Wednesday, May 04, 2011

What are Your Colors?


For many years I've carried a small plastic photo sleeve in my purse.  It contains "my" colors and wallet size photos I've saved over the years to help me remember a hairstyle or color.  I know this post is really going to date me, because knowing your "colors" has gone out of fashion these days.  But in the 80's it was popular, partially due to the book "Color Me Beautiful" by Carole Jackson.  Ms. Jackson taught how to determine which season you were:  spring, summer, autumn, or winter.  Those who were summer or winter had blue undertones to their skin and could best wear cool colors.  The intensity of the cool colors they could wear would depend if they were a summer or winter. Warm colors were spring or autumn, and belonged to people who had yellow or warm undertones to their skin.  Most make-up artists disregarded the color selection approach to fashion, saying that it didn't matter what colors you wore because your make-up could be altered to create beautiful skin.  This was an argument that didn't make much sense to me because most of us don't have a make-up artist at our beck and call.  Neither do we want to have to correct our skin tones by make-up for a casual day at home or about town.  Wearing "your" colors does an amazing job of enhancing your skin tones and creating a total look that unifies how you look without depending upon foundation, blush, and added glow.  When wearing "your" colors, you'll find that people complement you over and over again for looking beautiful.  Instead of complimenting your dress or blouse, you'll find they are complimenting you because of your total look. There have been knock-off approaches to color analysis.  Some approaches to color theory divide colors into twelve seasons.  Essentially, all use the same principles of cool and warm, but may apply it in a little different manner.  Color analysis can be a helpful tool for everyone, not just adult women.  Growing daughters who are eager, but yet too young to put their fingers in the make up pot for appropriate wearing can find that wearing the the colors best suited to their skin tones can enhance their natural beauty without make up.  Teaching them proper skin care (from nutrition to moisturizing) coupled with wearing their colors can do amazing things to an early teen's self esteem.  Men can benefit from color analysis as well.  My husband had his colors analyzed in years past, and it has been very helpful when choosing the suits, shirts, and ties that look best on him.  Although many men may think it unnecessary and insignificant, I'd like to say that it costs no more to purchase a navy suit than it does a taupe one, or a gray one than a black one.  But, the color of the suit really can make a difference with the man.  Sometimes people will wear a favorite color or get stuck in a rut when it comes to colors they wear.  Fashion dictates that some years one color is "in" and the next it is "out".  It's easy to get caught up in what a designer somewhere dictates, but if you have a plan and stick to it, you'll find that dressing and coordinating your wardrobe is so much easier when you keep your colors in mind.  When color analysis first became popular, parties were held where an analyst would determine the colors of each person in attendance.  By color draping the individual could observe the transformation that took place when they were wearing the colors best for their skin tones.  I recall one co-worker who always looked stunning in black suits and dresses was horrified to discover that her only wardrobe color was totally incorrect for her.  I don't think anyone could ever change her mind, but imagine how much lovelier she could have been in colors that enhanced her skin tones rather than fighting with them.  


Have you had your colors done?  What do you think?  Are you pro or con regarding this fashion art?  My the way, my color season is "summer".  What is yours?   


     

13 comments:

  1. Oh, La Tea Dah, I remember the insistence on colors! I honestly don't remember what I am but I LOVE bright, sassy colors...vibrant pinks and reds, turquoise and purple. I even like lime green! Don't care for gray but can wear black and white. So what does that make me----spring/summer/fall/and autumn all mixed together? hee hee

    Take care. Susan

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I do remember this being done and I was intrigued by it even though I didn't have it professionally done. There's a certain shade of blue that I wear that people always compliment me on without fail. Pink is another, but I think that pink is a universal color. Yellow is my favorite color, but wearing it makes me look ill. From all of that, can you tell what my season is? ;>

    ReplyDelete
  3. As soon as I saw the picture on FB, I knew. Yes, I had my colors done in Kennewick, then took my mom to do it. I carried around my card also. The woman that did it was a veterinarian's wife... I can't think of her name, but it will come to me. I am also a summer, as is my mom. I had worn those "earth tones" for way too long and notbody ever told me how bad I looked!!She also gave us makeup suggestions and Mom still buys the Max Factor blush she recommended so long ago. I loved this post. I also love the changes on your blog appearance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember the Color Me Beautiful book and I was analyzed back in the 80s. I am "Summer/Winter" a brown eyed blond that qualified for both!

    Katherine

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a blast from the past but one I have followed in choosing colors for myself. I am a Winter...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Some nice church ladies paid for me to be analyzed when a professional came to the church. I can barely remember what they said, except that my favorite dress wasn't in my season, and that I needed to wear a rusty red brown as my best color, which I had none of in my closet. I came back to the idea a few years ago, and started working over my wardrobe as I bought new things. Brown is now my favorite basic color. It does so much more for me then navy or black ever did. And when ever I can get my hands on a rusty red brown outfit, I snatch it up, and bring it home as quickly as possible. It is amazing what it does for my skin tone. My mother tried to make me into a winter all through my childhood, but I am an autumn.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I remember this, and have been so wishing that those parties and such would come back. I *think* I'm a winter -- based on a quick analysis a group of us did in high school home ec class in the 80s -- but I would like someone else to help me out with this beyond trusting my own potentially rusty analysis.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I remember this well. I considered buying a franchise opportunity for color consultant company many years ago. I'm a Spring. I love have my colors and am faithful to them. I gave a copy of the book to my daughter Angela and she took it a step further and has her "Power Color" a rich blue color that is stunning on her. It works well for her and her business style. Fun topic.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Back in the 80's, my husband went on a "date" where we both had our colors done. We both have that little plastic "book". :)

    We both also found it helped us a great deal in choosing clothing. I still will get something that is not entirely my color but he sticks with it religiously... he is very OCD like that.

    I'm a winter.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I remember when the color book came out. Colors can also enhance moods and help people heal. I do not look good in grays or yellows/oranges. Pinks and golds are my best. Browns are right out. Thanks for the color reminder. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness yes, you are dating those of us who remember! I was confusing to the gal who did my color drape. She labeled me a summer. Then the next time I was with her I wore this nasty mustard colored sweater (I loved it!) and she said, wait a minute, no one but a fall can come close to that sweater and you look great. Which of course is why I wore it, I had always worn fall colors well. Funny thing is, I don't look good in them now that I'm older. I really believe in the truth of skin tone color/clothing colors and love how it fine tunes a persons wardrobe, but leave it to me to muck up a rule... :)

    Blessings, Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous11:17 AM

    I didn't think this could go out of style.. I'm a warm autumn from Norway. I got my colours 11 years ago, and they have ben to great help for me. Maybe they've changed as I've gotten older..

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, yes, I had my colors done - and I was a Winter. Then, several years later I started working with a gal who owns a shop not far from my home - she uses a much more detailed system and I learned that I was a 'Vibrant' Winter - I could wear all the wonderful, bright jewel tones so well but I also had a touch of Autumn because of the warm tones in my eyes. That opened up a whole new way of thinking for me - I could wear touches of 'warm' colors near my face, combined with the 'cooler' colors I was already wearing.

    Not long ago we did my colors again because over the years my skin and hair have changed. I am much more neutral now but still wear the beautiful tones of winter, softened a bit - with touches of Autumn added from time to time. Whenever I wear soft pink I get compliments; when I wear light peach I really get compliments. Knowing what compliments my hair and skin tones has given me confidence when I shop and put things together. I love the color system!
    ~Adrienne~

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.