Do you look at all those blues and think, "They all look the same. How much does it really matter?" Don't worry, you're not alone. Think of them like swatches at the paint store. In 2 square inches, they do look alike. In 2 square feet, like on a wall, they look so different, you're headed back to the paint store. Clothes are the same. Enlarge the swatch to an item of clothing and place it where others will see it, meaning next to your own colours, and the differences become significant for your appearance and the rest of the outfit.
Hello, a respectful question: why are you wearing black? It overpowers you with your delicate skin. I'm confused by colour palletes when they don't work on an individual. Thank you.
@@yeahweburnstuff Thank you for the honest feedback. I agree entirely, black can be overwhelming for me (or anyone) it it's the wrong shade, textile, or sometimes, too large of an area. I only wear it in the upper half when to make these videos, the main reason being that the colour is least altered by the lighting, cameras, and software. It also creates a standard appearance that is least distracting in the thumbnails, having tried a few colours and prints in the early days and deciding they took more attention than they should. All that said, I've been thinking about wearing white, or white with a bit of black so it doesn't look too bright. I'll try it for an upcoming video and see what happens. Actually though, black is really quite ok in real life if the textile, warmth, shine, and so on, are correct. About the palette colours not working, I've always felt that they're designed to create an interactive wardrobe, not function equally in the same item or area. I think of the harmony in a Season palette as the same colour dimension, and also one step further, what the colours can create together rather than 65 turtlenecks having an equal effect on every person in a Season. Could be a similar concept to the colour palette for a room in a home where each colour would not have the same great result if used for the walls, but it adds so much to the room. Thanks again, I appreciate that you took the time to ask :)
@ChristineScaman I actually liked the black top [ w/ it's white writing or logo on your left arm (right to the viewer)]. I think the contrast was quite good with your blue glasses & hair colour. However, removing your glasses diminished the overall cohesion of the look.
How do you spell Kathryn Kaylish or the person you mentioned in the first two minutes regarding master colouring and that her palettes worked for a decade. Do you have a link? Thank you!
I bought a dress that I assumed would look good because it was navy but every time I wore it, it just looked “off”. I’m a dark winter and it’s more of a spring navy so I realized that’s why it wasn’t flattering even though it was navy
I love navy and have done the same. You have a perceptive eye and there comes a point in our colour journey where we refine our understanding one colour at a time. I've realized the refining stage is ongoing :)
I’ve been analyzed as an autumn twice and got bored with using brown as my base so switched to navy a few years ago. I love it with paired with cognac & all coppery colors. Thank you for this video so I can better understand the different navy blues and I will be taking my color palette shopping always instead of holding a color to my face.
Yes, cognac and copper with their navy are really fantastic. The dark teals seem to bring more out of those colours, maybe they're better complementary colours, I've never looked it up, but there's a magic in the burnt orange that comes out with the right dark green and blue tones.
@Christine Scaman could you do it also for black colour please. I recently stumbled upon your blog and read (sorry for my little bit loose citation) "there is a lot of black in the stores, but not many of these items are winter black". If pure black and charcoal are both great for winter would it mean off-black is also good? Or why is it considered a version of black for non-winter seasons? I have a feeling that wearing black as winter is much more complicated than "just wear black". Thank you for your blog/video! You have amazing observations and I am glad that I'm able to read information from the original source now. I'm from a slavic country and there is a lot of misunderstanding around colour analysis going here. I was pushed to believe I'm a summer by so many people, including "professionals". And I think about 10 years I spent in constant attempts to adapt my "summer" pallette to my internal need of winter contrast and saturation. I ended up wearing winter colours as I now understand (a lot of my navys were perfect true winter/dark winter navys), but always having an exhausting inner dialogue with myself, for example - "oh, this is summer red, just on the bright side of the pallette". In reality it was raspberry of true winter. It looked great on me, it had some sort of softness (compared to 100% saturation) - so it must be "summer red" :) Then I stumbled upon some weird classification which differs from every other season classifications, but in this classification black/white combination was great for "golden spring". I was put into this odd "golden spring" category but at least I was allowed to wear b/w - as I did before all this colour analysis madness. Back then I had great colour intuition and used my colours unapologetically. Now I am trying to get back to real me and discover that I don't have to go out of my way to imitate winter pallette with summer or spring colours, I could ... just wear winter colours with no proxy. And it feels like physical sensible relief. Because it felt almost crazy that I needed so much coolness and brightness just to look me and look healthy. It felt like I was asking too much, I'm just another wannabe "winter" (I may call it winter impostor syndrome) and it was my lack of self-care/makeup skills that made me look scruffy no matter how hard I tried. In true winter palette even my worst photos look so clean and crisp, I can't describe it in words. It's like my features are finally at home. Sorry for such long comment, I didn't meant it to be so, just wanted to ask about variety of black :)
We're all learning, growing, and improving and I hope the colour analysis industry does the same. Many women have the experience you have, of trying to fit into molds that don't feel right. Time can tell whether the mold is right after all or if it never was. I will definitely add black to the colour request list, with black and alternatives for the 12. I thought these charts might be too overwhelming or technical but viewers have enjoyed and learned from them. Thank you for the suggestion :)
I’m a soft summer and never could understand what is considered “dusty” enough for me. Now I saw the example and it clicked! I named it “Mom’s navy” because that’s what she wore a lot when I was a kid. Kind of 90-s looking colors.
