Soft Summer Jewelry 2
February 22, 2010 by Christine Scaman · Leave a Comment
I was looking for jewelry and shoes to go with cocktail dresses for a Soft Summer client. I love to do that when I have a person in mind whose colouring I understand. It’s like vicarious shopping.
From the 12 Season Personal Colour Analysis Sci\ART system, a quick Soft Summer review:
- approx 75% or more of the colouring is Summer (take a look at True Summer Jewelry to get a sense of how it feels to be/look at a True Summer)
- about 25% or less is Autumn
True Summer colours are absolutely cool. The cool effect comes from blue-grey or pink-grey. Clothes and makeup with one degree of heat turns these people yellow, or some variation on the theme.
What does the Autumn impose on Summer’s colours?
First, take a quick look at How The 5 Autumns Add Brown To Hair Colour – or to any colour, for that matter. There is an overlay of gray-brown. It is not orange, yellow, or camel. It is the colour of fog. The blueness of True Summer’s colours is being dimmed. These colours are less distinctly blue and more gray-browned.
The palette is still dusty plums, roses, blues, and mauves, the cornerstone colours of all Summers. The amber of Soft Autumn is still nowhere to be seen. The blush may be Desert Rose or Pink Tan, but it is not Mocha.
Autumn changes the feeling, not just the colours (because colour IS feeling!). It becomes less dainty and more sturdy and grounded. The shape shifts from round to a bit more square. This repeats in the face shape, where the jaw is often quite squared in an Autumn face, and the mouth shape more straight with a less obvious bow.
A simple silver chain is good, or silver hoop earrings. Grace Kelly going to the office is the image of this group.
Jewelry below all at Nordstrom. I’ve linked the pictures but I always end up on the Intl Shipping page. You can find them from the product info on Nordstrom’s excellent Search page.
These Alexis Bittar Small Drop earrings in Warm Grey (not the colour above) caught my attention. There is a soft lustre, like opal, which looks soft, like this Season. They’re round, but with a little squaring effect, just like Autumn’s squaring effect on Summer’s circle.
Soft Summer is a Neutral Season, with warmth and coolness. They can wear gold as long as it’s not too yellow or deeply golden.
What about these Triple Drop Earrings from Kate Spade? They’re light coloured, so are they Light Summer? No, still Soft to my eye.
Light Summer colour analysis swatches are a bit yellowed. Soft Summer are relatively grayed. I still see these as foggy day, not sunny day.
You might disagree and you might be right – there is turquoise here, always a Spring effect. With makeup and fashion, the difference between 80% and 100 may have to be ignored much of the time. There isn’t enough precise choice.
This is the Lauren Bead Cluster earring. They risk clutter against Summer’s restraint and moderation, but I like that they feel a little unexpected. With a simple dress that repeats some of the colours in the jet, it could look young and interesting. The metal parts are lacy and airy, as Summer’s should be.
I see them as too detailed and lightweight for Winter. I like the brown tones on the grey glass. Any kind of pearl always works with Summer, and gray pearl is amazing on Soft Summer.
These Dabby Reid Ltd. Linear Drop earrings have stillness and weight, I’d put them on Winter. The metal fastening is bold and dramatic, like Winter
Following rules is fine to a point. You have to put a personal spin on your choices, because nobody else is you and they won’t communicate about themselves just as you would.
Elisa Is A True Summer
January 7, 2010 by Christine Scaman · 14 Comments
Elisa has always believed herself to be a Spring. Her freckles, warm brown hair, and natural flush in her skin caused her, and others, to conclude that the colours in her design followed Spring’s colour rules. When assessing a colour, be it in you or outside you, we ask the same 3 questions, because any colour has 3 properties.
Spring colours are all:
Lightness or Darkness? > light, or at least never very dark
Warm or Cool? > warmed, and by yellow NOT orange
Clear or Soft? > clear, or highly saturated, NOT dulled
The premise of Seasonal Colour Analysis is that every colour in your natural colour composition answers those 3 questions in the same way. Your swatch book is a group of colours that fit on those scales in those exact same positions too, thereby replicating the colours in your design. That is how the magic happens.
