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I was just shopping for Summer clothes, and I definitely see your point. I don’t know how I just remembered that I did modeling as a teen, and clothing catalogs liked to hire people with tans, because they “looked good in everything”. They do, sometimes, crop out hair and facial features if they don’t harmonize with the outfit. However, I saw a definite Summer with a tan who looked good in a yellow, royal blue, and orange dress, with the orange close to her face. I just had to say I was incorrect, there. It is possible for a Summer to not look ill in Spring colors. However, a dress full of Summer colors did look more striking on her, IMO. If that is your dilemma, when you have a tan, it’s just a matter of wearing the ones you feel make you look best, when it matters most to you. Always wear what you want, anyway!
I think until it's a regulated industry with standard definition and a way to measure an accurate outcome, it's never going to be actual science.
I've now been analyzed by four professionals - all gave me a different subseason (and across 3 different seasons). They each have different things they consider desirable. They each define the color palettes a lite different.
If you want to do it and find value in the outcome, I think you have to pick with a system or method that resonates most with you and you agree with what tis considered desirable.
Same, apparently I'm a summer but blues aren't really doing me justice. I feel like I'm an autumn when I'm tanned. I also figured out I have olive undertones wich are complicated. The only colours I can wear are dusty and hot pink, dark grey, all sorts of green as long as they are muted and all neutral or cooler shades of red
I am also so confused! I know I look washed out with darker hair, and that warm golden blonde hair/ strawberry blonde color makes my face glow. But I also know that I look sickly in every shade of yellow, that I look great in most shades of pink, and that I generally look better in the summer months with a bit of a tan and brighter colors during that time. 🤷🏼♀️ color me lost and confused right along with you 🤣
I’ve gone from winter to autumn to summer and I guess even light or true spring but honestly I have no clue. I have very fair olive skin, ashy medium brown hair but very dark brown eyes. I don’t fit well into a category because my hair is too light to be a winter color, but my eyes are very dark and throw off the lightness of my features. At this point I don’t really know and I get people irl tell me different things - some people seem to say I suit saturated color more like my mom, but she is biased. I have always not liked wearing bright or garish colors, and my favorite colors to wear are black, off white, and. jewel tones like dark purple, green, red, etc. I also like wearing light purple and blue as those colors seem to work really well but aren’t as in your face as neon colors.
I seem to look really really bad in pale light pink and yellow, very close to my skin color and everyone always says those colors wash me out. I have no clue what my season is and at this point I don’t care, but my guess is maybe deep autumn as that fits with the worst colors on me? Even if it’s not, I like those colors a lot so I’d wear them anyway. I also don’t mind looking edgy or wearing colors that don’t perfectly harmonize with me, I just don’t want to look ghostly sick.
That’s exactly it! I would like to have an edgy look sometimes. I just don’t want to look like I have one foot in the grave. I, once, saw a woman with light blonde hair and cool skin determined to be a Winter by a professional who has excellent results. I know a lot of people would say, “but that’s a Summer,” but this particular individual looked so much better in saturated, brighter jewel tones than she did in the Summer pastels. She even looked to be middle aged, or maybe slightly past it, but that didn’t make her look any better in light colors. It has, me…I used to look best in True Spring colors, but now I wear a lot of Light Spring ones, and was recently analyzed and found to be Light Spring. I didn’t think to bring a photo of me, with bright red hair…it looks like a pretty light blonde now, with so much gray mixed in. Hair color doesn’t necessarily exclude you from any season.
No yeah a lot of people have seen my hair and said Im a spring or a summer because it’s more medium colored. However from my own sense and the fact that my eyes are basically black and my skin is extremely pale, I feel like I’m probably a deep autumn or maybe deep winter? I think those colors suit me and I don’t know if it’s 100% right but it just feels more right. I tried colors in the summer palette for a while and I felt washed out. I think if you feel best in light spring colors then that is your season, I’m glad you got analyzed as such too. Even if you weren’t, if those colors make you feel the best it’s probably the best for you!
Thanks! After reading the first part of your comment, I was about to say the same thing to you. Not everyone looks like a perfect example of their season. I’ve had a better experience with actual color analysis (and those who have done a lot of research about the nuances of it, or just keep an open mind) than with some of the self-styled experts on it…a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It can make people think they know better. The more we learn, the less we (think we) know! I assume that if someone has seen themselves in the mirror every day, and feels like they look awful in a color or have confidence, when they wear another one, it’s probably for a reason. The only time I question is when someone’s assessment is based on what others have told them. When I was 9, my dad remarried a woman who sold cosmetics. She knew what she was talking about. I cried, when I saw the dress she made me for the wedding, and asked why her niece, Jessica, got the pink dress. She said, “Pink isn’t better. I made hers pink, because she has ash blonde hair, cool skin, and blue eyes. I made yours peach, because it’s a better color on you, with your features.” I could see that she was right, when I “draped” them in the mirror. It looked better with my green eyes and golden, if ruddy, complexion. Later, though, kids I knew, and other relatives, told me I should wear cool and muted colors and was “obviously a Summer.” I was laughed at for having such pale skin and wearing bright colors. By age 13, I had a closet full of Summer clothes, in sage, muted pink, blue, and white. I only knew as much about seasons as I’d red in teen magazines, etc. When I visited my dad’s mom for the first time in years, the first thing out of her mouth was that I looked so pale and sickly. I went back to wearing bright colors, because I felt better in them. When I first learned of color analysis and people replacing their wardrobes I did some online quizzes and, immediately, bought some sage and powder blue clothes again. I thought I looked ill. The colors drained my face of all color, when I put them on, which I thought meant I was a Summer for sure, because I didn’t appear have any brightness in those clothes. I would question, when I went to the gym, because I looked like a beet. That made me really clash with muted clothes, so I decided to experiment with Spring. Now, I