Your Colour and Style

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Colour analysis

What is colour? What is colour analysis?

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What is colour?

I can’t believe I haven’t written about this before! I am not an expert on the science behind colour, but it is fascinating where the current thinking has evolved (from Aristotle to Isaac Newton in 1671 to several other theorists in the 1800s and then others since). Also, to note how mathematicians have studied colour too.

Of course it’s helpful to turn to Wikipedia for an explanation, and here is an article that usefully summarises what colour is to us, and gives a lot of the scientific background if you read the whole article. Who knew that bees can determine ultraviolet light?

It is interesting to note that not all creatures see colour in the way humans do, and in fact not all humans see colour in the same way.  It seems that it is down to how our eye retina processes colour and then the information is transmitted through our brains. We also know that our brains can be impacted by lots of things, like damage, age and drugs, so add that into the mix! And there is a percentage who cannot see partially or fully either, or get colours “mixed up” (like red/green colour blindness). That’s why I now check out what my clients are seeing when I start a consultation, as I need to know if there’s a difference from my perception that I need to work with.

So, what is colour? We understand that light is white until is is fractured and splits into colour, like when we see a rainbow. Then colour transmits wavelengths that are reflected against objects. The surface will absorb or reflect light depending on its qualities (hue, intensity and value – see below). Black absorbs all the light while white reflects it.

 

What is colour analysis?

With colour analysis (seeing which shades of colour harmonise with someone’s particular skin tone, eye colouring and natural hair colour) we [stylists] are looking at sometimes subtle differences between the shades and it is what the shades do to skin tone when reflecting light onto it.

I mentioned earlier about colour referred to in terms of hue, intensity and value. Hue is the name given to a colour (like red or blue), the intensity is the clarity of the colour (like bright or muted), and the value is how light or dark it is.

When I am colour-analysing someone using my different coloured drapes, I am first determining whether they need “warm” or “cool” tones (that gets explained in the colour analysis), then I will be looking at the intensity (bright or muted) that suits the client. I will have already taken into account the depth of colour (how light or dark they need for harmony with their natural colouring), by looking at the client’s natural features (skin, eyes and hair).

 

If you want to see how this works, and the improvement you can see when someone finds their harmonious shades, do book a ticket for my first public demonstration on Friday 11th August in Ashurst, Southampton here. There are only three tickets left.

Fiona

Your Colour & Style consultant

07469 246722

 

Susan’s season confirmation and rating review

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Initial colour analysis

Susan had been colour-analysed ten years ago as a “Spring”. She was very happy with this and had a wallet of her colour spectrum to help her shop for clothes, glasses frames, accessories like jewellery, bags and shoes, and makeup.

Stop The Clock!

The natural ageing process affects skin elasticity and shine, as well as hair colour. Sadly we can’t “Stop The Clock!”. Nowadays we are more aware of the changes our bodies experience, and there are specialist products for mid-life skin, as well as great hair dyes.

Susan’s story

Susan had decided, about five years ago, to embrace her natural grey as a “fact of life” and with the help of her supportive hairdresser grew the dye colour out over a couple of years.
This was all fine until someone made a comment which made Susan question whether she could still be a “Spring” with her more mature look, so she sought Fiona to answer the question.

What Fiona did

Fiona went to Susan’s home and spent time explaining how her eye colour hadn’t changed (beautiful clear blue eyes) and the natural pigmentation in her skin hadn’t changed. Fiona also explained that she sees different shades of grey in her clients, which she would describe as warm or cool. If Susan had been correctly analysed as a Spring, and Fiona had no reason to doubt that, then Susan’s natural grey would be a warm grey.

Fiona went through the “Spring” colours of her drapes and proved to Susan she was still a Spring and looked lovely in the warm and bright colours, but the way she may now look best was a slight tweak to the shades of her colours. Susan rocked the medium shades now, not the deepest ones of her palette.

