When I was 17 years old, I had tea with a friend named Doreen. She was retired and lived in a beautiful home that strongly resembled Anne of Green Gables’ house. It could only be described as “fairy tale-esque”.
My reason for visiting Doreen at her darling house was not only to visit with my dear friend but also for some fashion advice. This gentle woman happened to have been trained in the art of colour. She could match colours to skin, eye, and hair tones and discover what colours are most complimentary to each person.
Everyone knows someone who wears colours that just don’t look good on them. For myself, I cannot wear red or black. I either look sick or like a vampire. It amazed me that I didn’t realize this, though, until I visited with Doreen, a professional colourist who warned me against those colours for those very reasons.
Doreen’s method of sorting through the various colours and shades began with a mirror and four shades of white which represented the various tones: spring, summer, fall and winter.
One by one, she would place the white clothes against my chest so I could see in the mirror. Of these four shades of white, one brightened up my face unlike the rest. It was the blue-toned white. My colour palette was summer.
After discovering what season I suited, Doreen pulled out the summer colours, which all had blue tones in them. We went through the stack of colours and I found out that I particularly suited magenta, electric blue, and sea foam green.
Palettes from left to right, top to bottom: Autumn, Spring, Summer and Winter
After saying goodbye to Doreen that day I shopped with a new eye for colour. I no longer picked up red and black clothing and started buying a lot more blue, green and pink. I told my mom about my experience and she said she too had gotten her colours done and for the last twenty years had purchased clothes according to her palette.
At school, I could tell that most kids had not gotten their colours done because they were wearing colours that by no means suited them. The colours they had on made them look tired and worn, and, worst of all, they were unaware.
When I told my friends about colourists, they had no idea what I was talking about. This got me wondering whether colourists are a thing of the past. Why aren’t they popular if they are so helpful? Like paying attention to what looks good with our body shapes, I think we should also pay attention to what colours suit us.
I had a great experience with my colourist and my closet’s suitability to my colouration has noticeably improved. I am constantly told that I look happier and healthier than I used to in the past and it is all because the colours I wear lighten up my face!
In a culture so obsessed with fashion, wouldn’t it be helpful for people to recognize what they actually look good in?
What do you think? Should colourists be brought back in style? Leave your comments below.