Why Seasonal Color Analysis Doesn’t Work for Everybody
A Soft Exotic Winter
When Katy first started seeing posts on Social Media about Seasonal Color Analysis she was intrigued. As a former model, now mother of 4 littles, she felt she had always tended to follow fashion trends rather than have a solid understanding of the colors and styles that were the most becoming on her and now she was really interested to discover the best colors for herself and the right make-up colors as well.
She had purchased a virtual analysis online and shortly thereafter was also gifted another one with a different consultant, so she sent off the same photo of herself to both. Imagine her surprise when she was given 2 totally different results. A Bright Spring by one consultant and a True winter by the other using the same system. And even more confusing was that as she tried out the recommended colors for each one, she found that neither of them felt quite right.
Each analyst had placed her photo in digital rings of pre-determined seasonal colors and each had made a determination based on what colors they thought worked best for her. Did their computer monitors detect her coloring differently or did they perceive the effect of these colors differently?
The problem with this type of system is that the analysis stops there — the most important questions remain unanswered. Despite the fact that Katy may look better in one ring of color over another, what does that information tell us? The individual colors in these pre-packaged palettes have little to do with her inherent coloring and there’s no way for the consultant to further personalize these colors for a more accurate palette result — leading, more often than not, to some pretty wrong conclusions.
In a Seasonal color analysis based on the tradition of Suzanne Caygill we begin with your personal color harmony. Katy has dark brown hair, an amber brown eye, and we also want to analyze her skin tone, her blush tone, and the whites of her eyes/teeth. These elements comprising Katy’s personal color harmony are very important. Once we have established the quality of color that supports these colors on her palette it will be easier to locate the other specific colors that harmonize with her.
This virtual digital analysis went a bit further attempting to identify Katy’s inherent color harmony. But the resulting color palette and the seasonal typing of Dark Autumn did not fully resonate with Katy either.
Next up in Katy’s search for her best colors was a draping session (very popular at the moment). In this system, various colors of fabric are put on and taken off. From this draping style analysis Katy was told by one consultant that she was warm because she looked good in violet. But another consultant said she looked terrible in camel (one of her favorite neutrals) and therefore her coloring was not warm and clear but cool. Is it any wonder that Katy feels more confused at the end of all of these analysis"? She was typed as A Cool Summer.
Cool or Warm? Consultants are often trained to use the draping as a tool for “elimination” or “inclusion” of a season, rather than as simply an opportunity for “information” gathering. And again, the resulting pre-determined palette given to the client leaves no room for a truly personalized palette.
At this point, Katy had been typed all four seasons and not one of them felt right. What was wrong? She eventually googled, “Does color analysis work for everybody” and found my youtube video where I answer this very question. Katy recognized that there was something very different about the Suzanne Caygill approach to seasonal color analysis and reached out to me for one last try.
Distance prevented us meeting in person, but Katy had confidence in my ability to provide her with an accurate color palette done virtually and so we began. Of course there’s nothing formulaic about my approach.
After reviewing a large number of photographs (you can never send me too many), a video from Katy, and her answers to my questionnaire, we met via Zoom so I could get a sense of some other important aspects that are essential to an accurate color analysis: her voice, her personality, and her energy. If someone is doing an analysis (virtual or otherwise) based on a single photo, then there’s a significant chance that the result will not resonate.
Another reason consultants prefer to do an in-person analysis, whenever possible, is because it is much easier to get a sense of your energy, how you move, how you speak, how you appear when we are face-to-face. So any “virtual” consultation needs to provide the consultant with similar information in order for us to truly capture your essence. But I do not attempt to conduct the color analysis over zoom — that too is a recipe for disaster.