Susan said she could see this, and that our time together had been very useful. Not only can she now be more confident with any new purchases, but as the time of year had changed, Susan had just got her autumn and winter clothes out. Fiona showed her what she had that currently worked in her work wardrobe, and together they identified a few key pieces that would give Susan a capsule wardrobe when she is on the lookout for something new. They spent time looking at combinations of colours as well, especially after Fiona explained the “colour wheel” and left Susan with a mini version to remind her of the discussion.

Whilst Fiona was there, she showed Susan how she could make some new outfits and how to use her scarves to make some wardrobe pieces work better.

Conclusion:

  1. We should not need to change our palette (if we have been correctly analysed) as we age, but the way we wear it may change.
  2. Further consultations with your image consultant are never wasted as there’s always more to learn.
  3. Fiona gives confidence and excitement to getting your clothes and wardrobe the best for you, and she will be helping Susan look for new pieces when the time is right, now we are clear about Susan’s best colours.
If you would like to see how Fiona makes you love your clothes and look your best, please get in touch for your personal consultation. It will definitely be worth it. Call or message Fiona on 07469 246722.

Tips for sticking with your colours

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The goal of every Image Consultant is to leave our clients with a wardrobe of clothes that are not just ‘easy’ to wear but that make them feel good when they wear them.  (As one friend put it “My wardrobe makes me feel like a million dollars without costing me anything like that much!”)

Hopefully, that confident feeling you have gained from your consultation will last forever (what incredible value for money!) and you will continue dressing with comfort and confidence for years and years to come.  However, we are all only human and it is only human to have little lapses or to revert to old habits. How easy it can be to get carried away in the moment, only to find you have bought a really expensive cashmere sweater in a colour that makes you look ill every time you wear it!

So here are my five top tips to help you stay on track and carry your new-found wardrobe confidence into the future.

  1. Your Image Consultant will have left you with your personalised selection of colour swatches so, of course, the ideal is that you take them when you go shopping. If you don’t want to carry the whole selection around all the time, could you slip a few of your favourite colours into you purse so they are always handy?  And, with technology today, Fiona has created some that can be kept handy on your phone, so you need never be without them again!
  2. Make a note of how you feel in an outfit (and if you got any compliments) to keep yourself motivated. It will help remind you that your colour selections really do suit you and make you feel ready for anything. Just a notebook by your bed would do; read back over your notes whenever you need a little boost.
  3. In your wardrobe, try hanging garments in colour order: all skirts in colour palette order, all shirts in colour palette order and so on (rather than random shirts here and skirts there). It will provide a visual reminder of what your colours are, as well as what contrasts or blends well together. It will help make those wardrobe decisions on busy mornings a little easier.
  4. If you do ‘fall off the wagon’ and buy something that doesn’t suit you, don’t despair. Make a mental note of how often you actually wear it (I bet you’ll go with the tried and trusted garments that you know suit you instead!). If it’s hanging in the wardrobe more often than not, could you dye it, dress it up or donate it to a friend who it will suit?
  5. From time to time, remind yourself why you visited an Image Consultant in the first place. Remember the ‘old’ you, who never knew what to wear, worried about if things suited her and never seemed to have the same style confidence that others seem to have. You are not that person any more and it’s down to what you have learnt about your personal colour and style.

If you need more motivation, I have designed just the product for you. It is being launched this month (November), so look out for more information and how you can obtain yours through me.

Emerging from lockdown with confidence and colour …

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This is the type of feedback I love! Helping someone roll back the years and emerge from lockdown with confidence. Just knowing what suits in terms of clothing and accessory colours can make such a difference.

“I had become jaded and fed up with my choice of clothes…. Following the imminent end of lock down I wanted to review what I had in my cupboard and transform it into a place which brought me joy!

The few hours we spent together were hugely informative and taught me all sorts of things about what suits me – some of which was quite unexpected.

I placed my first online order after (which Fiona checked for me – thank you) and yesterday received my new clothes. Apart from noting that the colours were 100% not what I would normally buy, I have to say that when I tried on the pieces, they were all stunning!

