Long, but brief backstory

I think there’s no escape to the trends and content we come across on our phones, from silly pranks to cat videos to corporate life jokes. The colour analysis and theory has been quite popular on Tiktok and Instagram, which had me thinking when was I going to post about my colour theory experience? Clearly this is way overdue, however, not to be hard on myself, I’m on a journey of consistency with my blog and I hope this will be a fun read.

Back in 2013 my friend who was also a colleague of mine at the time introduced me to the Colour Me Theory. I remember Mel would always come into work looking stylish in beautiful colours and outfits. Her choice of colour combinations and elegance would naturally invite admiration and recognition. Mel was a maestro in configurating her outfits, from belts, shoes, blazers to the earrings she would choose. I will never forget the day when Mel shared with me the secret to her looks – After sharing a compliment, she reached for her bag and pulled out what I thought was a little notebook, only it wasn’t, it was a little swatch book with pages of mini block colour fabrics. She swore by the swatch book and said that this was her secret to creating her outfits. She continued to give me a brief of the ‘’Colour Me Theory’’ before going back to working on her PC.

Mel was a Spring and had recently at the time carried out another re-assessment to confirm after years of her first test that she hadn’t changed. The theory is that your season never changes, no matter how old you get.

At the time I was so interested in learning more and had the intention of getting my own colour theory done, but for some strange reason never did... that is until October 2023... I know it took a minute, but I was finally able to get it done and I am truly grateful. It had definitely opened my eyes and re-introduced colours to my life again.

I found the old website that I knew about from Mel, but also realized that 10 years had been a long time ago. There were a lot of changes including the cost of inflation and how it had changed the service consultation fees to almost 80% increase. Inflation is real and scary! (topic for another day) Now in my opinion compared to other consultation services, the results you are getting is worth the cost and is an investment.

I honestly thought walking into my session that I had all the information and knew about everything, especially with all the social media trends going on about colour and season palettes of people, but of course I was proven wrong. Here’s what I learned:

Background to Colour Analysis and Theory

The Colour Analysis or colour theory became popularized sometime in the 80s with many enthusiasts and colour experts enhancing natural beauty and harmonizing colours with individual characteristics, which led to it being used to define style. To make things short at its core, the Colour Me theory divides people into four colour seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The classification is based on two important elements:

1-    the undertone of your skin (warm or cool/ yellow or blue)

2-    and the contrast between your skin, hair, and eye color

One interesting information I was taught was that with colour theory we all have a natural attraction/ draw to our season’s colours. I remember Kyla mentioning that your favourite colours even as a child is an indication to your season, which really made so much sense to me. My two favourite colours have always been Purple and Pink, but more towards the royal shade of purple and fuchsia. Kyla also did mention that some theorists believe that famous artists’ works also indicate and show how they resemble their season and its colours (this would be an interesting research)

Let’s look more into each season:

Spring: Individuals with a Spring palette typically have a warm and clear undertone. They shine in colors that are warm, bright, and light, like coral, cream, and soft yellow.

Summer: If you're a Summer, you likely have a cool and muted undertone. Summer colors are soft, not too bright, and slightly muted, like lavender, pastel blue, and light pink.

Autumn: Autumn people usually have warm and muted undertones. They look best in rich, earthy shades like olive green, orange, and dark brown

Winter: Winters have a cool and clear undertone. Their palette includes bold and intense colors like black, white, and bright red.

 So where do you start in figuring out your colour season?

There are many new ways to find your colour palette. Especially now with TikTok filters and ChatGBT, many have figured out innovative ways to help people find their colours. I personally haven’t tried this method yet (I’m a little old school),but defiantly would be something fun to do.

A simple and easy way I believe is that in our innate self we all know which colours compliments us and which don’t – find your favorite colours and garments that get the most compliments and see where the colour shades fall on the theory’s season palette. You can also consider doing a draping test by going to a fabric store and holding up colours against your face to see which of the hues make you more vibrant or washed out.

Colour theory is wonderful. It offers a structure and a guide to understanding what compliments you the most, however it’s also important to remember that your colour palette is not a strict rulebook. Personal style is subjective, and we shouldn’t hold back on experimenting with styles and finding ways to express ourselves through our clothes, makeup and hair. After all, the best style is the one that makes us feel confident and true to ourselves.

 In my heart of hearts, I really wanted to be an Autumn, but after doing a lot of my own research and knowing the basics of which colours flattered me the most, I knew I was a Winter (in denial of course)… but after my consultation with Kyla and learning more about the awesome bold and vivid colours of a winter season, I can say I that I am happy and more confident in my colour selections today. I also learned that the fashion industry colour trends don’t really cater to everyone’s colour palette and that we should be more aware of our own colours to not fall victim to forced colour trends if they don’t suit us.

If you are interested in finding out more about colour theory and considering reaching out to an expert, check out House of Colour. They have many stylists and analysists, as well as a lot of information on the theory of colour and style: House of Colour USA Personal Color Analysis & Image Consulting | House Of Colour

They have representatives in different cities and countries. I went to go see a consultant stylist in Abu Dhabi | House of Colour - House of Colour UAE

Stay colourful,

Mona