"The best colour in the world is the one that looks good on you" - Coco Chanel
Yip for sure Coco but which colour would that be? Read on for the easy way to work it out and use it to enhance your look and importantly, how to wear colours you love that don't necessarily love you back and still get the benefits of colour.
But I got my "colours done" in the 80's
Yes, but with time our colouring can change so it's always good to do a refresh.
Why bother?
Wearing the colours that work best for you near your face, will give your hair, eyes and skin a boost and make you glow and look more radiant, (and who doesn't want that?). It may even give you a few "aha moments" as to why you don't feel good in a certain piece of clothing and how we can remedy that, and it definitely makes choosing which colour when shopping for your top half a whole lot easier.
So if you're curious
Grab a scarf, a piece of fabric or an item of clothing in silver and gold, hold them under your chin in good natural light, (not direct sunlight), with no makeup on and pay close attention.
If you're cool in colouring, (pink undertone), the silver will give you a lift, make your eyes sparkle, your complexion even toned and your chin line more defined while the gold will make the whites of your eyes more yellow, your skin tone uneven and sallow and create, (or enhance), under eye shadows .
Contrarily, people with a warm colouring (yellow or olive undertone), will look more fresh and radiant with the gold reflection. Once you know whether you come under the warm or cool group it's a matter of choosing the shades of any colour that have warm or cool underlying. (Warm hues have yellow undertones while cool have blue).
From there you can assess which season you fall into:
Cool seasons are - winter - deep jewel colours and summer - the softer tones of the cool palette. Warm seasons are autumn - rich and earthy hues or spring the lights and brights of the warm palette.
Pinpointing your actual season takes a bit more work and involves more experimentation or perhaps a session with me, but knowing if you're warm or cool makes a huge difference in itself.

How to wear the colours you love that don't love you?
"But I love my teal trench and can't actually envisage life without it and I'm a cool!"
Don't panic - I'm not here to be a total buzz kill and restrict you, and I too have items I love where it's totally unreciprocated. Here are some ideas on how to wear your less flattering colours while still getting the benefit of your ideal hues:
Wear it on the bottom half - I love terracotta or brick but if I decide to wear it I'll keep it on the down low, and wear one of my cool colours that will contrast beautifully like silver, pale blue or navy on the top half near my face and everyone's happy.
Add a scarf or necklace in one of your best hues - I absolutely can't go past a teal or peacock blue, (also warm colours you lucky people), and I wear them on top but with a contrasting necklace or scarf in one of my best (silver).
Accessorise it - another way to wear colours that aren't in your crew is handbags, shoes or anything else that's not as up close and personal as a top or scarf.
Conclusion:
It's up to you to do with this knowledge what you will or ignore it altogether, but I hope it's another tool in your style toolbox and that you have some fun experimenting with Coco's famous quote.
Freebie:
You can find the cool and warm palette online or in many books and I have just photographed mine from a book but if you would like your own colour sheet sent to you, email me with your address and which chart you'd like and I'll send it to you free of charge - stylesavvynz@gmail.com - alternatively I can email you the PDF to print. Your'e welcome!
Wardrobe consultations are available now for March. Contact me to book a free 1/2 hour assessment on how I can make your wardrobe work for you or follow me on the socials for more style ideas and inspiration.
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