The Colour Season theory, forty years later

Forty-some years ago, my girlfriends Merle and Ruth gave me a Colour Me Beautiful analysis for a birthday gift. In 1980, this was the height of fashion. Back then, my new boarder introduced herself by saying, "I'm a Summer, so don't worry, I won't raid your closet."

What a promise: Free from wearing the wrong colours, a woman would be more confident, more attractive, and never make a bad buying decision again!

After work one Friday, Antonio, a hair stylist who had added colour analysis to his services, handed me  a stark white smock, then theatrically rotated the salon chair each time that he placed scarves in various hues close to my face— a dizzying effect, because he had also liberally poured prosecco. Even tipsy, I could see how beiges bled me, and was mentally filling donation bags by a half-hour in.

The Winter wallet

I wobbled out a Winter, clutching my official swatch wallet. I was not thrilled: I thought that I'd get to build my own wallet from colours I actually liked, and there was not a scrap of ivory or camel in its accordian-fold. But I spent the '80s in black anyway, shunning the jewel tones that are said to make Winters sparkle. Sorry, Merle and Ruth.

Iterations of the colour analysis system have kicked around like shoulder pads, never really gone, but now, a client can submit photos and then meet a consultant via Zoom—or there's the DIY approach. The original book, Colour Me Beautiful by JoAnne Richmond, is still in print. Image consultant's blogs are stuffed with the theory and examples. (Writer Anuschka Rees' blog series provides a succinct and flexible four-season tour.)

Colour analysis is not based on body shape or size; it's inclusive. Each season is as desirable as the others, provided (and some women are crushed when this happens), one has not been misdiagnosed. There is no goal, no accountability; you leave with a colour wallet, not points booklet. 

However, the newly-Seasoned may have a hard time finding their particular palette; I rarely find the blue-violet that I prefer to royal blue. I took heart when one of the new crop of consultants wrote, "No colour is off limits if you keep it away from your face. Work with scarves and the right lipstick shade."

For me, the system falls short because it ignores the link between colour and personality, and, just as significantly, the factors of climate and culture. In sunny, hot locales, dark colours look heavy and out of place. In some cultures, all-black garments on a woman signal mourning, in others, she is read as a fashion editor.  

During a mall walk earlier this month, when driving sleet made sidewalks perilous, I admired a  Saint Laurent classic black le smoking, and a sand jersey dress formed by a sole snaking seam. 

Saint Laurent tuxedo jacket in grain de poudre

The boutique showed clothes only in black, and beiges from cream to caramel. The palette was so somber that I thought, "I guess if you are spending many thousands of dollars on one item, you want a neutral you can wear forever."

Then I laughed at myself: that's a middle-class person's thinking. 'Wear forever ' may not be the key criterion for someone who can drop nearly $8, 000 for a trouser suit. At Gucci, colour reigned; the overall effect was lighthearted; I  wanted to bite this silk shirt: 


Might be an idea, I thought to wear more red for 2025—the little wallet still in my drawer reminds me that colour is meant to be fun! 

Surely my Winter-mate Dame Maggie Smith enjoyed wearing this extraordinary, seasonally-correct blue, black and green faux fur coat, and an emerald green Puzzle bag in her final photo shoot, for Loewe. (If there is a heaven, Dame Maggie, be an angel and lend me your coat.)


It's more of a slog to find interesting and refined colours at lower price points; I'm looking for subtle mixes like this multi-striped Benetton jacket (now s/o online); not my season (I'm guessing it's Spring), but a standout:


You probably know which colours vivify you, and which drain. I found, once I earned my gray hair, that I could wear many colours in the other cool-colour season, Summer. As we roll up the years, colour sense, rather than rigid prescriptions, supports the sense of well-being and pleasure.

Leave us a comment! Do you follow "colour season" advice? Have you found your choices constant, or have they changed over time? 

Is there a colour you seek, but has vanished from the merchants' racks? 



 

Comments

LauraH said…
This post brought back memories:-) I had my colours done many years ago, like you, when the Colour Me beautiful craze was everywhere. After a number of years I wasn't satisfied with the choices so I did a second consultation with Christine Scaman (https://12blueprints.com) based on a more nuanced seasonal palette and came out Bright Spring. It was perfect for me as it contained many of my favourite colours and was wide ranging.