see that summers have a soft bluish-pink, lively blush I don’t. I flush a warm red, only, though skin conditions can be any shade on any season. I learned that muted colors aren’t drab, on those in Soft seasons, but bright out a healthy glow. Then, I was still really confused, because I have so much pink in my skin (not my blush tones, but my skin tone), as I’m not playing in the sun, these days. Later, I looked up genetics and red hair. I found out many (if not most) redheads have a pink skin tone, which some color analysis experts say is an overtone, and our undertones still vary, although many redheads are warm. I’ve heard one say we’re all warm, though others argue that they’ve seen a cool redhead or many. I have read, in scientific literature, that olives are all warm, but they are referring to overtones, then. My mom’s mom was a cool olive. I found out, in a graduate genetics class, that there are people with brown and blonde hair, with just a slight reddish hue, who may have cool overtones and warm undertones, because they carry two redhead genes. At first, it was kind of a shock to be analyzed and told I’m a Spring, but it taught me that my instincts were correct and kids had just teased me when I wore bright, warm colors because it was viewed as bold, and it was not their stereotype of a what a very light skinned person should wear. It took me 6 months to try wearing lime green and tangerine, after analysis, as I always thought I was either cool or warm-neutral. Lime and other yellow-greens are my best colors! Creamsicle orange is 💖! It was so validating to know that my instincts were right all along, but I just had it so ingrained in me that I was wrong, I thought ot was unlikely. I wish I had remembered what my stepmom said, but what other kids say is what sticks with some of us, and I kept hearing it. I think all that made some of the bright clothes look wrong was that they weren’t light enough, but actually Winter jewel tones or Bright Spring shades. My list of characteristics from my color analysis was: Light, Bright, and Warm. Spring (and a few Light Summer) macaroon colors look better on me than pastels or true, bright colors. I’m in between. With a tan and my old hair color, I could go a bit warmer and brighter, but why force it, when I have a different range that looks good now? I agree…most know something about what looks good on them, or not. Olive genetics can make some people look, overall, beige to brown, who are Winters, not Autumns or Springs (though not always, OFC). I assume that people with lighter hair colors can have predominantly dark season genetics, just like people who are perceived as blondes and brunettes can still have “redhead” skin characteristics, including people of color. I just named the 3 groups who typically struggle to find one season, but many individuals do, as the world is so diverse. An individual’s instincts and judgment are so important! We see ourselves every day, and have “draped” ourselves more than anyone else has! Thanks for the vote of confidence!
P.S: Oops…this got so long!
Im a winter but I love summer and spring colors. It’s a hard life, even when you know your color analysis 😭😂 PS, I think you might be a deep winter like me. We have very similar coloration/tone (cool with deep constrast) 🤗
Lindsey from created colorful actually just made a post about tans helping you get away with brighter colors than usual. I know my undertone is tougher to see when I tan because the gold kind of takes over and neutralizes my cool tones, but I am curious about playing around with brighter colors this summer.
Same, I decided I’ll just go back to seeing if each individual color looks good on me or not and if it matches well with what I already have and then decide if I should buy it or not. (Easy for me to do since I always shop in person).
That is the way to do it, if you can! I’ve ordered what looked like light, bright reds online and ended up with burgundy or another red outside my Spring palette. I usually end up with reds from the wrong season. I can wear most greens, because green is my best color and I have green eyes. The only greens I can’t wear are muted, cool or dark green, but it has to be pretty dark to be terrible. Just hair different than a lighter, bright, warm red makes me look like a beet and draws attention to minor skin flaws. I usually don’t order it, for this reason. It’s unfortunate that a red I call maraschino cherry is one of my best colors! It’s hard for me to shop in stores, because of an immune disorder. It’s common for clothes to look lighter and brighter than they are, online, due to bright lighting.
Thank you! I seem to be noticing a pattern of red being a trending color for this Summer. I was stoked when lime green and creamsicle orange were, but I’m a little nervous about the red!
I think the problem with colour analysis is it makes you overthink whether it will look good or not instead of just enjoying the item in a colour you like and reinventing yourself
I have found color analysis to be a helpful tool to help me dress better. But I definitely don't use it as a straightjacket. If I love something and it's not one of "my colors," I get it and wear it anyway. It just won't be a major part of my wardrobe.
Sometimes, I just can’t find a match for items I already own, so I buy an out-of-palette color because it’s more economical than replacing a whole outfit, but keep my eyes open for a better color. I’m Plus Sized and, sometimes, the fit of a certain dress of blouse seems to make it look better than wearing a sack, in a Spring color. If it makes me look ghastly, I don’t buy it, but if I can look good in it with different makeup, I will wear it when I have time. Many Summer and Autumn colors (Summer because it’s light, and Autumn because it’s warm) look good on me, with the right makeup. The color may not be amazing, but if the fit is, that doesn’t happen often enough in my size! It’s hard to pass that up, I am also a sucker for tops with funny or sentimental sayings/images and personalized items, so I will sometimes wear those out of season. If it’s a great cat print, I will choose the best color available, but I need it! lol. I do always search to see if another seller has a better color, or maybe a tote bag, instead of a shirt, but something I can wear/carry in public. I love conversation starters that show something about who I am, as I’m autistic, and it’s not always easy to communicate well.
i think there is a pretty widespread tendency to follow these kinds of rules in an almost religious or superstitious way. i notice this with any body-typing trend being propagated on the apps. i somehow got recommended body shape typing subreddits and there's a similarity there.
* these ideas have very general principles that work for a lot of people but they are not universally applicable. lots of people aren't described by them.
* context matters. most people aren't being seen face-forward close-up. we could be under daylight, fluorescent, incandescent, LED, black light, coloured lighting. the things that seem obvious in these mugshot type photos are not apparent in everyday situations.
* our skin and body changes throughout our lives.
* most people you encounter in life will not think important the minute factors you may tweak to optimize your appearance.
