Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson was published in 1980. This book popularized seasonal color theory and is a source of inspiration for all the colored shoulder drapes you can’t avoid on social media. It was also a sore subject for me as a child (note: I was maybe 10 years old). I felt mortified when my mom told me she thought my color season was autumn. Gasp. Woof. Those colors weren’t me! I knew my colors: hot pink, turquoise, purple, and black (this was the 80s). No way would I be wearing any of the snooze-worthy colors in the autumn palette.
We all have colors that look better on us than others and over the decades, I gained confidence in the colors I chose to personally wear. I made choices organically but could see the colors and shades I favored by glancing at my color-coded closet. Since the autumn seasonal palette had been burned into my mind as a child, I knew some of what I chose to wear fit into that category and some of it didn’t, which was fine with me. I was, and am today, focused on whether my clothing feels authentic to me. Â
An Instagram targeted ad recently promised to tell me my seasonal colors, style personality, and body shape all by taking a picture of my face. As someone who considers these details for clients, I couldn’t resist. AI is supposed to be smart, right? Spoiler: I vehemently disagreed with every assessment the (now deleted) app presented and suggest you avoid making big decisions and purchases based solely on a 3 second assessment of your face shape.
When working with clients, I take a more holistic approach to color than a book, franchise, or app. Here's what I encourage with respect to the colors you buy and wear:
Wear what makes you feel like your best self. The confidence you’ll radiate is at least as powerful, if not more so, than any color.
Simplify your shopping. Look in your closet and assess (1) what you buy and (2) what you consistently choose to wear. Do you prefer bright or muted colors? Cooler or warmer shades? What colors do you get the most compliments wearing? Use your conclusions to simplify shopping and create a palette for your wardrobe.
Keep color in perspective. Color is only one of your personal Style Cornerstonesâ„¢. While it’s beneficial to identify colors that are right for you and to establish a wardrobe palette, there are other equally important components to your personal style (yes, these will be future newsletter topics). Â
About a week after my app experience, I found myself in Shreveport, Louisiana at the home of one of my friends from high school. She’s a color consultant and I wanted her professional opinion on my seasonal colors (ok, so I wanted third-party validation of my assessment that the app was garbage - I am who I am). I loved getting to catch up with her and learn about her process for personal color analysis, which is more modern and nuanced than the Carole Jackson book. Â
When it was all said and done, my mom was right. I’m an autumn. My younger self would acknowledge that I do feel my best in some of those shades – but she’d also point out that there are no rules in personal style and I wouldn’t be able to live life without a crisp, white button down (which wouldn’t jive with the autumn palette). I’ll continue to wear the colors that feel authentic to me and that I’ve built my wardrobe around, regardless of the season – and you should too!
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