Have to say I don't pull out my colour fan much these days but it was incredibly helpful for many years. It wasn't easy to get rid of clothes that didn't look good on me (to say the least!) and it wasn't always easy to find colours I wanted. The right combination of colour, size, fit, etc could be discouragingly hard to find but the palette encouraged me to be patient and not buy just because the item was available. Now everything in my closet works with everything else which is such a pleasure. Also cuts wayyyyy down on my shopping as I can quickly scan a store to see if anything will work for me. All in all my second colour analysis was well worth the cost and the effort.
Barbara said…
Sometimes I miss the Eighties where everything in my closet (husbands as well) was black. Now with grey hair and fair skin, black isn't an option anymore, so navyblue is the better choice.
Like you, I can't wear those jewel colors, but I am still on the "cool" side. My best colors are pink, a deep green and grey. And I'm always on the hunt for a dark blueish grey. Bompard once sold it, but not anymore.
Jill Ann said…
I’ve never had a color analysis done, although I admit I’m curious. Based on the colors I’m drawn to, and think flatter me, I suspect I’m a summer. Or maybe winter, although I thought winters were more high contrast than I am. Over time, I realized beige near my face looks awful, and I tend to get compliments when I wear ice blue or shades of green or turquoise. One reason I haven’t had a color analysis done is the (probably silly) fear that I’d be told I’m an autumn, and would then have to wear all those colors I don’t like! (On me. No offense to autumns!)
Jean S said…
I'm wincing. My sister went all in on "Color Me Beautiful" and was a complete PITA about it.
Laura J said…
I had my colours done too, back when my hair was very (naturally) dark and skin cheerfully youthful. Many of the suggested colours I’d never wear but a few, dark green, burgundy I still wear. Like Barbara black is a bit much next to my face but I generally wear scarves to break up the black. I was in a big grey phase but have recently discovered it does not work. Weirdly, since I have eschewed pink forever I now have a few items …go figure. Colour is challenging! What always works ? Pearls !!,
Duchesse said…
LauraH: There were times when I rebelled and bought things like an ivory sweater and then knew, knew the analysis was right. It is interesting that the system has expanded (there were no 'shoulder seasons' when I had it done.)
Duchesse said…
Barbara: Bompard colours come and go, I waited years for a certain green (now called Zurich) to show up again. It is a very saturated green with no yellow undertone, nor blue. But they never brought back a particular raspberry colour... maybe next year.
Duchesse said…
Jill Ann: Have a look at the site I linked to, because it generously gives the essentials with many examples. But as the originator herself said, go with your intuition. She also said that if you use a colour a lot in your decor, you probably wear it well.
Duchesse said…
Jean S: Just when you thought you had finally escaped...
Duchesse said…
Though absolutely no expert, I believe there is a pink for every woman, and it makes persons with white skin look healthy. Pink on a person with olive to dark skin is stunning and they can wear the strong pinks like fuchsia without looking 'loud'. For pearls, the undertone (warm or cool) is important to how they look. I can't wear the gold South Seas at all.
Jane in London said…
Oh my goodness, this is a real 'blast from the past'! Which of us didn't buy the book... I think that the whole seasonal colour analysis system was a huge boon to many in helping them to understand what colours and shades they should seek out and which they should avoid (provided, of course, they had a good colour analyst).

I never had my colours 'done' but avidly read books and articles about it. In truth, though, I never felt comfortable with it because it seemed too restrictive for me. As the years went by, i saw which colours looked good on me, and which didn't - and realised that I could wear most colours, as long as I got the shade and saturation right and paired it with the right makeup. I also found some colours looked great on me in summer, but flat in winter.

Like most women do, I eventually refined the neutrals and colours I liked best on me and have been happy to largely stick with them. I sometimes toy with the idea of getting an analysis done, but not to the extent of actually doing anything about it...
Duchesse said…
Ms. Liz : What a heartening endorsement! Would you be willing to share the name of the person with whom you booked? Your experience initiated a transformation that plenty of us think about, but are unsure where to begin.
Duchesse said…
Jane in London: If Ms Liz shares that name...
That's true in my experience, too, about some colours being fine in summer, but not so pleasing in winter. (And vice versa.) The new generation of colour analysts have expanded the season categories so it is not as restrictive.
Ms. Liz said…
The firm was Red Leopard (https://redleopard.co.uk) and the colour analysis was done by Rachel Saunders.