I never really got the dusty thing either. Certain dusties I’ve always called ‘mardy’ 😄 when you get a warm greyed pink for example. It’s a mardy pink to me (most likely because I’m picking up on it not being my pink). I’ve always seen the greyed blues as boring. Dry. Old fashioned. I thought I was bright for years. I’ve recently realised I’m really not at all bright and the slightly more ‘dusted’ colours suit me. Having seen them on other summers I’ve realised how right they look on summers. Have just invested in some lighter and greyed blues than my usual winter blues, and am waiting for them to arrive so I can test on myself.
great idea 👍 the soft autumn and soft summer navys are a relief bc of their un-blue-ness I found out alone and always thought I am here outside of the 12 seasons system something that looks grey on someone else looks like a color next to my skin and a color is often too jarring or cheap looking, a good dose of charcoal is needed in every shade
So brilliant the way you've said this, thank you, it was a point I forgot. Worn by the right colouring, the colour isn't faded in the least. The reverse actually, you wouldn't want it to have more pigment. Nobody is outside the 12-Season system :) Some apparel, cosmetics, and hair dye might be but that's fine, all we need to know is what serves us well. Great you found your way there independently.
Thank you Christine. Neutrals are the most difficult to nail down I think, and the comparisons accross seasons really help. As a BW navy has felt easy for me. This video showed me that I should be on the lookout for even brighter and lighter navy and that it can still be used as a neutral rather than a color.
So glad it was useful. Both the more violet and more green-side navy blues are outstanding on BW and yes, the amount of pigment is way up there. For any Spring Season, and probably for anyone, I find navy a neutral colour and agree, they are the hardest to pin down. At least with navy, there's lots of pigment to work with compared with light gray.
Yeah, I’m just happy that I get to go for a more violet navy because soft autumn #2, which I wore yesterday, made me feel very weird. It’s just so dark and inky and not shiny and I was like I look insane with my bright hair makeup and intense colouring in what basically looks like grey dominant 😢 even the other type of navy is more blue than grey and I’m a bit relieved.
I am a summer, though I’m not entirely sure which. I have trouble finding clothes in my season, but I always gravitate to navy. Most of my clothes, esp, ironically, summer clothes, are navy. And yet, some still wash me out. Now I understand why. Thanks.
Great video! I am a True Summer and have made the mistake so many times of ending up with Winter blue, too dark on me and too contrasting. I find navy so hard, you definitely helped and thank you!
Yes, teal is the word I'd use as well. I'm not sure where the darkness cutoff is, since I have trouble using that word for the Spring side, but both Bright Seasons have a definite 'teal'.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Every Season's navy blues come and go, actually all the colours pop up when you were shopping for something else. For SSu, looking for the next lighter blue may be easier to find and would act as navy in many looks, but you're probably already doing that :)
Navy is my favourite colour. I think that I have been buying too dark, though. I am a light summer, and I see that your choices are lighter that I expected. I will now have to re-evaluate my wardrobe, since most of it is blue. Lol.
Glad you found some new ideas. The items you have are probably just fine and as you add to your wardrobe, some new choices will expand the looks you can create. Summers wear blue easily :)
Each of the 12 Seasons has 2 or 3 colours that I find dependable for looking gorgeous on everyone. Navy blue is one of mine for DA but I agree that it has to be the right one.
Thank you. I knew I was autumn, but with your videos I've learned I'm soft autumn. I knew I look best in "dull" colors. Nor surprisingly I rebelled and began wearing bright colors. 😆 I appreciate learning to choose colors like blue, that I can adapt and make it look nice.
I'm a light spring and I love turquoise! however, I love navy and I have a somewhat dark limbal ring that picks up navy if it's clear. the inside of my eye is light green but can look blue-green too like a mint color. I found a navy calvin klein suit at a garage sale for $5. I think it will work with all of my hair and a light peach blouse underneath to dilute the darkness. I also have a navy pea coat that I love that I think if use a soft colored scarf to try to limit the surface area of the coat. I love it when people notice the ring when I wear navy or a blue that picks it up. I love the light spring blues you suggested too, my eyes appear more blue when I wear this color.
I appreciate your confusion, I feel it too. There's a lot of complexity in colour chemistry and classification, more science than I understand. Adding red to yellow makes it more orange, which is a warmer colour, compared with adding green to yellow which makes blue, a cooler yellow (closer to blue). Generally speaking, we add yellow to warm colours and blue to cool them, but when it comes to blue, we add red to warm it and yellow to cool it; only relative to each other are the resulting colours warm (red-blue) and cool (green-blue). I don't use the word undertone because it doesn't have a specific meaning that I can understand. If it's a real colour, where in the skin is it? If it's a theoretical idea or average colour, what does it represent? The word seems to have different meanings depending on who uses it or the context, so I avoid mentioning it. I didn't understand your question about adding red as another undertone. If you meant that we warm blue by adding red, then yes, that's how I understand it. I'm not a colour chemist though, I'm more of an application person. The Sci\ART-based palettes are correct and over many years, I no longer question it, nor have I found a more accurate system. Now I focus on how to help people use the palettes to make their best colour choices. Great question you asked, thank you!
I have studied colour theory as a designer and as an artist. I can still become discombobulated. Is it possible that my best cool colours are dark winter but my best warm colours are spring? Your system seems to be of more depth than others I have checked. Thank you for sharing.
You're among friends. I meet many artists and photographers who feel the same way. Human pigments are different from paints, plus they're divided into several layers (blood, skin, and so on), and the psychology of a human being plays a bigger role than one might think in terms of anyone's ability to see themselves objectively. I have never met the person whose colouring is as you describe. Our colours come from one single Season, if the Season palette has been designed properly. I use the Sci\ART system founded by the late Kathryn Kalisz. Perhaps what's happening is that True and Bright Spring colours can resemble DW, depending on the colour. They have similar saturation levels. You'd find a peachy orange, certain light warm reds, or some of DW's lighter greens and medium blues are similar looking to some TSp or BSp versions. In the video on the channel, Nextdoor Season Colours, we talk about telling Seasons apart in the places they're different. If you're a Spring, there will be DW light colours and neutrals that are too different to find congruency with your colouring.