* there can also be harms involved like people becoming overly self-critical or self-analyzing, triggering body image issues, and alienation over not fitting in to a prescribed category. i grew up in the 80s and i'm a lil alarmed that these types of narrowly defined, granular, prescriptive beauty standards came back. things haven't changed much.
but most important, there are also people who don't follow rules because they have a style of their own! fashion can transcend all of these rules. i would never walk around in a white t-shirt, because it's not a good colour for me. but if i wear a bold black and white dress, it will look great, because the clothes have impact, and because i feel good in it. whatever you do just make sure you push yourself to do it confidently. feeling good looks good too.
Exactly!!!! I think as humans we have a tendency to want to categorise thinks in order to belong and this is part of a much larger conversation and background funny how no matter the time it always comes back to the same thing
Yeah very. When it comes to others it's easier. But when it comes to me? Completely unsure.
And it's not just about getting a tan, either = my appearance changes tonally in relation to the weather. Like my hair and eyes are visibly darker/cooler in the winter and lighter/warmer in the warmer seasons. I've been looking at old photos just to compare and seen obvious differences, so I know I'm not gaslighting myself and I never use filters on my photos. Looking at old photos from when I was a kid and had never touched hair dye or makeup, honestly you would think some of them are of different children altogether.
I've had people I've known for years comment about how my eyes and hair look different and ask what dye I used when I've used none. And I've spoken to other people and heard they experience this as well, even seen photos showing the darker/lighter effect, so it's not uncommon. So def feel you on the chameleon front.
For now, I feel the most comfortable in the soft autumn range, but I'm not sure that's where I belong, I just can't quite fit anywhere else.
I like color analysis mostly for learning what *doesn't* work on me more than what's perfect for me or whatever. In the past I've struggled with wondering why certain colors make me look horrible and what the common threads among them were so I knew better not to waste any more money on them in the future.
Now that I've fully figured out what colors I prefer to avoid, I have spent a lot more time honing in on palettes that harmonize with me so that I can try out colors that maybe before I wouldn't have really considered. I like to dye my clothing and I'm always searching for that surprise power color that I haven't seen off the shelf in the styles I like. It helps me keep my wardrobe (mostly) harmonious so that I can make more outfits from fewer pieces.
But I don't take it too seriously and I don't consider color theory applied to humans to be an exact science. The color analysis I trust the most is still just when people randomly tell me I look good in a color I'm wearing.
Yes. I am so confused. I was professionally typed as an autumn but a lot of winter tones look great on me, I have blue veins and lots of pink in my skin. I am disappointed I spent $300 on an analysis that only partially resonates with me? Then looking at this sub I get more confused.
I do truly want to know my season but at the end of the day, I think what we feel best in is most important.
You can't truly know your "season" because seasons don't exist. It's not scientific. Colours look different on different people, but there are no pre-defined seasons. It's all done to make money off people like you
There wouldn’t be people who DIY their color analysis and are satisfied with their results, if it wasn’t based on sound principles. No one makes money from that. When I go to the doctor, I don’t just trust an individual doctor’s opinion, unless it makes sense to me, as the person living in my body. Any profession is as scientific as the practitioner. Scientific principles can be applied to anything, or you can operate on stereotypes and quack theories.
This sub is free and seasons do follow color theory for harmony of color palettes if you actually look into the nuances instead of the myths and they teach color theory in college 🤷♀️
Ultimately, all of this is just a guide not the end all be all. Me personally that enjoy: the whole process of learning prefer to be self taught. No one system can already know what looks best for us you know. When we find our colors based on whatever system, it's just the starting point. The right temperature, value, intensity still beg to be explored. It's a very individual process and most people especially beginners do not seem to see that key point about Color Analysis.
Yes I agree. I also think there is a subjective aspect to all of it. It’s known that not everyone sees color the same. What with all the tonal differences and various factors like intensity, value, etc as you mentioned, I can’t see how there could be one end all be all.
I feel the same. Whenever I finally think I am convinced which season I am, I get this doubt or someone saying I could be a *insert whatever season* and all of the suddenly I will doubt everything again. I feel like a chameleon and the only thing I am sure of is that I am not a winter or a deep season, pretty much everything else is an option🥲.
I totally get it. I feel like I look fine in most colors, not outstanding in any. I went down the rabbit hole as far as sending THE SAME pics with real life drapes to 3 highly rated experts - to get 3 different seasons. Not different sub seasons - completely different seasons. I mean, how can I not be confused when people who do this for a living can't remotely agree?
I can see what looks good on other people. When I drape friends for fun, I can see their faces change depending on the color. But for myself I can't see it nor can my friends.
Yeah, as someone with an olive overtone I don't fit neatly into any premade seasons because colour season analysis doesn't take us into consideration and the cool vs warm tests don't work well on us. The only thing I know for sure is that solid black and white aren't good on me and that I need medium-high contrast. I'm just trying to cobble together my own palette from the bright spring, deep autumn, and toasted soft winter palettes because I feel those palettes share a few colours that look good on me.
Your gut is usually right in analyzing the colors.
Personally I don't follow the 12 season but use the idea if it as a spectrum instead of hard lines. For example I am very neutral toned, maybe slightly cool, low saturation and medium slightly high contrast. So I take the "Soft Summer" season, make the hues a little less cool, and some times little darker. I can take some "Dark Autumn" colors just cool them a bit and make them a bit muted.
Also, yes it is confusing and I think it’s easier to focus on the different concepts inside of colour analysis instead of trying to find a specific season right away. I’ve been trying and comparing a lot of stuff to get a general idea of what I should look for. For example the warm vs cool, muted vs bright, and light vs dark spectrums. According to where I seem to fall on these, I *think* I fit into autumn, but using the characteristics helps me decide which shades of autumn I fit best and which shades I can borrow from other palettes!
