Something that has a big impact on how we feel - lifts a mood, reflects our mood, has us shining brightly or not so much, is COLOUR.
How do you know if a print is the right colouring for you?
Have you ever put on a print thinking it would suit you, only to find that it didn't?
Often we are drawn to colours that we love but unfortunately, they don't love us back so much.
Previously in The Blog, I've spoken about the different aspects of colour: Temperature, Value and Intensity.
I think Temperature - Warm or Cool, is a great place to start. It's the easiest to understand and I think it packs the biggest punch. Your eyes will sparkle and you'll 'shine' if you wear colours that suit you. Not to mention the emotional lift it will give you on the inside.
Are you a Warm or Cool Girl?
Now this is a generous generalisation, but if you wear silver well, you're more likely to be Cool. And if gold works well, you're Warm. Some of you will wear both well but you are 'special' :) Silver girls tend to have a pink undertone to their skin whilst we Warmies, have a yellow tone to ours. The foundation you wear will be another clue for you. Pink-based foundations are for a Cool girl and yellow for a Warm.
Temperature and Prints.
Take a look at the main image. I've put a Cool colour palette and a Warm palette near 3 prints (L to R) - Botanica, Waikiki and Maui. Let's take a look to see if they are Warm or Cool in nature. Look at the colours in the print and see if you can find a close match in the colour palettes.
What we are looking for is the majority of colours or the amount of colour in the print because there is bound to be a mix of cool and warm in them, especially if there are lots of colours. So keep in mind it is the majority concept we're working with.
Botanica:
- Navy Background (dominant) = This navy is ever so slightly cooler but there is not much in it and I think it can swing both ways.
- Red highlights - are warm
- Blue highlights - are cool
- White is slightly cool with a cool pink base to it.
>> Overall colour scheme = COOL<<
Waikiki:
- Black background (not that dominant)
- Blue leaves = warm
- Golden/Bronze leaves = warm
- Pink highlights = cool
>> Overall colour scheme = WARM<<
Maui:
I found this the trickiest to classify because of the dominant Turquoise background colour. Turquoise is another colour that can swing either way but after much deliberation...
- Background Turquoise (blue/green) = cool
- Floral highlights = Cool white (pink base) + Warm white (orange base)
- Floral centres = warm
- Blue highlights = cool
>> Overall colour scheme = COOL<<
Contrast is another very influential factor when it comes to choosing the right print. We want you to shine, not what you are wearing to overshadow you. So is the depth of colours in them (their Value). We will touch on Contrast in the next edition of Beyond the Shop. It would be too much to do it all here.
There is a lot to understanding our best colours. But there is no doubt that when we do, it's life-changing. As we age, our best colours may change too so if it's been a while since you've thought about your colours then it might be time to take the time and investigate.
Getting Your Colours Done
If you're thinking that "yes, it's time" our mates over at Style Liberation do online and in-person colour analysis. They really do know their stuff. Fiona from SL is also our expert in our paid Membership Community. We dive into colour further in there.
NEWS - Stay Tuned! I'm currently doing colour training so that I can offer Colour Analysis online too. There is a fabulous phone app that goes with it so that when you're shopping you can whip it out and check if the item is one of your ideal colours. I can't wait to offer it to you soon. In the meantime, the girls from SL do this too.
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Beyond The Shop:
We'll prompt the discussion in our private Facebook Group - Women 40+ Self Love, Body Love, Summer Confidence and in The Summer Confidence Society - Free GOLD Community on a private Kajabi platform (not social media) where we'll talk more about it. If you're not a member, that's okay. Just click on the link above to join.
Take care.
Anita xx
p.s. Oh...this is exciting. Behind the scenes, we've been profiling all swim and resort wear to include colour type- warm or cool. When you search our Catalogue you can filter by warm or cool. How cool is that?! Or maybe it's warm :)