Thank you, Christine. This is very helpful to me. I think you nailed my stumbling block with the "saturation levels". I have now watched the Nextdoor colours video and have a better handle on how intensity or chroma affect my palette. @@ChristineScaman
Interesting idea, I hadn't thought of it :) These days, I wear black because the colour stays fairly consistent. I wore colour in the past and viewers would comment on what they saw, fair enough, but the colours I was wearing were really quite different. I also try to keep myself neutral to avoid distracting from the colours in the images.
Hello :) I'm not sure if I'm a soft autumn or light spring. I have reddish/blonde hair, blue/green eyes, my skin seems to be a warm neutral and I suit yellow gold jewellery. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you 😊
Those are good observations but I'm not sure anyone could know from verbal descriptions (or photographs). I'd need an in-person colour analysis, particularly when you have the Seasons narrowed down to groups with similar colour properties.
Yes, for the lighter groups perhaps, or lighter and warmer. Many colours have versions that don't look like the traditional colour in certain Seasons. Yellow, pink, orange have all been that way.
I love denim shirts . As a summer, I feel like even after washes when they no longer have the shine of the 'new item', the color can only get softer and better. The denim naturally looses that one bit of color and adds a bit of gray with use and time. It's always worth the investiment.
It's really true. Denim actually flatters Summers, in the classic colours and variations like chambray. Both person and garment look better, rather than acting only as a neutral element or being functional. The more extreme forms like faded to look bleached, or when the textile is treated to look sandblasted or distressed, I'm not sure those are flattering for anyone. They're just trends really, and like all trends, they seem to me an example of taking the idea too far.
@@ChristineScaman so true! I have soft blue eyes, so I always though it might just be my personal bias on wearing blue :) Not a neutral or a functional piece necesserely, indeed. I do wear it in non-casual settings, in occasions that are not necesserely ''formal'' events.
I'm happy to know that they've helped many people. I expected viewers to find the format too cluttered or technical, and it probably is for some, but for those who are trying to understand their colours better, it's useful. Plus I've learned a lot. myself!
This has been a bad season for this Summer, classic navy has been replaced in US clothes by the awful Dark Navy, which is indistinguishable from black except in the brightest sunlight. They did this in the 90s and I hated the blazer I bought in that color. It doesn’t work with, or as, black or navy, it just looks like off, like a really cheap version of black. Navy is usually such a useful color for me, as my dark “neutral”, but not this year, I’m waiting for true navy to return. Brands do this with white and ivory, try to sell just one in-between color, because then they don’t have to stock as many colors! I don’t shop for their convenience, however, I shop for what I know suits me! No kind-of navy or white for me!
One time I compared Winter navy blues on my IG. What I found was Dark Winter navy was closest to black whereas True Winter seemed really cool blue and Bright Winter navy blue was actually the brightest and the lightest in a way that you've got the impression that there is a little beam of pure yellow light in it. Strange feeling about a colour which is dark and cool-toned by definition.
I have the same experience. DW does have a fair bit of black, maybe why there are so many available. TW has a certain purity...wrong word....why does uncompromising come to mind, I think my brainwaves are crossing over to other associations :) And BW, purity is the right word, this would be the one I'd call jewel-toned navy.
@@ChristineScaman would you like to make a video about yellow for dark seasons? Because as far as I know this is problematic colour for Dark Winter and Dark Autumn as its is light by definition.
Yellow is a colour that people find challenging to select and to wear, so this is a great idea, thank you. I'd agree that yellow for the True Winter, True Summer, and Soft Summer, and Dark Winter can be hard to find, at least where I live. The rest are fairly well supplied. I'm not sure that the lightness is a problem any more than it would be with white, especially if contrast is supplied in the other parts of the outfit or appearance or makeup. I wonder if the challenge is choosing the right coolness and brightness. I'll begin looking at images and think about how to make yellow easier. Thanks once again for the idea :)
@@ChristineScaman Thank you for the reply. I think in case of dark seasons the brightness and tone can be challenging. As Dark Winter is not extremely clear nor extremely cool and Autumn-influenced, I think it may be easy to confuse the right DW yellow shades with autumnal yellows. On the other hand, Dark Autumn is not extremely warm, nor extremely muted, therefore it may be difficult to find neutral-warm, just slightly muted yellow shade. I imagine that it should be rather closer to bronzed golden yellow.
I think once you find your blues you've got a solid foundation for a capsule wardrobe. I feel it's the most neutral color family. Something for everyone. Professional yet fun.
Maybe I really am a bright spring… I’ve been treating red like a neutral. I feel like it’s the calmness we associate with blue, it never feels out of place 🩵💙
I loved the information and examples and links! Im confused as to whether if I’’m a light summer or soft summer. I’d like to see something about this. Is it always readily apparent?
I'm confused on Light Summer vs. a lighter Soft Summer as well. I'd also love your comments on this! I realize that in theory there is an added "drop" of brown in Soft Summer and an added "drop" of gray (or gray that is a little darker). In Light Summer there is instead an added "drop" of yellow and without much added grey. Is this right?
@@sheri6089 True. Light Summer is characterised as the lightest and brightest summer type if you compare it to True Summer and Soft Summer. If you look at the colours you see they are relatively bright despite having some grey pigment it them. But through the grey you still see there is pink, azure blue, red, etc. Light Summer colours are in general medium in chroma - there are not extremely clear, nor extremely muted, whereas Soft Summer colours are and there is some Autumn earthiness and depth on them.