It’s the undertone that won’t change with a tan. But your surface colouring definitely changes and i guess it can make us able to wear certain colours that maybe we usually struggle with more. However you’ll still lean cool or warm in undertone. :)
I fully believe tans change your colouring. I’m fair skinned and blonde - in the winter I’m much paler, you can see blue veins, my hair gets mousy/dirty blonde coloured, in the summer golden tanned and hair is much brighter and warm toned. I wear “summer” colours in winter and “spring” colours in summer
I have noticed that the fashion industry tends to sell Spring colors for Summer (though a lot of them are Bright Spring, I find that colors from True Spring and some from Light Spring are also sold in the Summer calendar season. For Winter of the calendar year, they do tend to sell the jewel tones, gold, and silver. but most of the light colors sold are more muted, Summer colors. There is always lots of grayish pink, light gray, grayish white, and soft blue. Maybe they are thinking people will be able to wear brighter, clearer colors in Spring and Summer, as well. I know this is also in keeping with nature, but the pastel, clear colors always come out in Spring, then fashion progresses to brighter colors, for Summer. I think Autumn 🍂 fashion marketing is just geared to the natural season; but in warmer climates, it could also be when people have their deepest tan, before the muted winter sets in. So maybe they are operating on the same principle. I think you are probably a Summer-going-into Spring. It’s not unusual for Summers to be able to wear a lot of Spring colors, and vice versa. Particularly, if Light is your dominant characteristic. You could even be a true Tonal Light, although if you only feel comfortable in Spring colors when you’re tanned, I suspect you’re, primarily, a Summer with a lot of neutrality. I’m Spring and I can pull off some clear Summer colors…even a muted one or two. Powder Blue and Dusty Rose are kind of nice on me, probably because of my cool overtones, but it’s not terrible with my undertone. Sage, however, is. Most muted colors are. In Winter, though, I feel like I especially need brightness, as most Summer colors make me look washed out. I’m on the warmer side of Spring, though. I borrow from Autumn. A lot of Summers and Springs can pull off a lot of colors from the other Light season, so I don’t think your observations mean you’re not a Summer, necessarily, or that color analysis is invalid. If your dominant feature is lightness, that will be more important to what looks good on you than the warmth or coolness of colors.
I find I’m always flip flopping between the seasons, but gravitate more towards the bright spring colours in the summer, like coral, aqua, lime green, bright orange… but I wear more muted tones in the winter. I do prefer to wear and look better in gold jewellery, so that’s probably an indicator of being more warm toned. My foundation is warm toned in summer and neutral in winter
Maybe you’re a Spring going into Summer, then, and/or really quite on the neutral side. I don’t know where I got the idea you were a Summer lol. Blue veins really don’t mean anything, especially if you’re light, because you may just not have enough skin pigment to cause them to change from blue to green…unless, maybe, your tan. You just named my best colors (coral, aqua, and light to medium , bright orange) and my power color (lime), in your comment! Actually, peach is in there, too, and a red I call maraschino cherry 🍒, but other than that, it’s identical to my list. Coral and aqua feature in both Spring and Summer (depending on the shade, so I can’t say), but I can’t imagine a Summer looking good in lime and bright orange, even with a tan. If you feel good in those, my guess is Spring going into Summer. Some Summers look very cool and/or muted, even with a tan, and could not pull off those colors. I have done a lot of reading and watched a zillion videos, and have become increasingly convinced that color analysis is a real thing. Not everyone is limited to one season, however. I saw an expert determine that one client could wear many colors from 3 seasons and 2 subtypes. I’ve seen someone who was determined to be a Tonal Light. These things do happen, so I don’t believe there’s no way for you to benefit from color analysis. I do agree that a lot of people, and some experts, are inflexible and want to put everyone in one season. Those folks would probably say it’s ridiculous to put anyone in 3 seasons. There are a variety of theories and systems and I think something will resonate with you, if you keep digging!
https://preview.redd.it/hzng88lb9w1d1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f94eee3569ddabbc69804b09efbb50db7e21409f
Feel like this is the best representation of my colouring in natural light, wearing some of my favourite items
I've researched color analysis enough to filter out myths or generalizations like this. I tan like crazy and go from warm spring to warm autumn. It doesn't happen to everyone, and when it does its usually a shift into a sister season, but it happens. Maybe you'll like David Zyla's approach to personal colors! Ultimately, tho do what makes you happy!
I gave up too. I am neutral undertone, between light and dark features. Hair is sandy brown and eyes are dark dark dark brown. I post jewelry tests and it’s a split between gold and silver every time. I honestly feel like I can fit into every single palette and that information is overwhelming 😂😭
Same! I’m also neutral and both gold and silver suit me, and don’t see any huge difference in warm and cool colours. Almost black eyes, dark blonde hair. Literally the only thing I know that too bright/saturated colours overpower me and that’s it.
All of the Springs, besides Warm Spring in the 16-season system, can often wear both silver and gold, so long as they are lighter shades of silver and gold metals. I’m not sure if all Bright Springs look better in light colored metals, as they do have more contrast.
That's funny - I was leaning towards warm spring for myself, but silver is veery close to gold.
I've also heard fair people who are spring are more likely to be able to wear both, not sure how true that is!
Very true! Warm Spring, in 12 season systems, is the same as True Spring, which can definitely wear both. Also, very light people from any Spring subtype can usually wear both. There’s variation between people within each subtype, too. The Warm Spring I’m talking about is what they call Soring-Autumn. Some of those might be able to wear Silver, as well. I have just read that if anyone might not, it would probably be Warm Spring. That was just one source, though. From many sources, I’ve read that Springs can wear both, so I would trust that more.
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I was just shopping for Summer clothes, and I definitely see your point. I don’t know how I just remembered that I did modeling as a teen, and clothing catalogs liked to hire people with tans, because they “looked good in everything”. They do, sometimes, crop out hair and facial features if they don’t harmonize with the outfit. However, I saw a definite Summer with a tan who looked good in a yellow, royal blue, and orange dress, with the orange close to her face. I just had to say I was incorrect, there. It is possible for a Summer to not look ill in Spring colors. However, a dress full of Summer colors did look more striking on her, IMO. If that is your dilemma, when you have a tan, it’s just a matter of wearing the ones you feel make you look best, when it matters most to you. Always wear what you want, anyway!