I took the opportunity to wear something I would never wear today as I had one of my first days back in the office. It made me feel more confident and I certainly feel that it helped me to look the age I would like to be 😊 thank you for all you have done – it so helped to take me out of the style rut I had been in which resulted in many clothes which did not actually suit me.

I look forward to exploring my new found colour sense!”

Thanks Christine for your lovely feedback, and for letting me share it. I look forward to helping you further in the future.

If you’re bored with your wardrobe and want to emerge from lockdown with confidence and flair – it’s time to invest three hours in yourself and contact me. It’ll be worth it. I promise!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722

What a delight! Carole needs bright!

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I met Carole earlier in 2020, when she'd just started her business as a 'Virtual Office Manager'. She seemed lovely (just the type of person who I'd love to work with). I kept meeting her at different events throughout the year. She saw one of my posts, which prompted a conversation about colour analysis, and you can read Carole's story about what happened from her perspective over on her website:

www.caaadmin.com/new-blog/colour-your-life-with-change

I was really delighted to help Carole examine her wardrobe in a new light. She now knows she needs light, 'warm' and bright colours to light her up and make her look younger and healthier. She's happier in her clothes too, and enjoying quite a lot of compliments from what she tells me! Funnily enough, she already had some great pieces in her wardrobe to work with, and can now be more confident to wear them.

What do you think?

Carole's "before" photo, wearing darker colours she now knows to avoid.

Carole's "after" photo: with blue and pink already in her wardrobe.

Carole wearing a black cardigan over a grey cami
Carole's "after" picture

Carole's colour analysis was conducted in September using the 'remote' process I devised during the Coronavirus 'lockdown' in March. My process is to post a goody bag of essentials to my client. When they receive it, a two hour Zoom call is set up. After that a one hour meeting is held at the client's home to finish off the process when allowed, and it can be safely conducted. The process includes information about the make-up and clothes you already own, and a wallet of 30 colours to represent your "season", if the process can be concluded this way. (I cannot guarantee it will work over the internet as there are some variables like lighting and screen colours. If I cannot be sure of the result I will tell you and we can make alternative arrangements, or you can have your money back.)

If you would be interested to find out how £150 investment in yourself can improve your life, please contact me on the number below. I look forward to your call or email!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722 / fiona.yourcolourandstyle@gmail.com

“Remote” Colour Analysis: how it works with Your Colour & Style

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What is Colour Analysis?

Colour analysis is the process of discovering which colours of clothing, accessories, make-up, and hair-dye look best on someone, so they can shop with knowledge and focus to make themselves look healthiest and most attractive, and save wasting money on items that don’t serve them well.

How Covid-19 changed things

When I trained over 11 years ago, I never imagined I would be able to colour-analyse through the internet! Yet, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since the world adapted because of Covid-19. I, like many business owners, had to re-think my business proposition to make it work in this new world. (Thank goodness for the internet and Zoom I say!)

Because I am experienced, I have worked out a system that works for my clients and me, although I cannot guarantee it will work in 100% of cases because there are a few variables that I can’t control when working “remotely”. So, my system comprises of posting some drapes to the client in advance of the consultation, them sending me some pictures, then carrying out the analysis using Zoom (so they can also have a recording – a new bonus from this process) and completing the analysis at their home face-to-face when possible. A total of 3 hours for £150, backed by the guarantee that if it cannot be completed on-line either money-back, or conducting the analysis in the usual face-to-face way at my client’s home, with adequate safety measures in place.

A recent client example

I recently had the delight to conduct an analysis for the lovely Suzy, who helpfully (as a seasoned brand photographer) was able to take her own before and after pictures! I think you’ll agree they are stunning and show how the harmonious “autumn” colour shades create rapport with her features and make her look the warm and friendly person she is.

We discovered she was an “autumn”, meaning that she needs warm and soft colours to best combine with her natural skin tone, hair colouring and eyes. As it happened, one of those colours (a teal or kingfisher) she had chosen as her business brand colour, so she obviously loved it.