The question sounds as though it's about telling LSu and SSu apart in people, not apparel? For apparel, exactly as the previous reply describes. For me, 80% of the time, I can't tell by looking, which is fine. Human vision doesn't work by looking, it works by comparing, so I try the palettes laid out on the fabric. For humans, 100% of the time, I can't tell by looking and the stereotypic or average examples of celebrities only seem to confuse things. The answer comes by the analysis process, and also making sure you're not some other Season altogether or True Summer. It's true that SSu colours can seem softer but humans don't look soft, their colours are too balanced for that and eyes have shine and soul and are never soft surrounded by their own colours. SSu and LSu are too similar, both essentially Summer, both Seasons of the same cool-neutral warmth, really hard to distinguish wherever the colour is. Yes to SSu having a drop of gold and LSu having yellow, both theoretically true. I've not always found them useful in practical situations, like "Which one do I buy, or neither?" and so back to comparing with an actual palette that I think of as my face. Please ask if I haven't quite answered your questions :)
Just subscribed. Would have been nice to hear about effect of lighting, esp. new technology like LED, and effect of adjacent colors in accessories, furniture and environment.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts :) Do you mean the effect that the colour of light and adjacent colours have on the colours we wear? It's entirely true that they have an effect. One of the main reasons I started making videos, besides the fact that I enjoy doing it quite a lot, is that when people hear about colour analysis, their perceptions were most often from how things were years ago or even more often, "I don't know what it is." In trying to introduce all people everywhere to the concept and the power of it to improve lives, I keep the information general and the video under 30 min. If you had specific questions or suggestions about the topics you mention, I'd be happy to offer any thoughts I might have.
@@ChristineScaman I was thinking of how periwinkle colors just glow outside on an overcast day because of the blue in the cloud filtered sunlight. But I have a lesser awareness of how different types of artificial light, especially LED, affects clothing and skin tones. By adjacency, I mean how adjacent colors push each other to be perceived differently than either color by itself. So the color of a blouse would be perceived different next to a blue blazer vs. a red cardigan. Or on a larger scale, the way clothing and skin tones look next to colorful, neutral, light interior or exterior backgrounds. I am wondering how clothing strategies for optimal skin tones would differ for different surroundings and lighting, e.g., dark restaurant, public speaking spotlight, grocery store, nature walk, etc.
Thanks for explaining, I think I understand your question better. With adjacent colours having influence on one another, you're meaning simultaneous contrast. I'm less a colour theorist and more of an application person, meaning how are we going to use our Season to look better in the everyday world, but I believe that simultaneous contrast is the premise and foundation of personal colour analysis. When all the colours we wear are in harmony with our natural colours, we use the concept to our advantage so that colours do not alter one another or appear discordant, they remain true, as do our own colours. Complementary colours might be an example of colours affecting one another that relates to the biology of our retina, but the same is true, that within the same palette, the harmony maintains the true colours when they are placed next to one another or adjacent to our own skin tones. I sense from your question that you already know this, and explaining how colour wavelengths specifically change (or how our biological perception changes) are beyond my knowledge. In general, blue wavelength (fluorescent or cool LED) light strikes an object, more blue light is reflected (object looks bluer). More yellow light in (incandescent or warm LED), objects appear yellower. But we can't control the kinds of light we're seen in through a day and the brain of the viewer can make adaptations, in that it understands 'white blouse' or 'white tablecloth' and superficially perceives the colour as white, from candlelit to when the overhead lights are turned on. In terms of lighting in the environment, your thoughts apply very much to our everyday lives and we covered that a bit in the first part of the reply. Outdoor painters would practice changing their canvas every hour to try and capture the way colour changes through the day even in natural light. The question I might have is, what are we going to do about it in how we dress that would be practical and successful? To some degree, I imagine the alteration carries through both our clothing and us wearing the clothes, meaning that in candlelight our colours warm to the same degree as what we wear, so the error might balance out. My solution has been to stay within the colours of our Season palette, enjoy the built in harmony that optimizes the phenomenon of simultaneous contrast in our favour, and carry on with the day.
Do you look at all those blues and think, "They all look the same. How much does it really matter?"
Don't worry, you're not alone. Think of them like swatches at the paint store. In 2 square inches, they do look alike. In 2 square feet, like on a wall, they look so different, you're headed back to the paint store. Clothes are the same. Enlarge the swatch to an item of clothing and place it where others will see it, meaning next to your own colours, and the differences become significant for your appearance and the rest of the outfit.
Hello, a respectful question: why are you wearing black? It overpowers you with your delicate skin.
I'm confused by colour palletes when they don't work on an individual.
Thank you.
@@yeahweburnstuff Thank you for the honest feedback. I agree entirely, black can be overwhelming for me (or anyone) it it's the wrong shade, textile, or sometimes, too large of an area. I only wear it in the upper half when to make these videos, the main reason being that the colour is least altered by the lighting, cameras, and software. It also creates a standard appearance that is least distracting in the thumbnails, having tried a few colours and prints in the early days and deciding they took more attention than they should. All that said, I've been thinking about wearing white, or white with a bit of black so it doesn't look too bright. I'll try it for an upcoming video and see what happens. Actually though, black is really quite ok in real life if the textile, warmth, shine, and so on, are correct.
About the palette colours not working, I've always felt that they're designed to create an interactive wardrobe, not function equally in the same item or area. I think of the harmony in a Season palette as the same colour dimension, and also one step further, what the colours can create together rather than 65 turtlenecks having an equal effect on every person in a Season. Could be a similar concept to the colour palette for a room in a home where each colour would not have the same great result if used for the walls, but it adds so much to the room.
Thanks again, I appreciate that you took the time to ask :)
@ChristineScaman I actually liked the black top [ w/ it's white writing or logo on your left arm (right to the viewer)]. I think the contrast was quite good with your blue glasses & hair colour. However, removing your glasses diminished the overall cohesion of the look.
