Earlier today I was talking to Melissa Nicholson, founder of fabulous Kettlewell Colours. She’s asked me to do a Facebook Live next week for the Colour Club which is a group of about 20,000 women who are passionate about the Kettlewell brand and all things colour and style. We discussed possible topics and settled on a braod theme of dressing to please yourself.
The reason I am keen to cover this is that there is an overwhelming amount of information on colour and style available online from all sorts of different sources (some well-informed, some less so) and, perhaps not surprisingly, some of it is contradictory. Trying to absorb and apply all this conflicting information leaves some women so confused that, by the time they book in to see me, they’re feeling overwhelmed and no longer trust their own judgement.
I feel sorry and frustrated on their behalf as exploring colour and style should be a liberating and confidence-boosting experience.
Colour Analysis
There are various approaches to colour analysis but the two main ones are seasonal and tonal.
The tonal system of colour analysis takes account of hair colour as well as eye colour and skin tone, whereas some seasonal systems exclude hair colour from the analysis altogether. Exponents of the seasonal system believe that your palette is fixed for life – regardless of changes to hair colour and the hormonal upheaval of pregnancy and menopause. Those, like me, who use the tonal system believe that your colour palette can shift over time due to changes in hair colour, skin tone and sometimes a softening of eye colour. This can also lead to differing levels of contrast to our colouring as we age.
Some forms of colour analysis are very prescriptive in terms of how many colours you should have in an outfit and where those colours should be worn on the body. Some people like this approach because they enjoy following rules – it’s almost like painting by numbers! Personally, I encourage my clients to wear the colours in their palette that bring them most joy and to be led by their personal preferences as to how many colours they want to wear together. Your personality will play a strong part in this. For example, let’s take someone who has vibrant colouring ( lots of contrast between her hair, eyes and skin tone) and a cool undertone. Tonal analysis would classify this person as Clear (vibrant) & Cool; in seasonal terms she would likely be Winter.
A Clear with a bold Dramatic style personality will love combining multiple bold colours because she adores the limelight. However, someone with the same colouring who has a more low-key personality will feel self-conscious wearing her colours in that way. She may therefore prefer to wear a neutral colour for the main outfit and just add a couple of vibrant colour pops with accessories. Same colour palette; different ways of wearing it.
Regardless of whether you favour the seasonal or the tonal approach, it’s so important to keep sight of what YOU like. It’s normal to feel challenged by some of the colours in your palette. Part of the reason for having a colour analysis is to broaden your horizons and introduce you to shades you might not have considered before but which look wonderful on you. However, if you’re consistently being shown colours and combinations of colours that you dislike and feel uncomfortable in, something has gone wrong with the process. Share your misgivings with your colour analyst.
You don’t have to wear colours you don’t like just because you’ve been told they suit you! You don’t have to wear a set number of colours if that makes you feel too conspicuous!
Style Personality
Different companies have different approaches to style personality. Some believe that your body architecture has a bearing on your style personality. Under this approach, for example, if you are tall and angular, you are unlikely to be deemed to have a romantic style personality. The approach I follow separates body architecture and style personality, so it’s perfectly possible to have a client who is tall and angular but also happens to have a romantic style personality and wants to look pretty and feminine. The key to honouring this woman’s style personality whilst complementing her body shape would be for her to wear some of the prettier colours within her colour palette and add feminine touches with makeup and accessories.
You don’t have to wear clothes that you don’t feel express the true you!
Body Shape
Received wisdom is that the ideal body shape is an hourglass, where the hips and shoulders are in line and there is a defined waist. The aim has therefore been to help the client create the illusion of being this shape through wearing particular colours and styles of clothing. However, these days, I think it’s more helpful to understand how the client feels about her shape and how she would like to be seen. For example, not every woman with a big bottom or full bust wants to minimise it – some may be proud of having a womanly shape and want to show it off. Likewise, another woman may be proud of the athletic frame that she has worked hard to achieve and want to show that off.
As a stylist, I try not to make assumptions about how you want to look; I help you explore how you want to present yourself and what you like and don’t like about your body. That way, we can establish guidelines that will help you to dress in a way that makes you feel your most attractive and suthentic self. Above all, I want to provide the knowlege and confidence for you to do YOU!
You don’t have to slavishly follow styling rules that don’t make you feel comfortable and confident in your clothes!
Clothes are a wellness tool. You are a unique individual and should leave your colour and style consultation feeling confident and excited by the opportunity to be the best version of YOU.