I found the experience quite emotional too as I had been dressing all these years in colours my dear mum loved! As it turns out, and if I had really thought about it, I take after my late father who had very much had a "golden" complexion and in the sunshine tanned a golden brown - as I do! My home decor is certainly all in warm tones and my office is all done in Spring palette colours.

Although pricey in CDN dollars I have never regretted it. I just noticed the price has gone up by 55 pounds since I had my analysis done.
noreen said…
I remember my best friend having her colours done in the eighties. she went from wearing sludgy colours to a winter palate and the change was wonderful. she is a winter and has continued to wear that palate since then to stunning effect. she had green eyes, jet black hair and has now got gorgeous pure white hair which still suits winter colours.
i on the other hand was a winter with icy blue eyes and dark chocolate hair. i am not grey enough now to leave it natural (i look like a piebald horse) so dye it a lighter brown which doesnt work quite as well. i think i need to have mine done now
Allison said…
It’s odd that women will say ‘when I my hair turned gray I went from winter to spring’ yet the colour analysts say that it all depends on the undertone of the skin which never changes. A person simply can’t go from being a winter to an autumn (if they really were a winter in the first place.) I think it’s more likely that one shifts into different values of their seasonal palette as one’s hair changes.i mean if these women went bald to what colour season would they belong?
One thing that I have found quite fascinating ( next to how much time we spend futsing in the wardrobe;) is that women of all skin colour fall into the various seasons. Many years ago I attended a colour session where the consultant grouped the attendees into the four seasons. I am a winter with that’Snow White colouring of dark hair, very blue eyes and fair pink undertones skin. My fellow winters were a mix of Asian and Nigerian! Other seasons also had interesting racial mixes the autumns and the summers hosted two men (who do have skin undertones!) We all laughed but our skin undertones told the story, so yes both myself and my Nigerian friend look great in fuchsia even though our actual skin colour is very different.
Sad reality is give me black as a neutral and all the big ticket basics in black. Black always looks good, I never feel pale or washed out in it, nothing that a slather of Nars Cruella or Dior 999 couldn’t brighten up.
….and yes I unapologetically wear gold. I will not be trading it for silver anytime soon.




Jill Ann said…
The blogger Ms. Liz is referring to is Susan Blakey at unefemme.net. She has a lot of posts on her blog about her Red Leopard experience, and about color theory in general, for those interested in reading more. She’s lately started doing outfit posts by color season, which I find interesting & instructive.
Jill Ann said…
The blogger Ms. Liz is referring to is Susan Blakey at unefemme.net. She has a lot of posts on her blog about her Red Leopard experience, as well as useful info about color theory, and specific outfit examples for different color seasons. (And my apologies if this post shows up twice, the first one seemingly vanished)
Duchesse said…
Ms Liz: Thank you, and there's an excuse to get back to London! I agree that colour is deeply emotional, similar to scent it takes one powerfully into memories.
Duchesse said…
noreen: If you do, will you let us know what happens? Sometimes I see photos of other Winters and are higher contrast than me, so I dabble in the other Cool season, summer. I look good in turquoise and a strong pink but hate magenta so I am maybe a shoulder Winter/Summer. These 'edge' seasons are acknowledged now.
Duchesse said…
Allison: It's not only the skin tone/undertone etc., it's the contrast. The actor Rooney Mara is often cited as a True Winter and she is much higher contrast with me, with her pink undertone white skin and her black hair, blue eyes. You can find YouTube videos in which colour consultants address various skin colours. As the 2025-era consultants are more likely to say, how a person •feels• in the colour is an important factor.
Men too can benefit from this analysis but good lord, the men's dept. in most North American stores (and even mens specialty stores) consign them to neutrals or washed-out colours.
Duchesse said…
Allison: Correction: Mara is much higher contrast •than• me . I no longer have that rim of dark hair and my eyes are not nearly as blue, so like you, wear lipstick to create contrast, not just a swath of grey-to-white.
Jay said…
On the other hand there is an article in yesterday's NYT about a vintage store in Paris who got a consignment of clothes , all top designers, only in Beige
Duchesse said…
Yes! Didier Ludot. I went there once, deploying Le Duc as my secret weapon. He had the most exquisite LBDs I have ever seen. The woman with the beige, what a story, especially about buying two of everything.
Tom said…
I still like wearing winter colors, though probably not a winter anymore (faded winter?). My daughter--who knows how lazy I am--said that as long as I keep my eyebrows on the darkish side and wear lipstick, I am ok. Your advice about pearls and scarves has also stood me in good stead. Thank you!

