I am sorry I have been so quiet
on the blog lately. I will be posting
some updates on the kitchen remodel and garden soon, and I do have a couple of
new sewing projects to share as well.
For the last month, though, my thoughts have been turned toward my
Wardrobe Architect project. Other than
that one post (and the green skirt I made), I have not been able to move
forward with the project. Even though everything looked
cohesive on the Pinterest page, I just could not envision myself wearing the
clothing. I made a list of sewing
projects in coordinating fabrics, too, but could not stir the energy within myself to get started.
Clearly, something was not working and I had a strong suspicion it had
to do with my selected color palette.
I think it is fair to say that I am fascinated with Personal Color Analysis and have long wanted to have a draping done. And since I had reached the “paralysis from too much self-analysis” point, I felt it was time to call in the professionals.
I met with Sharon Forsythe of www.youincolor.com and had the most amazing experience! She is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, so I decided to make a little mini-vacation out of it as well. I filled out a questionnaire ahead of time to give Sharon some background information on me, my experience with PCA, the problems I am currently experiencing with my wardrobe and a list of my favorite and least-favorite colors.
When I arrived this past Saturday, we sat down briefly to talk about my current thoughts and suspicions regarding my season and then it was on to the draping. Based on my struggles with the Soft seasons, my aversion to the True Summer colors, and my love of the Spring colors, I suspected myself to be one of the Light seasons. Or, put another way, I desperately wanted to be one of the Light seasons. I wanted to be the strawberry milkshake fairy princess. I did not even allow myself to have a connection to Winter, believing that black was not my friend. I did not really feel drawn to Autumn, either. As we went through the drapes, we began to see patterns that I could not immediately understand. There were some times when I felt very emotional during the process. I felt like walls were being torn down around me, that I was being stripped down to my very core. Do you know what it feels like when you pray for God to show you who you really are? You have to be prepared to see the answer. PCA is a lot like that; for me, it was a very spiritual experience. Essentially, all of the beliefs I had about myself were being tested, and if they did not hold true, they fell… just like the walls of Jericho. I think it takes a great deal of courage to face that mirror, body and hair cloaked in neutral gray, cosmetic-free face illuminated in full-spectrum lighting. There is no hiding. I learned that my skin was cool-neutral, that saturated colors looked better than pastels and muted tones, and that my skin tolerated black surprisingly well. The autumn colors were the worst and I was not sorry for it, though I always love the color in nature at that time of year. And so, as Sherlock Holmes said:
"You will not apply my precept," he said, shaking his head. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
The Sign of the Four, ch. 6 (1890)
Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Four (Doubleday p. 111)
Bright Winter became the benchmark; I saw how bright kelly green and cobalt blue made me look better, but I still was not completely convinced. How could this dirty blonde, fair-complected person be a winter? Yes, it is true; I was still carrying around the same stereotypes we know are not valid. We tested the other seasons against BW, finally coming down to the last possibility. Here it was, my last hope at being a Light Summer. Some of the colors really were not that bad. Here I insert one of my favorite lines of the 1934 film version of The Scarlet Pimpernel:
He says it's "not so bad", and nothing in the world is so bad as something which is "not so bad"!
Really, there was no comparison. In Light Summer, my face softened and widened (moonface effect) and at times looked like concrete. In Bright Winter, my features were sharp, clear, and precise. The whites of my eyes were whiter and my eyes a clear green instead of the muddy, grayish color I had come to know lately. My face looked thinner and felt more highly-defined. Who doesn’t love that? Even though I was in shock, I could accept the result. I saw the effects of the drapes and Sharon made sure I saw it; I could not argue against it.
Sharon applied makeup more vivid than I had ever worn: blackberry eyeliner, fluorescent pink blush, and fuchsia lipstick. The colors, though shocking in their cases, blended easily into my skin. Any doubts were erased. And, when Sharon asked if I was familiar with Revlon's Cherries in the Snow lipstick, I was sold. "Wait, you are telling me that I can wear one of the most iconic lip shades ever?"
So, what does Bright Winter look like? Well, here's the palette.