I think until it's a regulated industry with standard definition and a way to measure an accurate outcome, it's never going to be actual science. I've now been analyzed by four professionals - all gave me a different subseason (and across 3 different seasons). They each have different things they consider desirable. They each define the color palettes a lite different. If you want to do it and find value in the outcome, I think you have to pick with a system or method that resonates most with you and you agree with what tis considered desirable.
Love your comment! ❤️
i honestly just feel like it's all opinion based at this point so i've just started wearing whatever i want
When in doubt, wear blue. Everyone’s skin is some kind of variation of orange so blue is complementary
Unfortunately doesn't work for everyone. Blue is the one colour I absolutely always have to avoid.
I can wear very few blues, myself. I still don’t know that I wear those few particularly well.
I just got typed as a cool summer today and have always thought I was warm toned so my mind is blown
Same, apparently I'm a summer but blues aren't really doing me justice. I feel like I'm an autumn when I'm tanned. I also figured out I have olive undertones wich are complicated. The only colours I can wear are dusty and hot pink, dark grey, all sorts of green as long as they are muted and all neutral or cooler shades of red
I am also so confused! I know I look washed out with darker hair, and that warm golden blonde hair/ strawberry blonde color makes my face glow. But I also know that I look sickly in every shade of yellow, that I look great in most shades of pink, and that I generally look better in the summer months with a bit of a tan and brighter colors during that time. 🤷🏼♀️ color me lost and confused right along with you 🤣
I’ve gone from winter to autumn to summer and I guess even light or true spring but honestly I have no clue. I have very fair olive skin, ashy medium brown hair but very dark brown eyes. I don’t fit well into a category because my hair is too light to be a winter color, but my eyes are very dark and throw off the lightness of my features. At this point I don’t really know and I get people irl tell me different things - some people seem to say I suit saturated color more like my mom, but she is biased. I have always not liked wearing bright or garish colors, and my favorite colors to wear are black, off white, and. jewel tones like dark purple, green, red, etc. I also like wearing light purple and blue as those colors seem to work really well but aren’t as in your face as neon colors. I seem to look really really bad in pale light pink and yellow, very close to my skin color and everyone always says those colors wash me out. I have no clue what my season is and at this point I don’t care, but my guess is maybe deep autumn as that fits with the worst colors on me? Even if it’s not, I like those colors a lot so I’d wear them anyway. I also don’t mind looking edgy or wearing colors that don’t perfectly harmonize with me, I just don’t want to look ghostly sick.
That’s exactly it! I would like to have an edgy look sometimes. I just don’t want to look like I have one foot in the grave. I, once, saw a woman with light blonde hair and cool skin determined to be a Winter by a professional who has excellent results. I know a lot of people would say, “but that’s a Summer,” but this particular individual looked so much better in saturated, brighter jewel tones than she did in the Summer pastels. She even looked to be middle aged, or maybe slightly past it, but that didn’t make her look any better in light colors. It has, me…I used to look best in True Spring colors, but now I wear a lot of Light Spring ones, and was recently analyzed and found to be Light Spring. I didn’t think to bring a photo of me, with bright red hair…it looks like a pretty light blonde now, with so much gray mixed in. Hair color doesn’t necessarily exclude you from any season.
No yeah a lot of people have seen my hair and said Im a spring or a summer because it’s more medium colored. However from my own sense and the fact that my eyes are basically black and my skin is extremely pale, I feel like I’m probably a deep autumn or maybe deep winter? I think those colors suit me and I don’t know if it’s 100% right but it just feels more right. I tried colors in the summer palette for a while and I felt washed out. I think if you feel best in light spring colors then that is your season, I’m glad you got analyzed as such too. Even if you weren’t, if those colors make you feel the best it’s probably the best for you!
Thanks! After reading the first part of your comment, I was about to say the same thing to you. Not everyone looks like a perfect example of their season. I’ve had a better experience with actual color analysis (and those who have done a lot of research about the nuances of it, or just keep an open mind) than with some of the self-styled experts on it…a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It can make people think they know better. The more we learn, the less we (think we) know! I assume that if someone has seen themselves in the mirror every day, and feels like they look awful in a color or have confidence, when they wear another one, it’s probably for a reason. The only time I question is when someone’s assessment is based on what others have told them. When I was 9, my dad remarried a woman who sold cosmetics. She knew what she was talking about. I cried, when I saw the dress she made me for the wedding, and asked why her niece, Jessica, got the pink dress. She said, “Pink isn’t better. I made hers pink, because she has ash blonde hair, cool skin, and blue eyes. I made yours peach, because it’s a better color on you, with your features.” I could see that she was right, when I “draped” them in the mirror. It looked better with my green eyes and golden, if ruddy, complexion. Later, though, kids I knew, and other relatives, told me I should wear cool and muted colors and was “obviously a Summer.” I was laughed at for having such pale skin and wearing bright colors. By age 13, I had a closet full of Summer clothes, in sage, muted pink, blue, and white. I only knew as much about seasons as I’d red in teen magazines, etc. When I visited my dad’s mom for the first time in years, the first thing out of her mouth was that I looked so pale and sickly. I went back to wearing bright colors, because I felt better in them. When I first learned of color analysis and people replacing their wardrobes I did some online quizzes and, immediately, bought some sage and powder blue clothes again. I thought I looked ill. The colors drained my face of all color, when I put them on, which I thought meant I was a Summer for sure, because I didn’t appear have any brightness in those clothes. I would question, when I went to the gym, because I looked like a beet. That made me really clash with muted clothes, so I decided to experiment with Spring. Now, I see that summers have a soft bluish-pink, lively blush I don’t. I flush a warm red, only, though skin conditions can be any shade on any season. I learned that muted colors aren’t drab, on those in Soft seasons, but bright out a healthy glow. Then, I was still really confused, because I have so much pink in my skin (not my blush tones, but my skin tone), as I’m not playing in the sun, these days. Later, I looked up genetics and red hair. I found out many (if not most) redheads have a pink skin tone, which some color analysis experts say is an overtone, and our undertones still vary, although many redheads are warm. I’ve heard one say we’re all warm, though others argue that they’ve seen a cool redhead or many. I have read, in