. Enjoy the process, and have fun on this leg of your style journey

I'm a Warm Spring, and/or Clear Spring. Pretty much dead right on the colours! They are more or less my favourite colours and what I've worn regardless of analysis! I wear a much darker navy, and neon too. I don't wear black and grey (anymore).

I am though, a FIRM believer that you cannot see colours in isolation. They cannot be evaluated in isolation because colours affect one another. So wearing said off-colour with another colour can make it look fab! Make-up - if you are into that - can help too.

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cat2

Veteran

Soft Autumn here. It has been fun to sort through my colors and pick the subset of them I want to actually wear. I have not purged anything, but it has focused my shopping moving forward.

The Cat

Veteran

Congratulations with finding your colours. Autumn colours look stunningly beautiful on people with autumn colouring.

I was a Clear Winter when I was young and am now a Cool Winter. I do not stick strictly to my palette, as I wear other tints, shades, tones etc. as well, provided they are COOL. The only exceptions are a few pieces of jewellery in warm colours. They have sentimental value to me, and I happily wear them with my best cool colours. Conscious contrasts can absolutely work and even be exciting.

Tanya

Veteran

Very happy you had a fun experience! Colors play such a big part in our moods.

I have never had my colors officially done, however I am quite certain I am True/Cool Summer. I like wear those colors most of the time, but occasionally
will borrow some colors from “sister” seasons, such as “Soft Summer” and “Cool Winter”.

unfrumped

Veteran

Well, having fun with fashion is…fun! Lots of different things can spark a style renewal, validation, or just a closet- organizing session.

I love the idea of using just some closet areas to set apart the color palettes.
I sometimes organize by colors though usually more by clothing item type, or then color within type.

But, I’ve been gradually shifting my color palette to more muted shades and more tonal looks. It’s not as easy as classic neutrals and brights, and I doubt I’ll avoid black in some types of pants.

So , inspired by your post, I may try some rearranging to highlight the most successful and versatile colors and combinations for the aspirational wardrobe — even though I tend to think I’ve got those in my head and can grab the top, pants etc from their areas.

Brooklyn

Veteran

That sounds energising! It’s good to have a plan.

I am an Autumn too. I think a deep/dark Autumn. I actually wear plenty of black. I think it suits me better than a lot of other colours. I’m even currently re-introducing a little grey (which is definitely not my best but I have a plan). I think in terms of colour combinations, rather than individual colours. I avoid fresh colour combinations. That is, combinations that lean heavily on white or other crisp, clear colours. Moody and muted is my aim.

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Irina

Veteran

Sounds fun! Glad your enjoyed the experience and found it useful.
I never had my colors done. I think I have a pretty good idea on that but also I wear colors that I like, even if they are might not be the best colors for my skin tone/hair.

Bonnie

Veteran

Your session sounds so informative and fun. The only session I had was about 30+ years ago, it was a group session so the time spent on each person was minimal. At first, she couldn't decide whether I was a spring or a winter but finally told me to go with spring. It would be fun to have a private session like yours. How did you find the color expert?

Dee

Veteran

Oh that sounds wonderful Nomad, so happy you love your colour palette. I like that advice too, on sorting your closet with your best colours on one side.

I was analyzed as a “summer” decades ago and I’ve pretty much relied on using those colours for most of my wardrobe. I found it quite helpful because its now given me a mix & match wardrobe to work with.
Occasionally I might wear something out of my range, but it’s never near my face.

Anonymous

I wasn't formally color analyzed but pretty confident I'm a dark autumn- medium dark brown hair, year round tan skin, hazel eyes. Like Brooklyn I do wear black, a lot of black, but don't like pairing it with cooler shades like teal and purple.
Interesting about the 5 colors for you! I don't like wearing more than 3 in an outfit, unless in a rare print.
Sounds like the color analysis was worth it!

slim cat

Veteran

Congrats on fun and productive color analysis! Great mood lifter .
I'm some kind of Summer - soft or cool ( not sure ). I sill wear some of not my colors - like black for work ( better with some texture or subtle shine ), yellow that a bit too bright ( skirt ) but always come back to my favorites - pale blue and light aqua-green. Turquoise and silver as all time best for jewelry.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Sounds great! I have never been diagnosed but have always assumed I am some sort of winter - I wear bright cool colors and optic white well, and warm shades not so well.

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

In 2019, I discovered I am also a Deep/ Dark/ Blue Autumn (like @keturah, but also @Brooklyn & @suntiger - if you want more inspo from non True/ Leaf Autumn fabbers).

I was a little sad at first that I wouldn't get to wear the bright colours I love (in the Winter palette), so my analyst actually had the opposite problem (making sure *some* neutrals were in my card fan, lol!) After that, I stuffed ALL my black clothing into a UK capsule wardrobe (little did I know COVID would stop me *actually* bringing it back to the UK until 2022, lol...) & found that to be *helpful* because I was no longer overwhelmed by my choices of neutrals. Yet I knew everything would go well together without having to overthink it.

Don't get me wrong, I still own a rainbow lol! But it's an autumnal one - in shades of watermelon, flame, rust, saffron, gold, apple, teal, plum & chocolate.

Sure, sometimes other shades sneak in (like hot pink & denim) & I don't love *every* autumnal shade (like khaki & mustard) but I don't regret my 'diagnosis'. You don't have to go extreme at first though - I'd recommend buying some scarves/ makeup/ jewellery in your colours, to layer over other colours & help keep them away from your face, as you decide what to (not) keep.