How do you spell Kathryn Kaylish or the person you mentioned in the first two minutes regarding master colouring and that her palettes worked for a decade. Do you have a link? Thank you!
I believe the spelling is Kathryn Kalisz. She passed in 2010, but the palettes and colour classification system work as well today as ever.
I bought a dress that I assumed would look good because it was navy but every time I wore it, it just looked “off”. I’m a dark winter and it’s more of a spring navy so I realized that’s why it wasn’t flattering even though it was navy
I love navy and have done the same. You have a perceptive eye and there comes a point in our colour journey where we refine our understanding one colour at a time. I've realized the refining stage is ongoing :)
I’ve been analyzed as an autumn twice and got bored with using brown as my base so switched to navy a few years ago. I love it with paired with cognac & all coppery colors. Thank you for this video so I can better understand the different navy blues and I will be taking my color palette shopping always instead of holding a color to my face.
Yes, cognac and copper with their navy are really fantastic. The dark teals seem to bring more out of those colours, maybe they're better complementary colours, I've never looked it up, but there's a magic in the burnt orange that comes out with the right dark green and blue tones.
Please do more colours in this way.
Reds
Yellows
Greens
Pinks
Thank you
Thanks for the feedback! It helps so much to know which formats are most helpful.
@Christine Scaman could you do it also for black colour please. I recently stumbled upon your blog and read (sorry for my little bit loose citation) "there is a lot of black in the stores, but not many of these items are winter black". If pure black and charcoal are both great for winter would it mean off-black is also good? Or why is it considered a version of black for non-winter seasons? I have a feeling that wearing black as winter is much more complicated than "just wear black".
Thank you for your blog/video! You have amazing observations and I am glad that I'm able to read information from the original source now. I'm from a slavic country and there is a lot of misunderstanding around colour analysis going here. I was pushed to believe I'm a summer by so many people, including "professionals". And I think about 10 years I spent in constant attempts to adapt my "summer" pallette to my internal need of winter contrast and saturation. I ended up wearing winter colours as I now understand (a lot of my navys were perfect true winter/dark winter navys), but always having an exhausting inner dialogue with myself, for example - "oh, this is summer red, just on the bright side of the pallette". In reality it was raspberry of true winter. It looked great on me, it had some sort of softness (compared to 100% saturation) - so it must be "summer red" :)
Then I stumbled upon some weird classification which differs from every other season classifications, but in this classification black/white combination was great for "golden spring". I was put into this odd "golden spring" category but at least I was allowed to wear b/w - as I did before all this colour analysis madness. Back then I had great colour intuition and used my colours unapologetically. Now I am trying to get back to real me and discover that I don't have to go out of my way to imitate winter pallette with summer or spring colours, I could ... just wear winter colours with no proxy. And it feels like physical sensible relief. Because it felt almost crazy that I needed so much coolness and brightness just to look me and look healthy. It felt like I was asking too much, I'm just another wannabe "winter" (I may call it winter impostor syndrome) and it was my lack of self-care/makeup skills that made me look scruffy no matter how hard I tried. In true winter palette even my worst photos look so clean and crisp, I can't describe it in words. It's like my features are finally at home.
Sorry for such long comment, I didn't meant it to be so, just wanted to ask about variety of black :)
We're all learning, growing, and improving and I hope the colour analysis industry does the same. Many women have the experience you have, of trying to fit into molds that don't feel right. Time can tell whether the mold is right after all or if it never was. I will definitely add black to the colour request list, with black and alternatives for the 12. I thought these charts might be too overwhelming or technical but viewers have enjoyed and learned from them. Thank you for the suggestion :)
I’m a soft summer and never could understand what is considered “dusty” enough for me. Now I saw the example and it clicked! I named it “Mom’s navy” because that’s what she wore a lot when I was a kid. Kind of 90-s looking colors.
Yes, once you see the range and comparisons, you already know the colour :)
I never really got the dusty thing either. Certain dusties I’ve always called ‘mardy’ 😄 when you get a warm greyed pink for example. It’s a mardy pink to me (most likely because I’m picking up on it not being my pink).
I’ve always seen the greyed blues as boring. Dry. Old fashioned. I thought I was bright for years. I’ve recently realised I’m really not at all bright and the slightly more ‘dusted’ colours suit me. Having seen them on other summers I’ve realised how right they look on summers. Have just invested in some lighter and greyed blues than my usual winter blues, and am waiting for them to arrive so I can test on myself.
ty for ur color videos of actually showing the colors! can u PLEASE do a video on teal, turquoise, blue green kind of color
Blue green is high on the list!
great idea 👍
the soft autumn and soft summer navys are a relief bc of their un-blue-ness
I found out alone and always thought I am here outside of the 12 seasons system
something that looks grey on someone else looks like a color next to my skin
and a color is often too jarring or cheap looking, a good dose of charcoal is needed in every shade
So brilliant the way you've said this, thank you, it was a point I forgot. Worn by the right colouring, the colour isn't faded in the least. The reverse actually, you wouldn't want it to have more pigment. Nobody is outside the 12-Season system :) Some apparel, cosmetics, and hair dye might be but that's fine, all we need to know is what serves us well. Great you found your way there independently.
Thank you Christine. Neutrals are the most difficult to nail down I think, and the comparisons accross seasons really help. As a BW navy has felt easy for me. This video showed me that I should be on the lookout for even brighter and lighter navy and that it can still be used as a neutral rather than a color.
So glad it was useful. Both the more violet and more green-side navy blues are outstanding on BW and yes, the amount of pigment is way up there. For any Spring Season, and probably for anyone, I find navy a neutral colour and agree, they are the hardest to pin down. At least with navy, there's lots of pigment to work with compared with light gray.
