Unpopular Opinion: I Don’t Believe in Colour Analysis
If you’re looking for a colour consultation, you’ve come to the wrong place. I like colours - all colours! - and think your personal style is bigger than a small swatch of colours. Colour analysis can be a starting point but it’s not a destination.
Colour Me Beautiful
My mother was a Spring. I think. She had her colours done at one of those Color Me Beautiful parties and she was a Spring. Honestly, I have no idea what that means exactly but for a time in the 80s it informed a lot of who she was and who she couldn’t be. She had a little notebook with swatches and it was often a topic of conversation among her and her peers.
A rose by any other name…
And until getting your colours done was rebranded as a very au courant Colour Analysis I thought this way of thinking had been left to die a quiet death. BUT, as we see in fashion of all sorts, what goes around comes around again so here we are once more pondering whether we’re a spring or soft winter or whatever new colour category it’s telling you that you are.
Fool me twice
This may be a controversial opinion but I think colour analysis is a pretend thing. GASP. I know. Hear me out though. Just like I don’t pack away all my winter stuff in the summer or all my summer stuff in the winter, I think all clothes (and colours!) can always be on the table. Sure, my fuzzy knits don’t much see the light of the summer sun and there is definitely a certain shade of ivory/camel I try to avoid BUT even there, a pop of colour closer to my face (say a scarf or colourful necklace - even lipstick!) can change the way each colour reads on my skin tone.
So why do people love colour analysis?
Colour analysis takes some of the pressure off shopping. If you don’t love shopping or if you don’t really ever feel too confident choosing pieces for yourself then having a focused system, like colour analysis, can be a helpful tool. But that’s essentially what it is, a system advertised to make shopping and dressing formulaic. And you know what? There are colours that absolutely will make you feel great but (wait for it) they’re often the colours you already love and gravitate to anyway. Imagine! Remember that your eye and hair colour, the colours you choose in your home decor and makeup shades tell a story. And often that story is that you intrinsically like certain colours. Take one step further and you’ll find these choices are often clues to what colours work for you.
Why I don’t do colour analysis
Colour analysis is a system that is trying to define how you show up everyday. And I think, scratch that, KNOW you are more dynamic than that. I don’t really resonate with anyone or any thing that tells you who you are. Because, guess what? You know who you are! It’s in there under all the layers. You can’t be distilled to a list of colours and I instinctively bristle at the thought there are things (colours, cuts, styles) you can and cannot wear. You’re more than a checklist, darling. I want my clients to lean into their own style. You should wear what you like and what feels good on your body because confidence comes from feeling good and that’s much deeper than whether coral or lemon better suit you.
But I feel great in my Wow Colours!
Awesome! If you’ve done a colour analysis and have found it helpful - hurray! I’m happy you’ve found a system that works for you. For me, I want my clients to find what feels authentically true to them and that’s more dynamic than a set of strict rules and limited colours. I help my clients get dressed by taking into account a diverse set of criteria including everything from what they do for work to what pieces they prefer to wear and what types of events they regularly attend. Colour analysis can be a starting point but it’s not a destination.
Feeling lost at sea without a system?
If fashion is not your strong point, if planning outfits and shopping are not in your wheelhouse a colour analysis is not going to get you home. I work with my clients to guide them every step of the way. We work collaboratively, find colours we like and don’t like and create cohesive looks that make my clients glow. If you’re looking for a system for getting dressed, let’s get in your closet, see what’s in there and let me produce a set of stress free looks that will make you shine. My clients come out of every service feeling more confident in who they are and how they are showing up everyday. If you are looking for a system to help you get dressed let’s make something individualized to you, where you decide what feels good and I walk with you every step to bring that little bit of polish that enhances what you’ve got!
Interested in talking about how I can make getting dressed systematic and hyper individualized? Click here to get in touch!