I can see how one might look at the light-medium warmish brown hair and see warmth, light, and clarity.
Her eyes are not warm though. They are a medium-dark blue-grey.
The dark brows could make Winter cross your mind.
But nevermind the hair and eyes. We established long ago that they are not used in defining the Season, they’ll just lead you astray. We look at skin.
Without a proper analysis, you can’t really understand skin. You have to watch how it reacts to colour. Are freckles not a sign of warmth? No! They’re another red herring, kind of like the “clear eyes” concept. You have to look beyond them, at the skin. So we’re back to Plan A, with how did the draping go?
Both Elisa’s skin and her eye patterns performed precisely as True Summer does. The moonlit, luminous translucency that only True Summer does so well was there for sure. The absolute inability to handle the slightest degree of heat, or it’s instant pasty skin, was there. This skin tone seems to look turquoise in turquoise, and melon in melon.
In fact, Elisa is a study in contrasts. She has warm hair, dark eyebrows, deep blue eyes, and freckles (which feel warm). She could be placed in any number of Seasons, but none would feel right. Once we neutralized all the variables, it was clear that she is a True Summer.
Makeup often seemed too conspicuous so became something to avoid. We looked at how to accentuate her features with the same understated elegance that is true of her entire palette. These are Grace Kelly clothes and colours. This is the skin and eye colour that was made for BlueGrey eyeliner (Annabelle makes a perfect (and perfectly inexpensive) pencil by that name). Everyone can wear makeup beautifully, but the fragility of this skin is easily overwhelmed.
Elisa has some natural shadowing around her eyes. It was least pronounced in the True Summer colours, but wasn’t obliterated altogether. That’s called Photoshop. Many women fight that (and many other “imperfections”) with too much concealer, which ends up looking caked and even more obvious. There is a little foundation here, but no concealer. I usually apply concealer or foundation, but seldom both. Those products are overdone, and take a lot of time. I want to show you how to recognize your cosmetic colours.
Cosmetics counters and makeup artists are usually good at matching foundation. If they won’t allow you to take a few samples home to try in daylight, don’t buy the product. I ask women to bring their foundation to their PCA. So far, none have been wearing the right colour but they knew that already.
In your right colours, you will see the area under the eye become as illuminated as possible. Wear a little makeup, but allow your face. Ignore our magazine-obsessed culture that has us trying to delete our individuality.
One of the biggest misconceptions about True Summer’s colours is that they are all dusty lavender and Wedgewood blue, “old” colours. In fact, the most important feature of True Summer colours is NOT their dustiness, or softness, or grayishness, all the same idea. It is the COOLNESS.
These are not at all confined to being light colours, though Summer is thought of as light. Relative to Winter, it is lighter, but they can do surprisingly dark colour.
In this graphic, the high saturation (hi sat) colours are on the left, as you can see. The lo sat colours are only softer BY COMPARISON. They’re the colour of denim and flower petals. The True Summer personal colour palette contains these same beautiful colours, at about 50% saturation or less.
The hi sat shades on the left are pigment-saturated, pigment-soaked, pigment-logged. Winter needs them and usually doesn’t wear them saturated enough, in part because they’re hard to find except in workout clothing. Few women over 25 feel safe buying these colours.
Elisa is married to the most mannerly man you’ll ever meet. Aggression and confrontation are disturbing to this personality. Hurry and pressure flusters them more than most. It is very calming to this character to be able to depend on certain things, especially decency and kindness. Courtesy is the most essential prerequisite of all.
Finally, A True Summer Blush
January 1, 2010 by Christine Scaman · Leave a Comment
I searched for 5 months. I was looking for the colour of deep red-pink rose petals. The cosmetic industry adds brown or peach to almost every colour. It’s so wrong on the coolest, most fragile skin tone we see in Personal Colour Analysis.
The colours and article can be found here, in True Summer’s Cool Rose Blush, at my blog, A Greener Tea.
Soft Summer Jewelry 1
December 15, 2009 by Christine Scaman · Leave a Comment
It always begins with the same question. What does this person feel like?
