SUNDAY POST FEB 1-7
Choosing hues that suit your skin tone is a must-do and is sometimes dependent on seasons, say some experts. P S Bhavana finds out more…
The House of Colour, UK-born image consulting and colour analysis franchisee firm that also functions out of Dubai, believes that hues worn by people should be according to four seasons. For instance, its key consultants Kirsty Volpe, Marcia Holland and Sam Logansay that according to colour analysis, colours are divided into warm and cool, and then into seasons—each of which have 36 hues under them. Every individual’s has a specific season that suits him or her. There are numerous companies in India that offer something similar, as well. You could Google for specific firms that could analyse and suggest your tonality. Historically, this analysis stemmed out of observations by Swiss expressionist painter Johannes Itten (1888-1967). Apparently, while his students painted the same scene, he noticed that the ones who had dark eyes and hair, and a gold-toned skin tone used warm colours to depict it, while the ones with ash-haired, pink-toned skin and lighter eyes used cool colours.
In hue parlance, warm tones (Spring/Summer) have a yellow undertone like brown, orange, gold, yellowish-green, burnt red and cousins of beige, and cool tones (Autumn/Winter) have a blue undertone like grey, blue, slate-grey, black and white, and even pink, fuchsia, purple and burgundy.But the characteristic traits that come with a particular tonal colouring are way different and interesting. Warm-toned people have yellowish-beige, golden, peach or ivory complexion; copper, chestnut, charcoal brown, deep golden blonde, or auburn hair; and brown, hazel, pale green or blue eyes. Cool-toned ones have black, brunette, ash blonde, or salt-pepper hair; dark brown, deep green, dark hazel or deep blue eyes; and black, olive, fair, or pink skin.
Now, to find out what basic tonality you are blessed with, do this. Grab a large mirror, find a spot with natural lightning, wear something simple (keeping your neck bare), tie your hair upwards—off your face, remove jewellery and any traces of make-up, pick two shirts—one white and the other cream. Now, tuck both the shirts under your chin one after the other. If your complexion glows more with the white, you are cool-toned. And if your complexion glows more with the cream, you are warm-toned. Tre’s simple! The key here is to make your face stand out, not the colour, which ideally should not overpower your skin tone.
But in all this what matters is choosing the right set of hues that match your complexion. For starts, it is good to know that skin tones are broadly divided into fair/pale, olive and dark. Some fall into in between categories, too.
- The fair or pale-skinned should contrast their tone with dark colours. They could try deep blues like navy or midnight, jewel tones like ruby, emerald or amethyst, and almost all primary colours. Off set black with brights. And avoid pastels and earthy shades as these can ashen your complexion.
- The olive-skinned could go for beiges, cremes and light/powder blues. Most dark shades will look good. And olive and tan hues can be pepped up with bright accents. Avoid extremely flesh-coloured monotones.
- The dark-skinned are wonderfully blessed, as most colours suit them. Fresh, bold and bright hues like fuchsia, lime green, and ochre yellow make them stand out brilliantly. But they should avoid going very dark or very light. If they do so, highlight the colours with pop hues.
PS: If you want to dig deep, take a look at what we bumped into—a bunch of beautifully-presented and segregated colour-season-complexion images by Reachel Bagley, Arizona-based fashion consultant, Professor (Wardrobe Strategies) at Mesa Community College, and author of cardiganempire.com. Having said this, what matters is your confidence in carrying off any, absolutely colour. You could wear a colour that bookishly and theoretically suits or doesn’t suit your skin tone, but if you wear it gloomily and behave so in it, it will backfire.