TL;DR: Start small & check in with how you feel along the way. For me, separating out my black (with some pops of ecru, sunshine yellow & cherry red) allowed me to still indulge that graphic/ edgy 'shadow' style but without having it interfere with my 'getting dressed for work' everyday style

Nomad

I love seeing everyone's responses!

LJP, you rock the black --and olive, and every other color I've seen you in-- so I don't think you need to change anything (and black's a job requirement, if I recall correctly? So definitely makes sense to keep it in your wardrobe!).

Runcarla, yes, I think it makes sense that our intuitions are often right... but sometimes we need some reassurance!

Janet, you look stunning in your blues and greens. I always admire you outfits when you post them.

Helena, it's a fun rabbit hole, isn't it? I used House of Colour, in person. Conveniently, she's just 5 miles away from me.

Suz, my analyst noted I was a little tricky on a few colors too; there were a couple of spring shades that were about as good or a little better than their autumn equivalent, but overall autumn was the clear winner. It makes sense that we're all unique, so sometimes there will be a couple curveballs in our palettes.

Angie, you look gorgeous in those bright spring colors! My mom is also a spring, though she's much less bold with her color choices than you are (when she found out I was having an appointment, she pulled out her swatch wallet from the '80s ).

cat2, soft autumn colors are so pretty!

The Cat, at least for those who are near the center of the season (like you and I), it does seem like temperature is the first criteria to look at. The opposite season's colors may not be our best, but they won't be bad at all. And agreed on conscious contrasts, especially when pieces are special to us!

Ket

Veteran

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Nomad

Tanya, your outfits are always beautiful and polished, so I'd call that a successful use of color!

unfrumped, I'd love to hear how the wardrobe rearranging goes. Mine was... enlightening. Agreed that moving away from classic neutrals and brights is more challenging; I expect my journey will be slow and have some frustrations as I try to find those less easily-available colors, too.

Brooklyn, I adore all of your outfits and your color palette; Dark Autumn is just beautiful in a moody, mysterious way (and plays very well with black). I don't think I suit the deeper colors as well as you do, but I'm going to continue to eagerly await your posts for more inspiration.

Irina, wearing what you like is *always* in style, and you always look lovely and polished and chic.

Bonnie, that doesn't sound nearly as helpful! I just googled the first phrase that came to mind (something along the lines of: "how to get your colors done") and House of Colour was one of the first things that popped up. I used the locator tool on their website to find someone near me... who turned out to be about 15 minutes away and was lovely to work with (I had to wait about a month to get an appointment with her, but it was worth the wait).

Dee, I agree that the mix and match aspect is really appealing. I want to build and maintain a small but cohesive and versatile wardrobe, so it would be really helpful for everything to play well with just about everything else.

suntiger, Dark Autumn certainly sounds likely, and I always love your color palette. My analyst assured me that the 5 colors isn't as intimidating as it sounded; they don't have to be big blocks of color... a pattern, belt, shoes, bag, bag strap, etc. all count. I need to play around with the concept and see what I can come up with.

slim cat, I think it makes sense to venture outside of your range occasionally... but have your best colors as a home base to return to and to mix with the outliers.

Jaime, that does seem to be the tell, doesn't it? I look terrible in bright optic whites but ivory makes my skin light up, so just the opposite of you.

Zaeobi, I love that we have the opposite problems (I'll share some of my neutral love with you if you help me wear some brighter and bolder colors? ), and I've always longingly eyed your color palettes, so I'm thrilled to find I can share some of them with you (and Brooklyn and Keturah and suntiger). The autumnal rainbow is a beautiful one and still has lots of variety. Love the advice to start small.

Ket

Veteran

re: color mixing. I find I mix more color than I thought I would. I still look somewhat better style wise in more monochromatic looks? And yet, it gets boring fast. It's just very low energy for me--even a touch boring? What I typically try to do is keep the colors all the same value. Or mix it up with a print and accessories somewhere. I'm still sorting it all out I think.

Nomad

Wow... I rearranged my wardrobe to put my not-great colors (almost all wintery shades, I think) on one side of my closet, and my autumn colors on the other, and it's clear that, although I've been great at putting autumn colors in my home, I haven't been good at all about putting them on myself!

There's a fair amount of clothing in the laundry but the proportions of autumn to not-autumn are similar. No wonder I was feeling blah about my wardrobe lately; it's so much black and gray! (Colors aren't quite true; that orange-red top is slightly less obnoxious in person --it might be a little too bright and clear for me but it's staying for now-- and the purples are a little more warm and plummy.) Ideally the white top and shorts on the shelf would be more ivory, but they're a much softer white than the bright optical white button-up shirt hanging on the left.

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Nomad

Keturah, yes, my analyst used the words "a bit boring" to describe combinations of fewer colors. Not bad, just not very exciting. And it only takes a little bit of another color to mix it up. Prints and accessories count!

Ket

Veteran

Nomad, yay! A great discovery already with your closet! I wore mostly black and grey for 10 years as a winter. I have hardly worn any neutrals since finding dark autumn. You may be the same? I think I had a little winter trauma. After two years I finally find myself wanting to wear more autumn neutrals. (If I can find them. that is the challenge!)

Ket

Veteran

BTW -- Welcome to autumn, my dear I am so thrilled to have a sister autumn here! <3 I'm super, super excited for you!! Can't wait to see more posts about your color and closet edit journey

Anonymous

Yay team Autumn
For neutral/pseudoneutral combos I like:
Black with camel
Navy with browns (esp dark brown)
Burgundy with cinnamon
Burgundy with dark brown
Olive with black

jussie

Veteran

Wow so glad you had fun with it. Sounds like you are in good company around here with the other autumn fabbers. I love the sound of the five-colour outfit, how interesting. Hope you try it out!

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