How we decorate what’s INside on the OUTside?
The Soft Summer person
These people are very True Summery in most ways. They are not reclusive, shy, or introverted. They don’t need to be the boss, though they could be good at it. They don’t require center-stage attention. Theirs is a more subtle, serene, quiet energy.
The trace of Autumn puts a different spin on things. The Soft Summer is usually more sporty, with faster and more focused physical energy. They have a cut-to-the-chase practicality that gets the story told or the job done sooner, without True Summer’s inclination to dwell on details.
Petal and pearl necklace. Love it in charcoal too. Love it.
Jewelry for the personality
To speak for them, their jewelry must follow the same tendencies. The pieces are less lacy and feminine than True Summer. There is a feeling of more solidity, but they’re by no means chunky. Autumn and Summer combined can make for a very headstrong individual. The jewelry should not feel retiring or lightweight. These can be among the most persistent, immovable personalities so a persevering quality in the jewelry is appropriate.
The metal is silver, unless they border their warmer neighbor of Soft Autumn quite closely. Theoretically, as a Neutral Season, gold could be worn in small proportions. It would be the deeper, more mellow gold of Autumn, rather than Spring’s very yellow gold that just looks cheap on anyone else.
Good behaviour and personal restraint are the hallmarks of the Summer personality. What better jewel to define that sophitication than pearls? I think they suit the Soft Summer colours even better than the True Summer. The colours of a misty morning, of a foggy harbor, with the light of day coming through…I love the feeling of that with a seashell- coloured pearl. Creamy pearls would even work well, just not too yellow.
Soft Summer’s colour code
Just as clothing colour combinations can venture further from True Summer’s best monochromatic (several shades of the SAME colour) look, so can jewelry. Different colours can be combined, as long as they all remain true to the personal colour swatches in the Colours Book.
Remember that while you may mix different colours from your personal colour palette, such as antique rose and jade green or pearl with orchid, how beautiful would that be, all the colours themselves are of low saturation. The whole look of this season revolves around that concept. We saw in What Are Clear And Soft Colours? that these colours are all closer to grey than in the Clear Colour seasons. Are they dull and drab? No way. They’re just relatively a little grayer. They’re willow, sage, and clover, not grass.
I’m so happy to be doing this season, I get to talk about one of my favorite companies, J.Crew. All the pictures are linked back to their site.
Shadow facet bracelet at J.Crew.
The bracelet above is gold, but there’s not much of it. The colours are of low saturation. This mauve or brown-tinged gray is basically your eye shadow. The weight is heavier but there’s a classic and understated feeling.
I’ve been wanting to put these up. They are so sweet. You’ll find many types of pearls on this site, but these are so pretty.
A dainty but more solid pearl.
The Pearl Twisted Hammock necklace is stunning.
J.Crew doesn’t do a lot of silver in jewelry or I would have posted it. Also, keep watches in mind for all 5 seasons comprising some Autumn, or jewelry that DOES something. Autumn’s song is the “search for the truth and get the job done”. Functional pieces represent the efficiency they exude.
You’ll find more of these pieces. Look for classic with a kick, the summary of the Soft Summer person.
True Summer Jewelry
December 1, 2009 by Christine Scaman · 11 Comments
Presuming that cameos and pearls have been done, though they’d be most appropriate, what does the most feminine season of all wear?
True Summer word pictures
I find True Season personalities more faithful to their Season than are Neutral Season characters, who show far more variability.
True Summer is deeply decent, sensitive, and so civilized that they put the rest of us to shame. For Summer, the word pictures are flowing, the most beautiful blues and roses, pastel, still water, hazy, graceful, precise, detailed, refined, fine, and understated.
Just as Summer’s colours are soft, so is the feeling and reflection of the jewelry. Nothing moves or changes quickly. Matching elements and pieces are in keeping with the monochromatic scheme that suits Summer best.
Multiple different styles : feels too much like a miscellaneous assortment on Summer’s soothing ambiance.
Sparkle, dazzle, and movement : excessive energy variation feels inexpensive and random.