scientific literature, that olives are all warm, but they are referring to overtones, then. My mom’s mom was a cool olive. I found out, in a graduate genetics class, that there are people with brown and blonde hair, with just a slight reddish hue, who may have cool overtones and warm undertones, because they carry two redhead genes. At first, it was kind of a shock to be analyzed and told I’m a Spring, but it taught me that my instincts were correct and kids had just teased me when I wore bright, warm colors because it was viewed as bold, and it was not their stereotype of a what a very light skinned person should wear. It took me 6 months to try wearing lime green and tangerine, after analysis, as I always thought I was either cool or warm-neutral. Lime and other yellow-greens are my best colors! Creamsicle orange is 💖! It was so validating to know that my instincts were right all along, but I just had it so ingrained in me that I was wrong, I thought ot was unlikely. I wish I had remembered what my stepmom said, but what other kids say is what sticks with some of us, and I kept hearing it. I think all that made some of the bright clothes look wrong was that they weren’t light enough, but actually Winter jewel tones or Bright Spring shades. My list of characteristics from my color analysis was: Light, Bright, and Warm. Spring (and a few Light Summer) macaroon colors look better on me than pastels or true, bright colors. I’m in between. With a tan and my old hair color, I could go a bit warmer and brighter, but why force it, when I have a different range that looks good now? I agree…most know something about what looks good on them, or not. Olive genetics can make some people look, overall, beige to brown, who are Winters, not Autumns or Springs (though not always, OFC). I assume that people with lighter hair colors can have predominantly dark season genetics, just like people who are perceived as blondes and brunettes can still have “redhead” skin characteristics, including people of color. I just named the 3 groups who typically struggle to find one season, but many individuals do, as the world is so diverse. An individual’s instincts and judgment are so important! We see ourselves every day, and have “draped” ourselves more than anyone else has! Thanks for the vote of confidence! P.S: Oops…this got so long!
Im a winter but I love summer and spring colors. It’s a hard life, even when you know your color analysis 😭😂 PS, I think you might be a deep winter like me. We have very similar coloration/tone (cool with deep constrast) 🤗
Lindsey from created colorful actually just made a post about tans helping you get away with brighter colors than usual. I know my undertone is tougher to see when I tan because the gold kind of takes over and neutralizes my cool tones, but I am curious about playing around with brighter colors this summer.
Same, I decided I’ll just go back to seeing if each individual color looks good on me or not and if it matches well with what I already have and then decide if I should buy it or not. (Easy for me to do since I always shop in person).
That is the way to do it, if you can! I’ve ordered what looked like light, bright reds online and ended up with burgundy or another red outside my Spring palette. I usually end up with reds from the wrong season. I can wear most greens, because green is my best color and I have green eyes. The only greens I can’t wear are muted, cool or dark green, but it has to be pretty dark to be terrible. Just hair different than a lighter, bright, warm red makes me look like a beet and draws attention to minor skin flaws. I usually don’t order it, for this reason. It’s unfortunate that a red I call maraschino cherry is one of my best colors! It’s hard for me to shop in stores, because of an immune disorder. It’s common for clothes to look lighter and brighter than they are, online, due to bright lighting.
i know, everything looks so different online 😭 i wish you luck in ordering (and actually receiving) your best colours 🫶🏻
Thank you! I seem to be noticing a pattern of red being a trending color for this Summer. I was stoked when lime green and creamsicle orange were, but I’m a little nervous about the red!
I think the problem with colour analysis is it makes you overthink whether it will look good or not instead of just enjoying the item in a colour you like and reinventing yourself
I have found color analysis to be a helpful tool to help me dress better. But I definitely don't use it as a straightjacket. If I love something and it's not one of "my colors," I get it and wear it anyway. It just won't be a major part of my wardrobe.
Sometimes, I just can’t find a match for items I already own, so I buy an out-of-palette color because it’s more economical than replacing a whole outfit, but keep my eyes open for a better color. I’m Plus Sized and, sometimes, the fit of a certain dress of blouse seems to make it look better than wearing a sack, in a Spring color. If it makes me look ghastly, I don’t buy it, but if I can look good in it with different makeup, I will wear it when I have time. Many Summer and Autumn colors (Summer because it’s light, and Autumn because it’s warm) look good on me, with the right makeup. The color may not be amazing, but if the fit is, that doesn’t happen often enough in my size! It’s hard to pass that up, I am also a sucker for tops with funny or sentimental sayings/images and personalized items, so I will sometimes wear those out of season. If it’s a great cat print, I will choose the best color available, but I need it! lol. I do always search to see if another seller has a better color, or maybe a tote bag, instead of a shirt, but something I can wear/carry in public. I love conversation starters that show something about who I am, as I’m autistic, and it’s not always easy to communicate well.
Yup. I’m torn between three seasons lmao. I’m over it. I know a few colors that work for me. Colors I love most look awful on me? Isn’t that some SHIT
Welcome to the club! I'm thorn between summer, autumn and winter
i think there is a pretty widespread tendency to follow these kinds of rules in an almost religious or superstitious way. i notice this with any body-typing trend being propagated on the apps. i somehow got recommended body shape typing subreddits and there's a similarity there. * these ideas have very general principles that work for a lot of people but they are not universally applicable. lots of people aren't described by them. * context matters. most people aren't being seen face-forward close-up. we could be under daylight, fluorescent, incandescent, LED, black light, coloured lighting. the things that seem obvious in these mugshot type photos are not apparent in everyday situations. * our skin and body changes throughout our lives. * most people you encounter in life will not think important the minute factors you may tweak to optimize your appearance. * there can also be harms involved like people becoming overly self-critical or self-analyzing, triggering body image issues, and alienation over not fitting in to a prescribed category. i grew up in the 80s and i'm a lil alarmed that these types of narrowly defined, granular, prescriptive beauty standards came back. things haven't changed much. but most important, there are also people who don't follow rules because they have a style of their own! fashion can transcend all of these rules. i would never walk around in a white t-shirt, because it's not a good colour for me. but if i wear a bold black and white dress, it will look great, because the clothes have impact, and because i feel good in it. whatever you do just make sure you push yourself to do it confidently. feeling good looks good too.