Yeah, I’m just happy that I get to go for a more violet navy because soft autumn #2, which I wore yesterday, made me feel very weird. It’s just so dark and inky and not shiny and I was like I look insane with my bright hair makeup and intense colouring in what basically looks like grey dominant 😢 even the other type of navy is more blue than grey and I’m a bit relieved.
I am a summer, though I’m not entirely sure which. I have trouble finding clothes in my season, but I always gravitate to navy. Most of my clothes, esp, ironically, summer clothes, are navy. And yet, some still wash me out. Now I understand why. Thanks.
Thank you :) I'm happy to know that this format answers your questions.
Great video! I am a True Summer and have made the mistake so many times of ending up with Winter blue, too dark on me and too contrasting. I find navy so hard, you definitely helped and thank you!
It's good to shop with a sense of our colour boundaries. Actually easier to choose from a smaller field. Glad the video helped :)
I’d call the warm navy’s teal. It is very nice indeed.
Yes, teal is the word I'd use as well. I'm not sure where the darkness cutoff is, since I have trouble using that word for the Spring side, but both Bright Seasons have a definite 'teal'.
This is excellent Christine. It’s such a practical subject that everyone can benefit from.
Thank you! Maybe one day, navy blue can replace black as a fashion basic. More variety, looks more interesting, and quite ok to be in your ballpark.
Love your insight. I enjoy seeing the comparisons between different versions of the seasons. Thank you. 💗
You're most welcome :) These comparisons seem to help many people and I hope they give you more confidence in your shopping.
Love your explanation and the very easy to understand comparative pictures
Thank you, I appreciate hearing that the pictures help with understanding :)
I love navy but Soft Summer navies are not so easy to find! Thanks for the video Christine.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Every Season's navy blues come and go, actually all the colours pop up when you were shopping for something else. For SSu, looking for the next lighter blue may be easier to find and would act as navy in many looks, but you're probably already doing that :)
Thank you Christine. This is timely for me.
Glad it was helpful :)
Navy is my favourite colour. I think that I have been buying too dark, though. I am a light summer, and I see that your choices are lighter that I expected. I will now have to re-evaluate my wardrobe, since most of it is blue. Lol.
Glad you found some new ideas. The items you have are probably just fine and as you add to your wardrobe, some new choices will expand the looks you can create. Summers wear blue easily :)
I love your videos. They are very helpful. You are very pretty and look like the actress Carla Gugino.
It means a lot to hear you're enjoying the videos :) And thank you for the compliment, I appreciate the comparison with Carla!
I believe you look like Sally Fields and even speak like her! 💕
I used to love it. (Dark autumn)
Each of the 12 Seasons has 2 or 3 colours that I find dependable for looking gorgeous on everyone. Navy blue is one of mine for DA but I agree that it has to be the right one.
Dear Christine, I love your videos! I just wanted to share my frustration with the lack of DW nany winter coats at the moment (at least in Germany).
Navy winter coats...yes, harder to find here too. Keep an eye out, one day, one will appear!
Thank you!!!
You're welcome :)
Thank you. I knew I was autumn, but with your videos I've learned I'm soft autumn. I knew I look best in "dull" colors. Nor surprisingly I rebelled and began wearing bright colors. 😆 I appreciate learning to choose colors like blue, that I can adapt and make it look nice.
I'm truly happy to hear you've found information that has helped :)
I'm a light spring and I love turquoise! however, I love navy and I have a somewhat dark limbal ring that picks up navy if it's clear. the inside of my eye is light green but can look blue-green too like a mint color. I found a navy calvin klein suit at a garage sale for $5. I think it will work with all of my hair and a light peach blouse underneath to dilute the darkness. I also have a navy pea coat that I love that I think if use a soft colored scarf to try to limit the surface area of the coat. I love it when people notice the ring when I wear navy or a blue that picks it up. I love the light spring blues you suggested too, my eyes appear more blue when I wear this color.
Brilliant! You know your best colours and have looked at your individual colouring within the group and come up with some fantastic solutions!
Very helpful thank you
Glad it was helpful!
I’m confused about how adding red adds warmth. If warm seasons have yellow/gold undertones, we add red as another undertone?
I appreciate your confusion, I feel it too. There's a lot of complexity in colour chemistry and classification, more science than I understand. Adding red to yellow makes it more orange, which is a warmer colour, compared with adding green to yellow which makes blue, a cooler yellow (closer to blue). Generally speaking, we add yellow to warm colours and blue to cool them, but when it comes to blue, we add red to warm it and yellow to cool it; only relative to each other are the resulting colours warm (red-blue) and cool (green-blue).
I don't use the word undertone because it doesn't have a specific meaning that I can understand. If it's a real colour, where in the skin is it? If it's a theoretical idea or average colour, what does it represent? The word seems to have different meanings depending on who uses it or the context, so I avoid mentioning it. I didn't understand your question about adding red as another undertone. If you meant that we warm blue by adding red, then yes, that's how I understand it. I'm not a colour chemist though, I'm more of an application person. The Sci\ART-based palettes are correct and over many years, I no longer question it, nor have I found a more accurate system. Now I focus on how to help people use the palettes to make their best colour choices. Great question you asked, thank you!
@@ChristineScaman thanks so much, it does make sense now!
I have studied colour theory as a designer and as an artist. I can still become discombobulated. Is it possible that my best cool colours are dark winter but my best warm colours are spring? Your system seems to be of more depth than others I have checked. Thank you for sharing.
You're among friends. I meet many artists and photographers who feel the same way. Human pigments are different from paints, plus they're divided into several layers (blood, skin, and so on), and the psychology of a human being plays a bigger role than one might think in terms of anyone's ability to see themselves objectively.
