A cautionary tale about 'getting your colours done'

"I had my colours done and I'm {x} season and I'm struggling to feel inspired by those colours, they just don't do it for me"

This was a message from a business owner who reached out to me recently.

In our conversation, she added: "I used to dress vibrantly but now I've lost my way and I feel drab."

So let me get this straight... you paid a stylist to help you, and the experience....

LEFT YOU FEELING DRAB?!

Someone hold me back because...

Ok, *moment* out the way; this won't be a post about other styling professionals because that's not my bag. And it's also not the point.

Now, I don't know who this woman worked with, or what specifically was offered in the experience.

I'm hoping the stylist - having been trained in colour analysis - would have given all the supplementary information, such as, this is guidance only.

Because people don't realise colour analysis can be like peeping behind a curtain. You might be delighted; or you might not like what you see.

Either way, the choice to look is yours. And the choice is also yours as to what you do with the information.

Now, I don't claim to know all the answers; I make it part of my business to learn every day, and I know my skills are constantly growing and evolving, as should the skills of any service-provider worth their salt.

But I do know this:

NO ONE - and I mean NO ONE; no stylist, no *expert*, no shop assistant - can tell you what to wear.

It's YOUR power and YOUR choice.

And herein lies my problem with colour analysis.

On the one hand, it can be helpful as a guide.

Some people feel absolutely clueless when it comes to style (spoiler: they only feel this, they're not really). Having some guidance as a starting point can be beneficial.

It can also be beneficial if you're someone with a gazillion things to remember, spinning many plates, and you don't have the brainspace for style stuff.

But! BUT!!!!!

1. It is guidance, not prescription
2. There is far more to it than a four-season system
3. That traditional system has been rightly criticised in the past for being biased towards white skintones and lacks inclusivity
4. Two stylists can give a totally different reading, depending on where/how they trained and personal opinion

Colour analysis, once an uncool leftover from the '80s like bad hairspray and shoulder pads, has had somewhat of a resurgence this year due to Tiktok and tech.

'Colour analysis' was first coined by Carole Jackson, who published Color Me Beautiful - but the method wasn't hers. In fact, she's said she doesn't know who invented the concept.

And now, thought to be driven by the South Korean beauty market, where pre-pandemic there were colour specialists in stores, the #colouranalysis trend has amassed hundreds of millions of posts on Tiktok.

And in news that gives any trained stylist the heebie-jeebies, there are filters a-plenty that claim to predict your 'season.'

Now - there are stylists who absolutely love colour analysis; who offer only colour analysis. Who franchise as reps for specific colour schools.

But any one of them worth paying, should tell you what I'm telling you now.

As one stylist who is exclusively colour analysis says; "If you cannot handle being told what you think are your worst colours are actually your best colours[...] my packages are not for you."

But that ain't me, either.

I am not an exclusive colour analysis stylist.

I am in the business of money-making style.

I am in the business of helping YOUR business. And that's why I'm on Linkedin. It's why I stuck at it when I first started here, and several people told me my content was *not for this platform.*

I know style, and I know business - and I blend the two.

I'm here for your goals and dreams; not to hand you a 12-colour fan wallet and advise you to only wear those colours for the rest of your life.

And I know I'm not wrong when I say DRAB is NOT money-making energy.

Up until our conversation, this lady was stuck feeling like she couldn't wear the vibrant colours she wanted to.

And what do you think the impact might have been for her business?

What would be the impact on yours of feeling DRAB?

Let's ponder:

• Less likely to show up online = not building a consistent relationship with your audience.
• Less likely to go to in-person events = not making valuable connections
• Less likely to see yourself as someone who follows through on their actions = an ever-growing to-do list, skipping the gym for the 100th time and feeling frazzled
• Less confident in yourself as a {job title} = not sticking to your prices, bendy boundaries and fewer sales

... and all of that adds up to, well, less, actually.

Less money, less time, less energy. DRAB.

Colour analysis can be a great tool. It can help you along your style journey. It can have a decent ROI because it's knowledge you'll use forever.

But exercise self-discernment. Proceed with caution.

What is it that you are looking for when you consider 'getting your colours done'?

How do you feel it will positively impact your life?

How will you handle it if a stylist tells you she thinks you're a 'winter' and you hoped to be 'spring'?

Because what works for someone else might not work for you. Your friend might be a raving fan of colour analysis, but finding out your colours leaves you feeling stifled.

Yes, it could be knowledge you'll use forever - but could also be a box that limits your creative expression forever, too.

And guess what?! I am someone trained in this stuff...

And I dress OUTSIDE OF MY *SEASON* ALL. THE.TIME.

And also guess what? I love my style.

I don't ever tell clients they 'can't wear' a certain colour; it's actually about finding a shade of that colour which fits not only their complexion, but their style, their brand and their vibe. I focus on creating customised moodboards and palettes as guidance.

But my biggest area of focus? Empowering my clients to wear whatever the hell they want.

I don't care if a colour isn't 'in your season.' I care about how it makes you feel.

If this outfit takes you from 'meh, I'm just not feeling it today', to 'I am going to absolutely smash my to-do list' - then WHO CARES what shade it is.

(Except for deep teal, of course. That literally looks great on everyone.)

So - to sum up our cautionary tale, I'd like to offer you some questions to ponder the next time you get swept up in the #colouranalysis trend and think about getting your 'colours done.'

If it feels like the right thing for you to do - if you feel like you need the structure of a 'season' to base your wardrobe upon - go ahead.

But if you're doing it because 'everyone's doing it' - remember that you can't unsee behind the curtain. And sometimes? Life with the curtains closed is even better.

The colour analysis check-list

• What do I believe will improve or change about my life if I get my colours done?
• How will I feel if I believe I'm one season, and the stylist tells me I'm another?
• Am I confident I can make it my own, and see it as a self-exploration, rather than rules to live by?

If you're here because you love the way my style chat helps you in business, then let's, you know, have an actual proper chat.

'cos if you think this is helpful, imagine the juicy titbits that come from working with me.

Find out more about my services here

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