Colour analysis. Studiously avoided until now but thinking of succumbing.

[WithLoveFromMyselfToYourself]

I’m 55 so colour analysis just takes me back to the eighties and nineties with women who’d bought some mail order course swathing people in shiny polyester in lots of different colours, declaring they are a “winter” or an “autumn” and recommending ghastly colours nobody sane would be seen dead in. I never had it done myself but saw it on TV and in magazines and was thoroughly put off.

It crops up quite a lot online now and I know I’m fairly clueless as to what’s suits me beyond knowing that oatmeal makes me look like corned beef. Can anyone recommend a really effective way of doing it that they have undergone and found really helpful? I don’t mind paying if necessary.

Try the online quiz on Kettlewell colours and it’ll give you a fair idea of some good colours to look for. It’s free. Can’t remember if you have to give your email address or not.

I had it done back in the 80s and it was really useful. Had it done again recently plus a style analysis and again, a massive win. The only problem is when the shops are full of griege and splodge like they are at the moment you realise there is bugger all worth buying.

lol my mum got me done when I was 14. Think she was trying to smarten me up. Wore black for a decade. Now 25 years later I actually do wear the spring colours I suit... takes years off! It's pretty easy to do the quizzes online.

A friend had a Colour Me Beautiful party once to try and get us all to have the full analysis done. The visiting expert declared me a summer person with my fair hair and blue eyes.
I have dark brown eyes.

However I have since discovered that I am an autumn and get compliments whenever I wear autumn colours. So I do think it's worth investigating.

So a major problem with colour analysis is that the majority of shops sell clothes in colours that are not obviously warm / cool and have a preference towards muted tones. To appeal to more people.

So you then find you are looking for needles in haystacks (but I am in and out of shops quicker 😂) One reason why its important to have a 'style' as well as a colour palette, as sometimes you won't find your colours, but you will need to buy an X,Y or Z, as you have X,Y or Z activities to dress for.

I say that but I had my colours done and highly rate it.

I always thought I was soft autumn but I am bright spring, and look best in large amounts of colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel.

I surprise myself sometimes - I put on a peach sweatshirt over a yellow tshirt and was like ohh wow that's a vibe.

I had it done and I discovered that as well as the colours I knew suited me, there was a whole load of lovely others to try. I have a little swatch thing in my handbag to help match colours of garments.

I had it done as well, and it’s made a difference, in that I know what colours to avoid or to choose. It’s also expanded what I wear, and mustard yellow, for example as crept into my wardrobe (autumn).

I just wear colours I like myself and think that ultimately I'm the best judge of what suits me, and don't want to be restricted if I like something.

I think some people are naturally better at ‘seeing’ their colours than others. For me, it’s opened up my colour palette and i’ve tried alot more colours.

<Whispers>

ChatGPT will happily tell you if you upload a photo of yourself.

House Of Colour and Colour Me BeAutiful have both been good for me and no polyester was involved! I have a good colour sense naturally and could see the point of it, not everyone can.

It can't because a photo will not show your natural colouring accurately enough.

My mum and I went to a House of Colour consultation, and tbh I was amazed at how good it was. Turns out I’m a bright spring, star colours being turquoise, coral / salman pinks, dove grey, Kelly green. When I wear these colours I feel great and get so many compliments - people really do notice. My eyes are bluer, my hair is brighter, my skin tone brightens up. It also gave me permission to bin every black item in my wardrobe and I haven’t bought one since. She identified my mum as dark autumn and was spot on with lovely pinks, purples and a gorgeous dark smoky aubergine.

however the pp above who said it’s needle in a haystack to actually find clothes now is correct. Sludgey colours are everywhere, and such a limited boring range in most shops. Add being overweight, big boobs, shopping on a budget and it gets really difficult. Kettlewell are great for colours but they a not cheap and the styles aren’t the best for larger sizes.

Thanks all. I think I’m also a bit scared that my colours turn out to be colours I don’t like but of course I’m not compelled to wear any I dislike.

I’ll look into House of Colour I think and also some free online options as a preliminary.

I think Chat GBT is rubbish at this.
You need a detailed analysis. I’m thinking of getting it done. I suspect I’m a light spring as all of those colours suit me.

Chat Gbt has me as a cool summer which is quite different and lists colours that don’t look great. There’s some overlap though. I think you also need to have your undertone analysed as well.

I think you are more likely to find that the colours you like are the ones that suit you.

I had my colours done in the late 1980s, and again just before lockdown.

In the 1980s there were just the four seasons, and I was told that I was winter. When I went again I was told that I was a jewel winter. Nearly all the colours in my original colour swatch were correct, except for hyacinth. The new consultant also added emerald green to my swatch, and I get loads of compliments when I wear that colour.

I agree that this season's non descript, sludgy, muddy colours just don't suit winter or summer people at all. I often wonder at retail business decisions to stick to one colour palate when selling clothes because swathes of would be buyers are just walking past shops with windows full of greige right now.

I struggle with shops such as All Saints as there’s a lot of black/grey and not very warm colours.

I can walk in to some shops and not find a single item that I like in my colours. DH was shopping with me the other day and he kept bringing me clothes that were nice but I kept shouting ‘that’s not my colour!’

Try style me happy fb group.

I don’t stick to it religiously, but it has its place I think.

I went to see a personal stylist named Claire Watkins. Shes fab if you are in Manc or prepared to travel.

if you’re on Instagram look at Francesca Cairns (image consultant maidenhead). I’ve learned a lot from watching her videos (I had my colours done by someone else before I found her)

Surely colour analysis is only as good as the person analysing you? If someone doesn't have good taste or is a bit thick then would they come up with good options for you?

I agree. I had colour analysis 30 years apart by two different people and both times they were spot on except for getting rid of hyacinth and adding in emerald green. All the other colours were spot on.

Francesca Cairns Insta content is fantastic, she really shows why colours matter.

Having said that I think some people get more benefit from wearing the right colours than others.

I also rail against the idea of wearing all my 'colours', maybe in quirky combinations and it being really obvious. A lot of colour is never as cool as black and grey and white (none of which I wear).

I'm an Autumn so the shops are good for me at the moment although I was in Mango this week and the whole of one side of the shop was cool colours only so I think things are on the turn.

Yes I think it’s very good but like others have said it’s not always easy to get the colours you want nowadays
I’m better in clear warm colours

I had mine done but I find that trying different different colours, ones I wouldn't normally choose works for me. The right colour seems to bring me to life.