Summer is quiet, focused, and particular. The message on their answering machine is slowly and clearly enunciated. Ask for directions, and you will be awhile listening, but you’ll get there on the first try. Ask a Spring to meet you at a certain time and you’ll be lucky to see each other the same day.
Big, heavy, chunky pieces : no (proportionate to the person wearing them) . The size of Summer’s jewelry is small. It does not insist on the spotlight. The size is intended to convey an uncommon jewel of extreme value.
Metals
The metal is certainly silver, though you could veer towards the warmer white gold if you approach the warmer Soft Summer (like Jennifer Aniston), or rose gold if your 12 Season colour analysis showed your skin tone to drift the other way, towards Light Summer (Princess Diana gave that impression). If you have a Wintery air, you can harden the metal to platinum.
Sapphire
Stones from your personal colour palette always work. Sapphire in pink or blue are perhaps the best. This brooch was custom-created, but it perfectly represents the rarity, the investment piece (as Searcy said) quality of this Season.
Diamond, fine cut
If you once thought yourself a Winter and live in the True Summer’s darker realm, as do many Summers that I see, you can integrate a Winter element. Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett gave that impression. Both dramatically weakened their impact when they chose yellow in their hair over dark ash brown and ash brown, respectively. Use diamond, but choose one that is more delicately cut. You can also use blue sapphire with diamond, but choose a piece that is exquisite and detailed, rather than heavy or bold. Summer is not an attention-seeking presence.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is not a single mineral, but a group with similar properties. There are many perfect colour options among these stones.
For green-eyed summers, there are some uncommon options among these stones. Watermelon Tourmaline is a rare and beautiful gem.
Rose Quartz
For the lighter women in this group, rose quartz is very beautiful. It is perfect in its soft lustre and very compatible with your colour palette.
Look at the purple amethyst while you’re there.
Basics
What if you shop at Sears? Circular silver hoops are a staple. Where the classic shape of the oval defined Winter’s Jewelry, Summer’s circle is associated with childhood and grace.
These hoops are silver. I like the wavy lines. They feel flowing and smooth, but have more substance if you’d like something less delicate. Lacy filigree fulfills the criteria for Summer’s jewelry but as Searcy points out, it doesn’t always look expensive.
Opal
Opal, of course, must belong in this group, as do turquoise and aquamarine. The Shades Of Blue wire necklace feels right to me. These are made upon request by the artist, Janine Antulov. Follow the link to read her description of the creation of this piece.
It doesn’t have to feel like ultraconservative Grace-Kelly jewelry. The rules are guidelines, intended for you to add your own spin. That’s how we speak for ourselves subconsciously. Design something unique that resonates most strongly with your True Summer colouring and personality.
Sonja is a Light Summer
November 1, 2009 by Christine Scaman · 5 Comments
Many of you know my sister, Sonja, from A Greener Tea. Sonja could never find the common thread between the colours that look best on her. Cool and warm colours both worked sometimes. In certain deep blues, she wasn’t sure. She hasn’t the time or the interest to invest in worrying about her appearance too much. She doesn’t wear makeup and probably never will.
Clothes that don’t speak the truth about us cost as much as clothes that do. When we communicate accurately about ourselves, it feels surprisingly peaceful. As a PCA progresses, when we begin to identify the perfect colours, there are two expressions that consistently come into people’s eyes. One is ease, a complete absence of tension. The other is humour. The eyes look quietly joyful. In men, I see either this inner satisfaction come out, or a more um, predatory ?, outward expression of “How YOU doin’?”
Summer with a hint of Spring
Within the first 5 drapes, we had established that any dark colour, warm, cool, soft, clear, didn’t matter – all of them were not flattering. Sonja disappeared. All your eyes could see was the overpoweringly dark drape. Her skin had virtually no colour. It could not compete with the drape. The overall effect was of aging, fatigue, and a weak presence.