Just remembered--I went to Dider Ludot many years ago to look at Hermes scarves. The salesperson was American. Scarves were 250 euros--at that time about $375 usd, only slightly less than new ones. They were not in great shape and most had very white backgrounds. I sent the biz an email with a pic of a true LBD by Jacqueline deRibes that I had picked up years ago. As expected, no response. My son had been living in France at the time he said "Oh, French people seldom answer emails"! eva
noreen said…
I will. i think summer is where i will end up. i dont like magenta either and turquoise is my favourite colour and i wear it a lot in summer. i still look good in black and dark navy. i agree its about the contrast.. i think thats what has changed for me. the contrast between my hair eyes and skin is not as pronounced any more
Kamchick said…
Had to think about this for a bit. It seems that newer colour analysis is more complex than the original "Colour me Beautiful' system that I found so helpful back in the day. I am a 'spring', but now have silver hair and older more faded but still 'warm' colouring. I find the silver hair to be a 'warm' silver, though, so still like warm colours for my wardrobe. Still it's tricky - I gravitate to autumn colours and love to wear warm chocolate brown for my go-to neutral. But blue eyes, so a 'spring'. Colour is just so fascinating.
Duchesse said…
noreen: When I was in my first month or so of grey hair, I went to a MAC counter and asked them for makeup suggestions. You might enjoy that, fresh ideas from whatever brand you like.
Duchesse said…
eva: A good lipstick colour is one you can wear with at least 75% of your clothes... and is not discontinued! What happened to that DeRibes dress?
Duchesse said…
Kamchick: The new systems, with their adjacent "subseasons" (resulting in 12 or yikes, 16 categories!) can lead one into analysis paralysis, but they provide more options, and can be more accurate.On white skin, I find skin undertone more significant than eye colour. Hair colour is a tricky variable because it's changeable. Here is an interesting rundown: https://prismaticstyle.ca/our-ultimate-guide-to-colour-analysis-systems/?v=5435c69ed3bc
Jane said…
I once went to a color analysis for a group of women. Everyone left as a summer. Possible, I suppose. Our community was pretty homogenous in those days. I am, most definitely, a light summer and I hate that palette. I don't find the colors sophisticated. Could I make the colors work? Of course! But it would be hard and should fashion be difficult? I agree that personality, climate, region where one lives, occupation all influence our color choices.
Duchesse said…
Jane: I'd like to see data ab out the distribution of seasons among a large population of women analyzed. I suspect Summer would be the #1 for a white-skinned population, because the season description says one could be "blonde, brunette or redhead" with "blue, green or hazel eyes" and that the skin tone could be "fair to medium". I can see in a group of 4-5 women, that could possibly be everyone. At least you could borrow one another's clothes ;)
Duchesse said…
Jill Ann: I believe Susan Blakey had her colours done more than once as I believe that over a decade ago I read her mentions of 'her' colours. Haven't read the blog for years as she, like many other bloggers, began to affiliate with various brands and her posts began to feel like sales pitches. That is absolutely her right; she is transparent about it, and a very good writer.
Ocd said…
What I find most telling is that the majority of responses to Anushka Rees’ article is that no one knows what season they are. I don’t think the “seasons “ are accurate because most people don’t fit neatly, & in some cases at all remotely, into one category. I do think it’s a profitable marketing scheme though.
At least I didn’t see any attempt at celebrity analysis, which I always find amusing since their hair is always dyed & they never appear in public without a good deal of makeup.
Duchesse said…
Ocd: It made sense to me that the confused were more apt to comment on Rees' post. Now, the four seasons have been expanded and can be used as a guideline. I don't wear some of the colours suggested for my season, but the "avoid" ones are accurate. Though it was originally marketed as a book, much of personal colour analysis is now available free on the Internet, for one's own use. You do pay for a personal consultation. Mine saved me from making costly mistakes. Also: colour analysis seems biased toward women wearing a lot of colour (versus neutrals.) I just saw "The Room Next Door" and whoa, the clothes on Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore are a master class in colour! This IS Almodóvar: I swooned. I hope they could keep them , as they were astonishing.

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