I have never met the person whose colouring is as you describe. Our colours come from one single Season, if the Season palette has been designed properly. I use the Sci\ART system founded by the late Kathryn Kalisz. Perhaps what's happening is that True and Bright Spring colours can resemble DW, depending on the colour. They have similar saturation levels. You'd find a peachy orange, certain light warm reds, or some of DW's lighter greens and medium blues are similar looking to some TSp or BSp versions. In the video on the channel, Nextdoor Season Colours, we talk about telling Seasons apart in the places they're different. If you're a Spring, there will be DW light colours and neutrals that are too different to find congruency with your colouring.
Thank you, Christine. This is very helpful to me. I think you nailed my stumbling block with the "saturation levels". I have now watched the Nextdoor colours video and have a better handle on how intensity or chroma affect my palette. @@ChristineScaman
Can we see you in navy or colors you cover?
Interesting idea, I hadn't thought of it :) These days, I wear black because the colour stays fairly consistent. I wore colour in the past and viewers would comment on what they saw, fair enough, but the colours I was wearing were really quite different. I also try to keep myself neutral to avoid distracting from the colours in the images.
Navy & black? People get angry about these colors together. Gray and brown are a better argument, I think. Neutrals are confusing. Think business(?).
Hello :) I'm not sure if I'm a soft autumn or light spring. I have reddish/blonde hair, blue/green eyes, my skin seems to be a warm neutral and I suit yellow gold jewellery. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you 😊
Those are good observations but I'm not sure anyone could know from verbal descriptions (or photographs). I'd need an in-person colour analysis, particularly when you have the Seasons narrowed down to groups with similar colour properties.
@@ChristineScaman okay thank you Christine. I love your channel, I think I will keep following both seasons as I do suit both :)
cute
So e of these blues look cobalt, not navy. That is an easy color to find this spring if it suits one’s coloring.
Spring, 2023.
Yes, for the lighter groups perhaps, or lighter and warmer. Many colours have versions that don't look like the traditional colour in certain Seasons. Yellow, pink, orange have all been that way.
I love denim shirts
.
As a summer, I feel like even after washes when they no longer have the shine of the 'new item', the color can only get softer and better. The denim naturally looses that one bit of color and adds a bit of gray with use and time. It's always worth the investiment.
It's really true. Denim actually flatters Summers, in the classic colours and variations like chambray. Both person and garment look better, rather than acting only as a neutral element or being functional. The more extreme forms like faded to look bleached, or when the textile is treated to look sandblasted or distressed, I'm not sure those are flattering for anyone. They're just trends really, and like all trends, they seem to me an example of taking the idea too far.
@@ChristineScaman so true!
I have soft blue eyes, so I always though it might just be my personal bias on wearing blue :)
Not a neutral or a functional piece necesserely, indeed. I do wear it in non-casual settings, in occasions that are not necesserely ''formal'' events.
Someone on Reddit shared this video and it is an amazing video with an amazing channel.
That's great to know, thank you :)
The videos you’ve made in this style are so helpful. I find them perfect for understanding the differences between the seasons!!!
I'm happy to know that they've helped many people. I expected viewers to find the format too cluttered or technical, and it probably is for some, but for those who are trying to understand their colours better, it's useful. Plus I've learned a lot. myself!
@@ChristineScaman Learning even more is honestly one of the best parts of teaching imo!!
This has been a bad season for this Summer, classic navy has been replaced in US clothes by the awful Dark Navy, which is indistinguishable from black except in the brightest sunlight. They did this in the 90s and I hated the blazer I bought in that color. It doesn’t work with, or as, black or navy, it just looks like off, like a really cheap version of black. Navy is usually such a useful color for me, as my dark “neutral”, but not this year, I’m waiting for true navy to return. Brands do this with white and ivory, try to sell just one in-between color, because then they don’t have to stock as many colors! I don’t shop for their convenience, however, I shop for what I know suits me! No kind-of navy or white for me!
I know exactly the colour you mean. Black might actually better serve more people.
One time I compared Winter navy blues on my IG. What I found was Dark Winter navy was closest to black whereas True Winter seemed really cool blue and Bright Winter navy blue was actually the brightest and the lightest in a way that you've got the impression that there is a little beam of pure yellow light in it. Strange feeling about a colour which is dark and cool-toned by definition.
I have the same experience. DW does have a fair bit of black, maybe why there are so many available. TW has a certain purity...wrong word....why does uncompromising come to mind, I think my brainwaves are crossing over to other associations :) And BW, purity is the right word, this would be the one I'd call jewel-toned navy.
@@ChristineScaman would you like to make a video about yellow for dark seasons? Because as far as I know this is problematic colour for Dark Winter and Dark Autumn as its is light by definition.
Yellow is a colour that people find challenging to select and to wear, so this is a great idea, thank you. I'd agree that yellow for the True Winter, True Summer, and Soft Summer, and Dark Winter can be hard to find, at least where I live. The rest are fairly well supplied. I'm not sure that the lightness is a problem any more than it would be with white, especially if contrast is supplied in the other parts of the outfit or appearance or makeup. I wonder if the challenge is choosing the right coolness and brightness. I'll begin looking at images and think about how to make yellow easier. Thanks once again for the idea :)
@@ChristineScaman Thank you for the reply. I think in case of dark seasons the brightness and tone can be challenging. As Dark Winter is not extremely clear nor extremely cool and Autumn-influenced, I think it may be easy to confuse the right DW yellow shades with autumnal yellows. On the other hand, Dark Autumn is not extremely warm, nor extremely muted, therefore it may be difficult to find neutral-warm, just slightly muted yellow shade. I imagine that it should be rather closer to bronzed golden yellow.
You have such a poetic way of 'painting' colours.
Thank you :) I hope it helps people picture the colour better by placing it into a context.