Suzy’s “before” photo

Suzy Ellis' "before" photo
Suzy Ellis in a bright blue (“winter”) dress – before she realised she needed warm and soft colours to make her look her best

Suzy Ellis' "after" picture
Suzy Ellis in her autumn top that she loved, and which loved her!

As part of the analysis I offer, I like to connect the theory with my client’s reality – and that involves discussion about the clothes they already own. It may be that I can give advice about making something work better; combining items that the client had never thought of; or what to do with something that the client is ready to put away or move on as they now know it is not best for them. All clients declare, as did Suzy, that this would be the scariest bit, but I can reveal that 100% of my clients afterwards say this is “the best bit” (I think because it makes the theory come alive and is practical for them).

The Client’s Perspective

Suzy kindly wrote about her experience, from the client’s perspective, and I am delighted to share it here with you.

The words of Suzy Ellis, Brand Photographer

” I’ve never been particularly into fashion, much preferring comfort over style. However I recently met Fiona in a networking meeting and what she had to say really grabbed my attention. I decided to join her online clothing swap as I was getting very depressed wearing the same tatty jeans and ancient T-shirt’s every day and thought this could be the opportunity for a change. My body shape and size has changed since having children so my wardrobe was full of clothes which I was desperately hanging onto in the hopes that I might fit back into them one day. Fiona’s event seemed like the perfect opportunity to get some new clothes. 

The event was great fun and I ended up with some lovely new items, however one thing I did notice was that the other ladies on the call all seemed to be aware of their “colours”. This is something I’ve never really considered before.  I’d always just bought clothes which I liked the look of and which (I hoped) were a flattering style. It never really occurred to me that there were specific colours which would compliment my skin tone, hair and eye colour. That would make me look healthy and bright.. and that would cause people to actually compliment me on my outfit (not a common occurrence for me). 

After chatting with Fiona I booked one of her remote colour and style consultations. She explained how it would work, partly via zoom meeting and partly face to face when we were able to safely work together. She then arranged for me to have a pack of colour charts, multi coloured swatches and a colour wheel delivered to my house. I sent Fiona some images before the consultation of my face without makeup or jewellery so she could see my skin, eye and hair colour.

The Zoom Meeting

The Zoom meeting was fantastic! Fiona explained all of the seasonal colours to me and how and why colours compliment each other. We discussed my usual clothes and what colours I usually wear and why. I then used the colour swatches to hold up near my face for Fiona to see which tones suited me best. We both came to the conclusion that autumn colours worked best with my complexion. Afterwards, Fiona helped me go through some of the items in my wardrobe to see whether they would work with my colouring. It wasn’t just a case of … no that doesn’t work, get rid of it. She recommended how I could accessorise some of my clothes to make them look better, possibly take them to a tailor to be adjusted or even save some of the nicer items for my daughter when she is a bit older. I was slightly worried about this part of the consultation as my wardrobe is not something I’m proud of, but Fiona was so wonderful. She didn’t bat an eyelid about the random things I pulled out, and even encouraged me to give some of my older clothes a second chance. It was a lovely experience and I am very much looking forward to our meeting in person to talk a little more about makeup and accessories. 

I have now had a sort out of my wardrobe and bought some new items in colours which I’ve never considered before but I think will suit me. I’m looking forward to going shopping again with my colour palette and I finally feel like I can spend my money wisely on clothes that I will actually wear and feel happy and confident in. “

Fiona says:

I am delighted that this analysis was able to be concluded for Suzy, and that she is now on her way to looking her best every day with ease.

If you want to see what can happen for you, Fiona can offer on-line analysis, as well as wardrobe consultations and support if you are buying new clothes, whether that’s brand new, or just new for you (ie previously loved).

Suzy’s website is here for anyone wanting her help for their brand photography.

 

Suzy having finished her "remote" colour analysis
Suzy in relaxed pose, happy after her “remote” colour analysis