Community Chat

[LTT1]

SPRING= camel/yellow/coral

SUMMER (me)= blue toned pinks/grayish blue/cocoa (purplish brown); not much color and hair is ashy

AUTUMN = Redheads and wearing the colors of that season -- golds/strong teals/oxblood

WINTER= most people BLACK/Optic White/Green and blue jewel-toned silk type. Blue-reds Asian/Hispanic/AA are often this. Picture Connie Chung (newscaster) in a white suit with emerald green blouse.

NICHOLE KIDMAN: expect color to come to the surface if she blushes (SPRING)

SARAH JESSICA PARKER: very little color and ash-tone.

MY DD: typed out in a newer category of in-between: she could always wear BM "fairly light" (I was in fair). She stands out when wearing turquoise/bright navy/teal and certain shades of red.

[qualitygal]

I'm a summer. My husband always says my color is mauve, burgandy, that group. I'm a summer. I don't do yellow or orange.

Came back to add, Carole Jackson, wrote COLOR ME BEAUTIFUL. Back in 1985 it came out and women were all over this book. Honestly, it is really interesting!!!

[Trinity11]

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@pattypeep wrote:

@Greeneyedlady21 Go outside, put your arm out, palm up, and put a piece of white paper next to your inner forearm. If your arm shows a yellowish cast, you are a "warm" , if it shows a "pinkish" cast you are a cool.

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I am neutral and that's why so many of those reps back in the day could never figure out my coloring. I have been told I am Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall through the years.

I do not tend towards pink or yellow and I can wear warm tones and cool tones equally. I have worn peachy tones in my makeup and cool tones and people seem to compliment me with either.

I cannot tell you how much money I have spent over the years trying to find my so called Season. My kids joke about how I used to throw the Color Me Beautiful book out periodically only to purchase another a few weeks later. I have bought many color books on seasonal colors and the colors that flatter but always come back to wearing an array of colors that break every rule. I look equally as good in black as I do in brown. Cream or White? Both look just fine. So I have finally decided to go with my instincts and wear what I like....

[Lipstickdiva]

Wasn't this "season" thing the premise of Color Me Beautiful?  Is that still around?  Did people use to have Color Me Beautiful parties?  I do remember those parties but never attended.

Quite honestly, I don't want this to sound rude but I don't really care what season I am.  I know what colors look best on me and work for me and I know what causes me to look sickly or drained or just blah. 

[Oznell]

It's not clear to me whether the 1980's popularizers of of these kinds of color theories in dressing are still active. 

The body of information that has been devoloping since all this started in (I think) the late nineteenth century in Europe is staggering.  There are the glib popularizers, and then there are sort of learned acamedicians who make studies of stuff like this.

There are theories, and counter theories, and then there are refinements and elaborations!  Lots of professional stylists go for aspects of color theory in working with their high-profile clients.

We couldn't even scratch the surface in this thread, but I love the practical accounts and feedback some of you have given.

If I ever get organized, I'll try to post some ot the more tantalizing stuff.  For those interested though, I really recommend David Zyla's book...

[MickD]

SPRING. Blue eyes strawberry  blonde hair yellow undertones.

[Oznell]

Whew!  Although there are lots of interviews with Zyla on youtube, few of them give an overview that covers his approach to style and color.  But I found this video by an adorable Aussie who has a good handle on the outlines of it, and uses herself as an example.

She's a self-descibed "Renaissance Summer",  one of the six style archetypes Zyla says exist withing the "Summer" umbrella.  Six!  But you can see why it's necessary-- the old four season system was too limited and rigid, and too many people were falling through the cracks.

That's what I like about the expanded color systems theories.  They much better address the myriad different color schemes that Nature has endowed us with, and also finally women of color are recoginized as being a varied spectrum within that, so that it's much easier to have a truly customized approach...

The Aussie is a darker Summer than I am, with a little more contrast, and her skin is more "neutral".  But you can still see the coolness in her undertones and in her eyes.

I'm pale with gray eyes and light brown hair, so the colors that flatter me are usually lighter and less intense than hers would be, but we both need basically cooler colors.

I'll see if I can find other color theory videos to post later...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWK-9bGXqEk

[pattypeep]

When I went to the color me beautiful party so long ago, the head person had a very difficult time distinguishing me between a spring and an autumn. It wasn't until she put the white towel over my hair, removed all my makeup, and re-made me up, that she could tell. I look horrible in pink lipstick or blush. When she applied peach to my cheeks and lips it became instantly apparent~autumn.

[maestra]

Spring-love and look best in sherbet colored pastels.

[SahmIam]

WInter.