I think once you find your blues you've got a solid foundation for a capsule wardrobe. I feel it's the most neutral color family. Something for everyone. Professional yet fun.
I totally agree! I can't think of another colour family that acts as both colour and. neutral.
Maybe I really am a bright spring… I’ve been treating red like a neutral. I feel like it’s the calmness we associate with blue, it never feels out of place 🩵💙
Thank you Christine! So much to learn about color and you teach it well!
You are so welcome!
I loved the information and examples and links!
Im confused as to whether if I’’m a light summer or soft summer. I’d like to see something about this. Is it always readily apparent?
I'm confused on Light Summer vs. a lighter Soft Summer as well. I'd also love your comments on this! I realize that in theory there is an added "drop" of brown in Soft Summer and an added "drop" of gray (or gray that is a little darker). In Light Summer there is instead an added "drop" of yellow and without much added grey. Is this right?
@@sheri6089 True. Light Summer is characterised as the lightest and brightest summer type if you compare it to True Summer and Soft Summer. If you look at the colours you see they are relatively bright despite having some grey pigment it them. But through the grey you still see there is pink, azure blue, red, etc. Light Summer colours are in general medium in chroma - there are not extremely clear, nor extremely muted, whereas Soft Summer colours are and there is some Autumn earthiness and depth on them.
The question sounds as though it's about telling LSu and SSu apart in people, not apparel?
For apparel, exactly as the previous reply describes. For me, 80% of the time, I can't tell by looking, which is fine. Human vision doesn't work by looking, it works by comparing, so I try the palettes laid out on the fabric.
For humans, 100% of the time, I can't tell by looking and the stereotypic or average examples of celebrities only seem to confuse things. The answer comes by the analysis process, and also making sure you're not some other Season altogether or True Summer. It's true that SSu colours can seem softer but humans don't look soft, their colours are too balanced for that and eyes have shine and soul and are never soft surrounded by their own colours. SSu and LSu are too similar, both essentially Summer, both Seasons of the same cool-neutral warmth, really hard to distinguish wherever the colour is.
Yes to SSu having a drop of gold and LSu having yellow, both theoretically true. I've not always found them useful in practical situations, like "Which one do I buy, or neither?" and so back to comparing with an actual palette that I think of as my face.
Please ask if I haven't quite answered your questions :)
Just subscribed. Would have been nice to hear about effect of lighting, esp. new technology like LED, and effect of adjacent colors in accessories, furniture and environment.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts :) Do you mean the effect that the colour of light and adjacent colours have on the colours we wear? It's entirely true that they have an effect. One of the main reasons I started making videos, besides the fact that I enjoy doing it quite a lot, is that when people hear about colour analysis, their perceptions were most often from how things were years ago or even more often, "I don't know what it is." In trying to introduce all people everywhere to the concept and the power of it to improve lives, I keep the information general and the video under 30 min.
If you had specific questions or suggestions about the topics you mention, I'd be happy to offer any thoughts I might have.
@@ChristineScaman I was thinking of how periwinkle colors just glow outside on an overcast day because of the blue in the cloud filtered sunlight. But I have a lesser awareness of how different types of artificial light, especially LED, affects clothing and skin tones.
By adjacency, I mean how adjacent colors push each other to be perceived differently than either color by itself. So the color of a blouse would be perceived different next to a blue blazer vs. a red cardigan. Or on a larger scale, the way clothing and skin tones look next to colorful, neutral, light interior or exterior backgrounds. I am wondering how clothing strategies for optimal skin tones would differ for different surroundings and lighting, e.g., dark restaurant, public speaking spotlight, grocery store, nature walk, etc.
Thanks for explaining, I think I understand your question better. With adjacent colours having influence on one another, you're meaning simultaneous contrast. I'm less a colour theorist and more of an application person, meaning how are we going to use our Season to look better in the everyday world, but I believe that simultaneous contrast is the premise and foundation of personal colour analysis. When all the colours we wear are in harmony with our natural colours, we use the concept to our advantage so that colours do not alter one another or appear discordant, they remain true, as do our own colours. Complementary colours might be an example of colours affecting one another that relates to the biology of our retina, but the same is true, that within the same palette, the harmony maintains the true colours when they are placed next to one another or adjacent to our own skin tones.
I sense from your question that you already know this, and explaining how colour wavelengths specifically change (or how our biological perception changes) are beyond my knowledge. In general, blue wavelength (fluorescent or cool LED) light strikes an object, more blue light is reflected (object looks bluer). More yellow light in (incandescent or warm LED), objects appear yellower. But we can't control the kinds of light we're seen in through a day and the brain of the viewer can make adaptations, in that it understands 'white blouse' or 'white tablecloth' and superficially perceives the colour as white, from candlelit to when the overhead lights are turned on.
In terms of lighting in the environment, your thoughts apply very much to our everyday lives and we covered that a bit in the first part of the reply. Outdoor painters would practice changing their canvas every hour to try and capture the way colour changes through the day even in natural light. The question I might have is, what are we going to do about it in how we dress that would be practical and successful? To some degree, I imagine the alteration carries through both our clothing and us wearing the clothes, meaning that in candlelight our colours warm to the same degree as what we wear, so the error might balance out. My solution has been to stay within the colours of our Season palette, enjoy the built in harmony that optimizes the phenomenon of simultaneous contrast in our favour, and carry on with the day.
@@ChristineScaman Thank you so much for your time. Very generous.
My absolutely fav color. Even my car is deep crystal blue 😍
Love the colour for a car! Saw it in recently, a new Mazda, I think, like driving a jewel.
@@ChristineScaman That´s exactly my car, a Mazda.
Especially in sunlight it looks nobel and a bit royal😍
Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous!
Nice
Thanks!