With over 20,000 different colors/shades of fabric swatches (not digital colors) in my color lab, I begin to explore an individual’s unique color harmony one swatch at a time with numerous photos to determine the quality of the color that supports them and the colors that best harmonize with their inherent color harmony. This also provides me with information about their best fabric types, finishes and fabric weight. Katy looks amazing in panne velvet (for example). And checking each color with many different photos helps me to determine if the color works for the client regardless of the exposure, with/without makeup and so on.
Finding a flower that reflects the client can sometimes be a clue to their season & style lines.
For myself, it is also important to look for my clients in nature — it gives me a deeper sense of their energy, where they belong in the Universe and even a glimpse into the seasonal colors/design that reflects who they are. Katy, it turns out, is an Exotic Winter in the Suzanne Caygill system. Exotic winters can “with the slightest turn of hand be mistaken for oriental, asian, persian or mediterranean races and in fact Katy (of Irish/Scottish/British) descent is often mistaken for Asian or another exotic ethnic mix. Which is another important question your seasonal color consultant should be asking you — what is your ethnic background? — because this is very key in a deeper understanding of both your features and your coloring.
But then we still need to sort out the colors that will support you and this is much more challenging virtually with some clients than with others.
Reviewing the color palette I initially presented to Katy on-line we both agreed that this palette truly resonates with her, but the proof would come once Katy received the palette — will the colors work in person?
Unfortunately, not every color was right. Katy’s skin tone appeared much cooler in her photos and on zoom, but when Katy received this palette in the mail she discovered that the skin tones & reds felt “off” — we checked them together using photos and sure enough, we both agreed we needed to make some corrections. I sent Katy more swatches for us to test and we were back on track.
Katy’s final color palette not only resonates with her, but she finally has confidence in her Seasonal type. A Soft Exotic Winter. It is highly unlikely that she would have found her seasonal colors outside of the Suzanne Caygill method because most other systems are too formulaic and too limited in their understanding of this work.
Katy says, “After going through so many different analysis sessions and never feeling settled, this experience has given me peace of mind, clarity and an actual sense of self. For the first time, I feel like I was seen and my colors were made for me personally, instead of receiving a stock image that hundreds of others also received within the same month.”
Katy shares, “While exploring my colors will be an ongoing journey, knowing my colors has already made a difference in my makeup application and my shopping experience. I immediately sorted out my closet and it felt freeing to get rid of colors that don’t serve me because I knew I was making space for beautiful colors that I cannot wait for, such as the gorgeous purples in my palette! Every other color analysis result that gave me a color I was not used to or did not like resulted in me feeling like they would never look good on me; but Joan gave me a palette with some colors I’ve never owned and due to her personalization of each individual shade and tone, I knew they would be gorgeous on me, because she picked them specifically for me”.
Katy’s advice to anyone, like herself, who has struggled with the question, “Why Doesn’t Color Analysis work for me?” is to “research the type of system you will be put into it. Nothing beats a true personalized approach and that cannot be accomplished properly in a two day turn around. It is exciting to get your colors, but ONLY when you are getting the right ones. You need someone who is going to take their time because they want the best possible service for you! “
A Soft Exotic Winter
Seasonal Color Analysis is a very deep work and there’s no doubt that “in person” with a trained and experienced consultant is always the best. The ongoing desire to make it cheap and affordable, easily accessible and popular has resulted in an industry that, as Suzanne Caygill predicted, is doing much harm. Even with all my experience and all the checks and balances I have in place for virtual consults , I still needed to revise some of the colors on the palette once I saw Katy with her palette colors in-person. Sometimes this happens, it is part of the process, but the goal is to make sure that, in the end, every color on the palette is harmonious with the client.
And this is why I continue to invest the time and attention in making sure, whether in person or virtually, that I provide a palette and seasonal typing that truly resonates with each client.
If you are a color consultant and your color analysis tool or color training have left you with a lot more questions than answers, I provide a foundational course in the Suzanne Caygill Method for Seasonal Color Consultants that will deepen your understanding of this work. There’s a waiting list for both training and mentorship but if you are interested reach out and let’s talk.