Color is Critical! Nothing – and I do mean nothing – not losing 10 pounds, not wining the lottery – nothing! - is more essential to looking wonderful than defining your unique personal palette of colors. Don't even think of buying new clothes until you have absolute color certainty.
Just look at the difference the right colors make on Christina, Shary and Marcy:
No trick photography here, no fresh makeup or updated hairstyles – I snapped these pictures just moments apart in my friend Laura’s hallway during a girls’ night out. But each woman looks younger, healthier, happier, more in focus wearing optimal colors.
If you think color analysis still means Summer/Winter/Autumn/Spring … you'll be amazed at what’s changed and how you can update your wardrobe with 21stCentury color guidance.
Color isn’t a “read the book and do it yourself” proposition, so I can’t teach you how to analyze yourself. But I CAN teach you some components of the process and help you recognize if you need to work with a color professional.
If you’ve had your colors done in the past, dig those old swatches out of the drawer . If you’re not using them religiously, that itself is a clue they may not be on target, right? If you got them at a makeup party or an adult ed class, that’s another warning sign. But hold them up near your face and look in a mirror in natural lighting.
If they create the same connection you see between the women and the Color Fans below, you’re good to go. You’re excused from the rest of this class. Join us next week for great advice on using them to create magic in your wardrobe.
If the connection isn’t so obvious, I’ll be happy to give you my two cents on their accuracy. Just email me a photo of you and a photo of the swatches. Catch: computer monitors don’t render color perfectly, so in close-call situations I may need to request an actual photo print via snail mail to give you accurate feedback. We really need to get this right for you.
If you've never had a color consultation ... then let’s talk… WHY on earth not?
“I can wear any color” Well sure you can, but you don’t look equally good in all of them. And when you try to build a wardrobe with a little bit of everything, you end up with the classic “closet full of nothing to wear”
“I’m afraid of being told I can’t wear my favorite color” Nearly every woman can wear nearly every color family. But there are particular hues, values and intensities of those colors that are fabulous on you and others that are ho-hum … or worse.
“I don’t want to spend the money” As a Frugal Franny myself, I understand this reluctance. BUT good color information will prevent future buying bloopers and make your wardrobe so much more versatile that you’ll dress at least twice as well with half the clothes. That means a consultation literally pays for itself the first season … and after that it’s all financial up-side.
Color info is also a huge time saver. It instantly eliminates 80% of the items in any store, so you can zero right in on the pieces that are most likely to work on you. And if you sew your wardrobe (as I know many of my subscribers do) it saves you from investing precious time making garments that ultimately hang unworn in the back of the closet.
SO - if you need a consultation or update, how do you find a top-notch consultant? If you’re near St Louis you can certainly call me (314-803-4445). I'd love to work with you. And you can take $10 off the fee for being a newsletter subscriber.
If not, start your search at www.aici.org using the consultant finder. You’re looking for someone who bypasses any pre-set color categories and creates a palette of colors custom-selected for you. And you want a consultant with some years of experience under her (fashionable) belt.
If you don’t find a local consultant, I now offer consultations from color photos of you ( print close-ups via snail mail). Email for details - nancynrice@hotmail.com. I honestly never thought a long-distance process was viable, until a woman named Susan Thompson – bless her heart – just wouldn’t take NO for an answer. Here’s her assessment of the results:
Nancy - I absolutely love my colors! I can see that all your recommendations are perfect for me. My previous reds were very bright. I never wore the more subdued version you suggested, but I’ve already purchased some lipstick and nail color in my new red and I love them. All the colors in my palette seem to work so well; I feel pretty when I wear them and I get so many compliments not so much on what I’m wearing, but how nice I look and how young I look for my age.
I wish I’d had my colors done long ago. What you do is great, especially for us “mature” gals who need all the help we can get. You nailed my colors so perfectly; I would strongly encourage you to do colors this way for those of us who don’t have access to this service locally and can’t readily travel to St. Louis to work with you in person.
It’s well worth the money; in the long run it will save me more in shopping mistakes than the service cost. This service helped me to look better and feel better about myself. I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to work with me.
Susan Thompson
