Hope you are having a lovely week. It is officially winter in Sydney and today the drop in temperature was definitely noticeable.
colour and texture
The subject I would like to touch on in this week’s newsletter comes from notes in my head from the past weeks’ style, colour and wardrobe sessions.
Putting together an outfit has so many facets, and I have spoken about many before. But never have I explained the link between your colour season and what styles and textures look great on you unless you had a one-on-one session.
I thought I would share a few examples of how that all comes together.
12 colour seasons
The 12 colour season directions are divided by a few of the following characteristics and often a colour season is a combination of some of the below:
-
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- Soft
- Cool
- Dark
- Warm
- Light
- Bright
- Clear
- Muted
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Often my clients are the Soft Cool colour season or Soft Warm. So let me explain why choosing the right textures makes a big difference.
soft
The “Soft” speaks for itself, wearing fabrics that are soft and very far from being stiff when they go into the body are going to look so much better. There is a long list of fabrics that would suit that person and they all have in common that they do not look stiff on the body.
The touch test when you feel fabrics, in your wardrobe or in the shops, will give you a great idea of how they will feel on your skin. Online you can clearly see on the model how the fabric drapes.
The Soft Cools, Soft Warms as well as Light Cools of the world will be very sensitive to how a fabric feels, how tight it is or if there is a tag itching in the neck.
Soft is also reflected in how much contrast a person likes in her outfits. Low to medium contrast looks great which is again a great decision-maker when it comes to an outfit coming together.
pattern
And what about pattern types? Yes very much so, a Soft colour season looks best in patterns that are softer, slightly floatier with not too much contrast between one colour and the next. More often than not, I hear Softs prefer a block colour and are not a huge fan of patterns. (potentially as this has been easier for them to pick, but a Soft does look great in the right patterns)
So trying to fit a very angular pattern in a fabric without much give on a Soft colour season, is simply not going to look great.
And taking these elements into consideration will help you put together a wardrobe you are going to love wearing.
So if I look at the outfit below, the floral swirls are pretty soft, the colours in the patterns are richer and the fabric seems to have a softness to it especially when you look at the neckline and sleeves. The skirt also has a nice texture to it, a felt or wool kind of feel.
Do you bring your body shape into if what styles works for you? Yes of course, but it is like a cake where added layers will give a more delicious result.
The same as your style personality comes through in everything you wear. All of it gets mixed in together.
clear
So let’s take another colour direction which is kind of the opposite. Warm and Clear or Cool and Clear have both in common that they are not naturally sensitive to tighter fits, in fact, they love a more put-together outfit as opposed to a floatier look.
They also love a bit of contrast and suit bolder more angular patterns, with a clear beginning and end.
Like the jumper below, I would never pick for a Soft but I would potentially for a Warm Clear, a tall one, as these circles are pretty big.
Clears look so good in a colour that reflects the light, while Softs need to wear colours that take in the light.
Every colour season (there are 12) has its own contrast level, texture advice and depth of colour. If you would like to know what yours are, I have a Virtual colour session that includes a Zoom call or a face-to-face one that includes a 90 minutes wardrobe assessment. Both include the online style portfolio. Let me know if you would like to book in for one.
Have a great rest of the week!
Angela Barbagallo
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