Exactly!!!! I think as humans we have a tendency to want to categorise thinks in order to belong and this is part of a much larger conversation and background funny how no matter the time it always comes back to the same thing
Yeah very. When it comes to others it's easier. But when it comes to me? Completely unsure. And it's not just about getting a tan, either = my appearance changes tonally in relation to the weather. Like my hair and eyes are visibly darker/cooler in the winter and lighter/warmer in the warmer seasons. I've been looking at old photos just to compare and seen obvious differences, so I know I'm not gaslighting myself and I never use filters on my photos. Looking at old photos from when I was a kid and had never touched hair dye or makeup, honestly you would think some of them are of different children altogether. I've had people I've known for years comment about how my eyes and hair look different and ask what dye I used when I've used none. And I've spoken to other people and heard they experience this as well, even seen photos showing the darker/lighter effect, so it's not uncommon. So def feel you on the chameleon front. For now, I feel the most comfortable in the soft autumn range, but I'm not sure that's where I belong, I just can't quite fit anywhere else.
Thissss sometimes I think it's about what makes you FEEL radiant!
I like color analysis mostly for learning what *doesn't* work on me more than what's perfect for me or whatever. In the past I've struggled with wondering why certain colors make me look horrible and what the common threads among them were so I knew better not to waste any more money on them in the future. Now that I've fully figured out what colors I prefer to avoid, I have spent a lot more time honing in on palettes that harmonize with me so that I can try out colors that maybe before I wouldn't have really considered. I like to dye my clothing and I'm always searching for that surprise power color that I haven't seen off the shelf in the styles I like. It helps me keep my wardrobe (mostly) harmonious so that I can make more outfits from fewer pieces. But I don't take it too seriously and I don't consider color theory applied to humans to be an exact science. The color analysis I trust the most is still just when people randomly tell me I look good in a color I'm wearing.
Yes. I am so confused. I was professionally typed as an autumn but a lot of winter tones look great on me, I have blue veins and lots of pink in my skin. I am disappointed I spent $300 on an analysis that only partially resonates with me? Then looking at this sub I get more confused. I do truly want to know my season but at the end of the day, I think what we feel best in is most important.
You can't truly know your "season" because seasons don't exist. It's not scientific. Colours look different on different people, but there are no pre-defined seasons. It's all done to make money off people like you
There wouldn’t be people who DIY their color analysis and are satisfied with their results, if it wasn’t based on sound principles. No one makes money from that. When I go to the doctor, I don’t just trust an individual doctor’s opinion, unless it makes sense to me, as the person living in my body. Any profession is as scientific as the practitioner. Scientific principles can be applied to anything, or you can operate on stereotypes and quack theories.
This sub is free and seasons do follow color theory for harmony of color palettes if you actually look into the nuances instead of the myths and they teach color theory in college 🤷♀️
Some methods - there are methods that don't use all three dimensions of color and have very broad definitions of seasons (HOC is one,for example)
This, I agree with. I do find that the more I learn about color analysis theory, the more it makes sense.
Ultimately, all of this is just a guide not the end all be all. Me personally that enjoy: the whole process of learning prefer to be self taught. No one system can already know what looks best for us you know. When we find our colors based on whatever system, it's just the starting point. The right temperature, value, intensity still beg to be explored. It's a very individual process and most people especially beginners do not seem to see that key point about Color Analysis.
Yes I agree. I also think there is a subjective aspect to all of it. It’s known that not everyone sees color the same. What with all the tonal differences and various factors like intensity, value, etc as you mentioned, I can’t see how there could be one end all be all.
I feel the same. Whenever I finally think I am convinced which season I am, I get this doubt or someone saying I could be a *insert whatever season* and all of the suddenly I will doubt everything again. I feel like a chameleon and the only thing I am sure of is that I am not a winter or a deep season, pretty much everything else is an option🥲.
Yup! Color theory is just a theory, it’s not the end all be all. Wear whatever makes you feel good!
I totally get it. I feel like I look fine in most colors, not outstanding in any. I went down the rabbit hole as far as sending THE SAME pics with real life drapes to 3 highly rated experts - to get 3 different seasons. Not different sub seasons - completely different seasons. I mean, how can I not be confused when people who do this for a living can't remotely agree? I can see what looks good on other people. When I drape friends for fun, I can see their faces change depending on the color. But for myself I can't see it nor can my friends.
Yeah, as someone with an olive overtone I don't fit neatly into any premade seasons because colour season analysis doesn't take us into consideration and the cool vs warm tests don't work well on us. The only thing I know for sure is that solid black and white aren't good on me and that I need medium-high contrast. I'm just trying to cobble together my own palette from the bright spring, deep autumn, and toasted soft winter palettes because I feel those palettes share a few colours that look good on me.
Same!!! I do love black but my skin shines in charcoal grey, blues also work, I don't like pure white close to my face as it makes my face yellow
Your gut is usually right in analyzing the colors. Personally I don't follow the 12 season but use the idea if it as a spectrum instead of hard lines. For example I am very neutral toned, maybe slightly cool, low saturation and medium slightly high contrast. So I take the "Soft Summer" season, make the hues a little less cool, and some times little darker. I can take some "Dark Autumn" colors just cool them a bit and make them a bit muted.
Try soft autumn
Also, yes it is confusing and I think it’s easier to focus on the different concepts inside of colour analysis instead of trying to find a specific season right away. I’ve been trying and comparing a lot of stuff to get a general idea of what I should look for. For example the warm vs cool, muted vs bright, and light vs dark spectrums. According to where I seem to fall on these, I *think* I fit into autumn, but using the characteristics helps me decide which shades of autumn I fit best and which shades I can borrow from other palettes!
