Tailoring for Women

Colour analysis is something that came into vogue in the 1980′s with the publishing of two books, one by Carole Jackson (Color me Beautiful) and the other, with a confusingly similar title (“Color me Beautiful’s” Looking your Best) by Mary Spillane. They rely on the theory known as ‘simultaneous contrast’ that was first propounded by the chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul in the 19th century when he noticed how colours, when placed in combination, will influence the way in which they are perceived.

So for instance in this example, the grey rectangle in the upper section appears to be lighter than that in the lower, although they are in reality the same.

The system you are most likely to come into contact with is that of Mary Spillane’s  Colour Me Beautiful organisation (CMB) which is now a global concern and operates through a number of franchises.  Others you may come across are the Wright System by Angela Wright,  and that developed by Barbara Jacques for her Academy of Colour and Style.

The CMB system, which accomodates all ethnic types, analyses a client from a colour palette that is divided  into four separate ‘seasons’: winter palettes are bright, cool and contrasting; spring palettes are predominantly tints that are warm and clear; summer palettes are tonal, cool and muted; and autumn palettes are mostly warm and rich shades. All are based on the three dimensions of colour: hue, saturation and value.  These are co-ordinated with the natural colouring of your hair, skin and eyes in order to determine which colours of clothes and make-up are most complimentary.  This is not to say that there are inherently good or bad colours, it is more a matter of emphasis in that some colours look well when matched with the right person and less impactful on the wrong person.

There are two important considerations in deciding whether you should wear warm or cool shades. The first is your complexion. Skin tone is a combination of melanin, keratin, and haemoglobin. It is melanin which gives the skin its brown tones; keratin gives the yellow tones, and haemoglobin gives the red tones.

The second most important consideration is the intensity or saturation of each colour in a range. Some people respond better to strongly contrasting and vivid colours, while others seem to be dominated by them.  A simple solution to this is to wear softer shades with subtle patterns that place an emphasis on face and personality. In most cases however people can play safe by wearing a garment which is of medium colour value.

Once you have established your basic colour palette you may well be able to reach over into tones from other other ‘seasons’, but first you need to establish your primary ‘season’ and how it works with your complexion.

This is a subtle but extremely effective fundamental for the way in which you start to build your wardrobe and a number of ‘colourists’ I have worked with in the past are still active with their corporate clients despite the downturn.  Here is an interesting, practical and simple standby that I picked up from them and it is that in a pinch, the correctly matched shade of lipstick alone can make a dramatic change in lifting your appearance.

Tags: appearance, colour, colour analysis