Has this trend hit your neighborhood? The one where you go to a colors expert and they analysis your skin, hair, eyes, etc to determine your best colors to wear? It is all the rage in my ‘hood for sure.
I’ll admit, when I first heard about this trend taking off my reaction was “don’t you already know what colors you look best in? Didn’t your mom drill that into you as you were growing up?”
But I quickly realized that not all mothers have the talent that mine does – she is a studio artist and by nature analyzes what colors work together. She is an interior designer who understands proportion and scale. She believes in follow what works for your body and features and not falling victim to trends that do not work for you – from cuts & styles to colors. And she was never afraid to tell me that my favorite sweater washed me out and left me looking pale and drab. In fact, I remember a particular sweater that mysteriously went missing and I was crushed because I wore it at least once a week. I found it years later stashed in the back of the laundry room storage closet only to realize that she had done me a favor by taking it firmly out of my rotation. Thanks mom.
As I realized that not everyone got to grow up with a mom who taught them to analyze these things, I saw why this trend was hot and getting hotter. And I totally get it – you need to know what colors you look best in.
Since I have inherited many of my mom’s gifts and fine-tuned them with a degree in fashion design and experience working as a stylist in NYC before the kids came along, I feel I have a pretty good sense of what works for me but even I got curious…
Was I right based on the “science” behind what colors work for you? Would “knowing” my colors allow me more confidence in fashion choices? Would it help me Marie-Kondo my closet & finally let got of some pieces that I loved when I bought but never seem to wear?
Since I was curious but not ready to plunk down the cash for an in-person consult, I started to research the theories and see if it was something I was comfortable DIY-ing. Turned out, it was very up my ally – basically you are finding your skin’s undertones (mine are pink-based or “cool”), looking at your natural hair color (mine is what hair colorist dub dark ash blonde but does have some hints of red), and looking at your eye color (mine are firmly steel-blue to grey-green). For me, this is all very easy stuff. But the quote below reminded me that easy for me is not easy for all:
Since I know this falls into my superpower range, I feel very confident in my findings. But I know that this sounds super foreign to many – and for that I totally recommend a Houston-based color consultant, Laura Czapski with House of Colour. I have met Laura in-person, know many who have worked with her or Karen, who trained Laura, and all have been so happy with the experience – some even proclaiming it “life-changing”. Now that is a testament.
I used these websites to determine my colors :
Do You Know What Colors Look best on You? Quiz
Which Season Are You? The Concept Wardrobe
Colour & Style Quizzes | Kettlewell
After I went through the process from a few different sources and came to the same result every time, I felt sure that my assessment was correct. I am a “Summer” and a light or soft summer to be more specific.
Source: Teal Inspiration
My next step was to reach out to Laura and get a handy swatch book to see what colors fell into my range and compare with my closet. While I was not surprised to see that most of my power colors are in the blue tones with some purples and pinks, it did make me feel confident that I had been on the right track. I have even made a few recent purchases with my reference card in hand and loved every piece that I have bought as a result…
So while I may not have gone all in with an in-person consult, I do feel like this 80s-trend’s resurgence is valid and everyone should know their colors, wether you mama taught you growing up or you need a little expert help.
What do you think? Do you know your colors? And if so, has it changed the way you dress or shop?? Let me know in the comments!
XOXO
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