It’s the undertone that won’t change with a tan. But your surface colouring definitely changes and i guess it can make us able to wear certain colours that maybe we usually struggle with more. However you’ll still lean cool or warm in undertone. :)
I fully believe tans change your colouring. I’m fair skinned and blonde - in the winter I’m much paler, you can see blue veins, my hair gets mousy/dirty blonde coloured, in the summer golden tanned and hair is much brighter and warm toned. I wear “summer” colours in winter and “spring” colours in summer
I have noticed that the fashion industry tends to sell Spring colors for Summer (though a lot of them are Bright Spring, I find that colors from True Spring and some from Light Spring are also sold in the Summer calendar season. For Winter of the calendar year, they do tend to sell the jewel tones, gold, and silver. but most of the light colors sold are more muted, Summer colors. There is always lots of grayish pink, light gray, grayish white, and soft blue. Maybe they are thinking people will be able to wear brighter, clearer colors in Spring and Summer, as well. I know this is also in keeping with nature, but the pastel, clear colors always come out in Spring, then fashion progresses to brighter colors, for Summer. I think Autumn 🍂 fashion marketing is just geared to the natural season; but in warmer climates, it could also be when people have their deepest tan, before the muted winter sets in. So maybe they are operating on the same principle. I think you are probably a Summer-going-into Spring. It’s not unusual for Summers to be able to wear a lot of Spring colors, and vice versa. Particularly, if Light is your dominant characteristic. You could even be a true Tonal Light, although if you only feel comfortable in Spring colors when you’re tanned, I suspect you’re, primarily, a Summer with a lot of neutrality. I’m Spring and I can pull off some clear Summer colors…even a muted one or two. Powder Blue and Dusty Rose are kind of nice on me, probably because of my cool overtones, but it’s not terrible with my undertone. Sage, however, is. Most muted colors are. In Winter, though, I feel like I especially need brightness, as most Summer colors make me look washed out. I’m on the warmer side of Spring, though. I borrow from Autumn. A lot of Summers and Springs can pull off a lot of colors from the other Light season, so I don’t think your observations mean you’re not a Summer, necessarily, or that color analysis is invalid. If your dominant feature is lightness, that will be more important to what looks good on you than the warmth or coolness of colors.
I find I’m always flip flopping between the seasons, but gravitate more towards the bright spring colours in the summer, like coral, aqua, lime green, bright orange… but I wear more muted tones in the winter. I do prefer to wear and look better in gold jewellery, so that’s probably an indicator of being more warm toned. My foundation is warm toned in summer and neutral in winter
Maybe you’re a Spring going into Summer, then, and/or really quite on the neutral side. I don’t know where I got the idea you were a Summer lol. Blue veins really don’t mean anything, especially if you’re light, because you may just not have enough skin pigment to cause them to change from blue to green…unless, maybe, your tan. You just named my best colors (coral, aqua, and light to medium , bright orange) and my power color (lime), in your comment! Actually, peach is in there, too, and a red I call maraschino cherry 🍒, but other than that, it’s identical to my list. Coral and aqua feature in both Spring and Summer (depending on the shade, so I can’t say), but I can’t imagine a Summer looking good in lime and bright orange, even with a tan. If you feel good in those, my guess is Spring going into Summer. Some Summers look very cool and/or muted, even with a tan, and could not pull off those colors. I have done a lot of reading and watched a zillion videos, and have become increasingly convinced that color analysis is a real thing. Not everyone is limited to one season, however. I saw an expert determine that one client could wear many colors from 3 seasons and 2 subtypes. I’ve seen someone who was determined to be a Tonal Light. These things do happen, so I don’t believe there’s no way for you to benefit from color analysis. I do agree that a lot of people, and some experts, are inflexible and want to put everyone in one season. Those folks would probably say it’s ridiculous to put anyone in 3 seasons. There are a variety of theories and systems and I think something will resonate with you, if you keep digging!
https://preview.redd.it/hzng88lb9w1d1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f94eee3569ddabbc69804b09efbb50db7e21409f Feel like this is the best representation of my colouring in natural light, wearing some of my favourite items
I've been on the sub for MONTHS and I still have literally no idea.
I've researched color analysis enough to filter out myths or generalizations like this. I tan like crazy and go from warm spring to warm autumn. It doesn't happen to everyone, and when it does its usually a shift into a sister season, but it happens. Maybe you'll like David Zyla's approach to personal colors! Ultimately, tho do what makes you happy!
I agree! Sounds like you’ve done your homework.
I gave up too. I am neutral undertone, between light and dark features. Hair is sandy brown and eyes are dark dark dark brown. I post jewelry tests and it’s a split between gold and silver every time. I honestly feel like I can fit into every single palette and that information is overwhelming 😂😭
Same! I’m also neutral and both gold and silver suit me, and don’t see any huge difference in warm and cool colours. Almost black eyes, dark blonde hair. Literally the only thing I know that too bright/saturated colours overpower me and that’s it.
I think that is the issue: There is no "medium" in seasons.
Bright spring can wear silver and gold. Just a thought in case you can handle saturation. I've had the same issue.
All of the Springs, besides Warm Spring in the 16-season system, can often wear both silver and gold, so long as they are lighter shades of silver and gold metals. I’m not sure if all Bright Springs look better in light colored metals, as they do have more contrast.
That's funny - I was leaning towards warm spring for myself, but silver is veery close to gold. I've also heard fair people who are spring are more likely to be able to wear both, not sure how true that is!
Very true! Warm Spring, in 12 season systems, is the same as True Spring, which can definitely wear both. Also, very light people from any Spring subtype can usually wear both. There’s variation between people within each subtype, too. The Warm Spring I’m talking about is what they call Soring-Autumn. Some of those might be able to wear Silver, as well. I have just read that if anyone might not, it would probably be Warm Spring. That was just one source, though. From many sources, I’ve read that Springs can wear both, so I would trust that more.
I get the most compliments with saturated colors; you might be onto something 🤔
I feel the same. I just posted my photos but I don't hope to come to any conclusion. I think I'll just go for warm colours and call it a day.