Color Choice

Did you ever wonder which colors look best on you?  Or, have you ever wondered why some people look great in a certain color and others look awful in that same outfit?  Well, in 1926 a colorist named, Johannes Itten developed what became known as the, “Seasons of Color.”  Litten believed we as humans gravitate to a particular depending on what our true inner self is.  He developed a system and many years later the fashion industry applied these principles to the items we wear.

Color and color choice goes way beyond the surface.  There are psychological affects of color on humans and this subject has been studied with scientists, sociologists, and psychologists.  There has been research done with regard to the effect color has on us.  Our skin changes intensity when different color is put against it (via fabric, for example.)  There is a color to each of us before anything is added in the form of clothing.  Our color consists of individual parts coming from our skin color, hair color, and eye color.  Although we can alter our hair color, our true colors are given to us through genetics.  The color of skin is sort of like a maturing process; there is not much color to skin when we are born, but as we grow and live, the tone deepens.  We expose skin to the sun and our environments and this has an effect on the color of our skin.  Unfortunately, sometimes the pigmentation of our skin can develop and become uneven, especially during the cycles of life, like menopause, pregnancy, and puberty.  As we age if we are prone to freckling, that will appear, and age spots and moles develop as we grow older.  There are some simple “tricks” to help minimize the look of these unsightly skin flaws.  By choosing the right color fabrics to put against your skin you can help the look; by choosing the wrong colors you could actually accentuate the imperfections.  Therefore, it is important to consider color choice for your particular skin type when choosing clothing and accessories.

Choosing a color scheme can be confusing, but a system has been developed to help categorize color and help you choose colors that are right for you.  The system is called the, “Seasons of Color” because the colors are grouped into four categories, and names, “Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.”

WINTER people tend to have brunette hair color.  Their skin tone has a clear intensity with a blue undertone.  The colors that look good on “Winter” people are: apple red, burgundy, purple, fuchsia, hot pink, grass green, emerald green, lemon yellow, turquoise, aqua, violet, navy blue, charcoal gray, gray, taupe, black, and pure white. Silver Jewelry looks great on “Winter” people.

SPRING people tend to be blondes with an overtone to their skin of yellow.  The colors that look good on “Spring” people are: lime green, daisy yellow, gold, navy, camel, golden tan, ivory, apricot, bright red, gray blue, salmon, coral, aqua, violet, and turquoise.  Gold jewelry looks great on “Spring” people.

SUMMER people are like “Spring” people in that they are usually blondes; however, where they are different is that “Summer” people tend to have blue undertones to their skin rather than yellow overtones.  The colors that look good on “Summer” people are: plum, mauve, fuchsia, deep rose, orchid, powder pink, peach, lemon yellow, blue/green, aqua, lilac, sky blue, gray blue, powder blue, black, cocoa, and soft white.  Silver jewelry looks great on “Summer” people.

AUTUMN people are usually red heads, or brunettes that have a lot of red highlights to their hair, and their skin tends to have a yellow undertone.  The colors that look good on “Autumn” people are: teal, forest green, khaki green, jade, olive, warm red, tomato red, orange, salmon, warm peach, rust, terra cotta, pumpkin, periwinkle blue, mustard, gold, yellow gold, mahogany, camel, coffee brown, dark chocolate brown, beige, and oyster white.  “Autumn” people look great with gold jewelry.

Since this classification system has been widely known many more people are looking their best with their color choice.