Seasonal colors

I recently explored the idea of determining my seasonal color palette. I'm sure most people have heard of this but if you haven't, this is based on the idea that we all fall under a seasonal color. Knowing our season helps us pick colors that are the most flattering with our skin tone, eye color and hair. I checked this out a few years ago and thought I was an autumn. I wasn't overly conscious of shopping for my season, but I did seem to be drawn to jewel tones and dark colors. I never felt right in what I chose and didn't have a clear sense of which colors were working for me.

As I've started to redevelop my style I looked more carefully at the seasonal color idea. I realized I'm probably not a strict autumn but a soft autumn. Soft autumn is more delicate and is overwhelmed by many of the colors I was choosing. That explained why a color I loved on the hanger just didn't do much for me in the mirror.

I can't tell you what a revelation it was to understand that I'm a soft autumn. A soft autumn hovers near the neutral line, so I can wear warm or cool shades. But the most important factor is the saturation of the color. Saturation is the level of color present, in other words fire engine red is highly satured while pale pink is less so (pink is just red mixed with white).

The best colors for me are moderately saturated, not pastel but not jewel tones either. And I look best in colors that aren't primaries- blue-green looks better than pure blue for example. And extremes of any kind- stark white or deep black don't work well next to my face.

Now that doesn't mean I'm throwing out anything that doesn't fit my color palette. I still wear a white shirt for example, but I soften it with a scarf in soft shades of brown. And I can still wear any color, but sometimes it's best to wear it in pants or skirts. As I work on building my wardrobe I now feel more empowered to go into my closet (or a store) and immediately understand what will probably work on me. It makes it easier to put things together and it's starting to get easier to get dressed in the morning.

Here are some of the colors I've decided work best on me:

Neutrals: Dark grey, brown, off-white and cream

Colors: Mid-tone blue-green, soft plum, rust, soft goldish-brown

Accents/accessories: Using complementary colors works well to create some interest and contrast. Complementary colors are those directly across the color wheel.
Mustard yellow (works nicely with blue-green, plum, goldish-brown), green, turquoise.

Almost all of these colors work together, which in theory should result in a wardrobe that can be easily mixed and matched.

Seasonal color palettes aren't hard and fast rules, but sometimes when you're fashion challenged and wandering around lost they can serve as a road sign.