I Can’t Find My Color Season Anywhere!
It’s a common anxiety I hear from clients: what if I can’t locate my colors? You may think that your colors aren’t trendy. Perhaps you don’t see them as often as [insert other palette] and so you feel doomed to a smaller, boring selection.
Have you ever bought a specific car, and then once you have it, you see that exact color and make of car everywhere? Previously, you didn’t notice all the similar cars driving around. But once you recognize it as your own, your eye is naturally drawn to it.
In my experience, learning your color season is a lot like buying that car. Previously, your eye skimmed over all the pink tops in the world as “just pink.” But once you become familiar with your season, your eye will be naturally drawn to the familiar pinks. You will spend time with Pinterest and other sources of inspiration. You have your paper color palette or fan. Your skills will grow, and with them, your confidence!
The better question is not, what if my colors aren’t out there? (they are) but rather how can I make it easier to find my own colors?
Train Your Eye:
Study your season’s Pinterest board—and also the boards of other seasons. Come up with keywords (or see what common ones experts use) for your season. Try to describe colors using as many words as possible. Consider the two photos of bird feathers below. Although both are warm and medium depth, they differ in some major ways!
I would describe the colors on the left as: vibrant, high-contrast, tropical, fresh, glossy.
I would describe the colors on the right as: earthy, low-contrast, rich, velvety.
The feathers on the left appear to be some kind of Spring season, whereas the feathers on the right surely belong to some kind of Autumn season. You don’t need to be thisspecific, but you need to practice recognizing these differences if you want to spot your own colors in the wild.
Go window shopping in-person with your color fan—identify why a color works with your season or why it doesn’t. Anytime you walk into a clothing store or pass a well-dressed person on the street, try to guess the color season of the items you see. The more you do this, the more you will be able to understand colors at a glance.
Wear makeup while shopping. Your color analyst should have given you recommendations for makeup in your season at the time of your draping. Wear your best lipstick and blush while trying on new clothes—if an item does not harmonize beautifully with that makeup, it is very likely not in your palette.
While you can usually identify which colors look great while bare-faced, adding a bit of makeup provides additional visual information to help you make color choices.
Shop Seasonally:
Although I have always been able to find something in every color season 24/7, it’s true that certain seasons are more common during specific calendar months. I find that…
True Winter & Dark Winter are most common from November through February.
Bright Winter & Bright Spring are most common from March through August.
Light Spring & Light Summer are most common from February through June.
True Summer, Soft Summer, & Soft Autumn are most common from April through September.
True Autumn & Dark Autumn are most common from September through November.
You may find that there are certain shades you can always find throughout the year. These are the most popular and common colors from your palette, what I call “easy finds.” But during the specific months described above, you might have better luck shopping for the less-common shades from your palette. You will also find your colors at more price points, on sale, and in more styles and sizes.
Shop Secondhand:
When the mall is coming up short, browse online secondhand sites like eBay, Poshmark, ThredUp, and Mercari, or head to in-person thrift stores in your area. If you are specifically hunting for out-of-style colors which seem rare at the usual stores, always filter:
First by size (there is no reason to fall in love with secondhand finds that won’t fit)
By color generally—don’t search for a specific shade name like citron, daffodil, or mustard. Search or refine by the broad term “yellow,” and narrow your search from there.
Recruit an Expert
Many color analysts (including myself) offer personal shopping services and follow-up guidance sessions after your initial color analysis. While my goal as an analyst is to empower my clients so that they don’t need me, I am available to jumpstart the color search. My basic personal color analysis service already includes a list of my personalized selection of items in your color season, but even if you didn’t work with me to start, I can find options for you online or in-person. Once you own five or six items that are definitely in your season, it makes recognizing new items that much easier. You don’t have to think theoretically about colors at that point—you just have to ask does this blouse go with my favorite, in-season pants?
A Mantra: Not Everything Is for Me
Your seasonal colors will show up consistently once you have learned how to recognize them. However, in the meantime it is important to cultivate a sense of comfort with being picky. Even if you do manage to find your colors easily, there is no guarantee any of that clothing will be your style. It is so important not to buy items for their color alone—you must also consider the texture, silhouette, and fit and whether you will wear them consistently.
Some of my clients most-regretted purchases were ones that they made from desperation—thinking that this was their one shot at buying a specific color—only to find the color wasn’t so rare after all, and they spent money on clothing they didn’t actually enjoy.
When shopping, you may find 10 items out of 1,000 in a store that you like enough to take into a dressing room. Out of those 10 items, maybe only 1 fits nicely enough to take home. Get comfortable with those odds, and be satisfied that your wardrobe will grow organically, slowly, and end up in a beautiful place eventually.
Need more help spotting and shopping your season? Book a free consultation today to figure out how to take advantage of my expertise!