We found her skin to be predominantly cool, but needing a little pale yellow light to be well balanced. The Light Summer was right. In 12 Season colour analysis, this is one of the neutral seasons, blending a trace of Spring with the Summer base. This is a surprisingly different palette from True Summer, given that the seasons are neighbours.Just as their colours are very different, so are their energies. True Summer is Light Summer’s next cooler neighbor. These are the Grace Kellys and Linda Evans of the world. True Summer is refined, conservative, mannerly, sophisticated.
These are more cheerful, energetic colours, but it’s no spice market. These are more like popsicle colours. There are warmer and cooler options, but none of the colours ever gets extremely dark. They are the June Garden Party colours. The summer holiday.
Think of Princess Diana. A sunnier, more activated personality, but proper nonetheless. Where the True Summer’s energy is in feminine details, sheer fabric, lace, and pearls, the Light Summer is sportier. She can still be relied on to behave and contain her reactions. Her soothing voice, understanding manner, and unfailingly decent conduct may cause her to be the sounding board for many a rant and rave that she did nothing to incite.
These colours do not compete with who Sonja is. She looks relaxed and calm wearing these tones. If she wanted to wear makeup, she wouldn’t need much. These women often shy away from makeup because they’ve been put in colours that are too bright. Someone got the idea that a “pop of colour” would liven them up. There are no pops of colour in their natural blueprint, so painting one on their face feels ridiculous. They’ve been put in eyeshadows that are too earthy, eyeliners that are too dark, and blush that feels silly. They need LIGHT fresh cool colours, halfway between soft and clear, with a little pale yellow sunlight.
Hair
Everyone wants to be a blonde or have blonde highlights. Fully 75% of those highlights were put on heads that should never have them. Light Summer women actually look great as long as it’s not overdone. The colour is like this child’s. The base colour shows through, because a whole head of blonde looks completely flat. The highlight is a cool beige, not very yellow at all.
Sonja adds streaks to her light ash brown hair. She knows that she can go very light, to a light creamy beige. When it shines, it looks almost silvery, very good with the cool skin. A common mistake for these women is to have golden highlights. The yellow in the hair doesn’t calm the skin. It fights with it. It flushes the nose with red. Unless Mother Nature gave you that colouring, don’t try to work gold from a bottle. There is no gold in your Colours Book, so don’t wear a hat hair in that colour.
In Sonja’s Words
I hate shopping, primarily because there is too much choice and it boggles my mind. Having the little color book with me is great because it is like I have a personal stylist in my pocket. I whip it out wherever I am and I know that if the color matches, I am safe to buy the item. I actually get compliments on my color choices now.
It also allows me to reduce the amount of clothes in the store that I have to consider. I bypass entire sections if the color is not one of mine and so I can narrow the field. This helps me shop.
Plus, of course, I feel more confident knowing that I will look good. Now, if you could only make me thinner!
Icy Colours and Pastels
October 17, 2009 by Christine Scaman · 1 Comment
Personal Colour Analysis determines what the colours that perfect your skin tone have in common. We use terms like “icy” and “pastel”.
The Winter seasons wear their light shades as “icy colours”.
The Summers wear their light shades as “pastels”.
What’s the difference?
Icy colours are pure. They are not grayed, dulled, or dusty (that’s called a “soft” colour). They are very clear.
Icy colours are also very, very light. On a light/dark scale, they are much closer to white than pastels are. Pastels have more colour. Icy means those colours reflected when ice crystals act as prisms and split white light.
Icy colours are completely cool. They are crisp and frosty.
They are consistent with Winter’s formal feeling. They are more regal (Winter) than soothing (Summer).
So ICY = VERY LIGHT + CLEAR + COOL
ICY IS NOT PASTEL, NOT SOFT, AND NOT WARM.
A pastel is light, but not extremely light. It’s also grayed or softened just a little. Pastels are gentle, soothing as watercolours. They are in keeping with the delicacy of Summer, whose mood is peaceful and calm.
Each of the 12 Seasons has an atmosphere all its own. True Summer dressed in their tranquil, conservative pastels are so harmonious that it FEELS wonderful to look at.
Put True Winter in that outfit and it is flatter than flat. Dressed in their icy Winter colours with 1 dark, cold contrast, with the drama created by the colour simplicity, it is difficult to tear your eyes away.
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