Rachel's Pinterest page offers some additional insight. There are many other boards that give inspiration too.
How do I feel about the result? Initial shock and numbness, followed by the realization that my wardrobe will have to be redone almost completely from scratch, over time of course! Soft Summer is a far cry from Bright Winter, and there is very little in my closet that swatches correctly against my palettes. I do not even own a pair of black pants! My feelings are entwined in my earlier comment on it being a spiritual experience. It is about much more than finding a shirt in the right color; it is about outwardly expressing who I truly am on the inside. I believe that I am at a turning point in my life right now. I have several choices to make. Do I continue to work at my current job or change careers? Am I willing to prepare myself for the position of management that I can inherit from my mentor and boss? Do I have the courage to accept that responsibility? Do I continue to be the wallflower or do I dress to reflect my inner strength, drive, and ability? Am I prepared to be noticed? Because in this palette, it is going to happen.
I believe that it takes a great deal of courage to reach this point, but only here can the work really begin. It is one thing for an individual to act in ignorance, but entirely another to act in willful defiance of that which is known to be truth through education. I know my truth and it is Bright Winter. My responsibility to myself is to act in accordance with that truth. Dressing with less saturation, less contrast, less shine is not serving myself well.
Beloved’s reaction? “ You look stunning.”
It is hard to argue with that statement!
I think it is fair to say that I am fascinated with Personal Color Analysis and have long wanted to have a draping done. And since I had reached the “paralysis from too much self-analysis” point, I felt it was time to call in the professionals.
I met with Sharon Forsythe of www.youincolor.com and had the most amazing experience! She is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, so I decided to make a little mini-vacation out of it as well. I filled out a questionnaire ahead of time to give Sharon some background information on me, my experience with PCA, the problems I am currently experiencing with my wardrobe and a list of my favorite and least-favorite colors.
When I arrived this past Saturday, we sat down briefly to talk about my current thoughts and suspicions regarding my season and then it was on to the draping. Based on my struggles with the Soft seasons, my aversion to the True Summer colors, and my love of the Spring colors, I suspected myself to be one of the Light seasons. Or, put another way, I desperately wanted to be one of the Light seasons. I wanted to be the strawberry milkshake fairy princess. I did not even allow myself to have a connection to Winter, believing that black was not my friend. I did not really feel drawn to Autumn, either. As we went through the drapes, we began to see patterns that I could not immediately understand. There were some times when I felt very emotional during the process. I felt like walls were being torn down around me, that I was being stripped down to my very core. Do you know what it feels like when you pray for God to show you who you really are? You have to be prepared to see the answer. PCA is a lot like that; for me, it was a very spiritual experience. Essentially, all of the beliefs I had about myself were being tested, and if they did not hold true, they fell… just like the walls of Jericho. I think it takes a great deal of courage to face that mirror, body and hair cloaked in neutral gray, cosmetic-free face illuminated in full-spectrum lighting. There is no hiding. I learned that my skin was cool-neutral, that saturated colors looked better than pastels and muted tones, and that my skin tolerated black surprisingly well. The autumn colors were the worst and I was not sorry for it, though I always love the color in nature at that time of year. And so, as Sherlock Holmes said:
"You will not apply my precept," he said, shaking his head. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
The Sign of the Four, ch. 6 (1890)
Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Four (Doubleday p. 111)
Bright Winter became the benchmark; I saw how bright kelly green and cobalt blue made me look better, but I still was not completely convinced. How could this dirty blonde, fair-complected person be a winter? Yes, it is true; I was still carrying around the same stereotypes we know are not valid. We tested the other seasons against BW, finally coming down to the last possibility. Here it was, my last hope at being a Light Summer. Some of the colors really were not that bad. Here I insert one of my favorite lines of the 1934 film version of The Scarlet Pimpernel:
He says it's "not so bad", and nothing in the world is so bad as something which is "not so bad"!
Really, there was no comparison. In Light Summer, my face softened and widened (moonface effect) and at times looked like concrete. In Bright Winter, my features were sharp, clear, and precise. The whites of my eyes were whiter and my eyes a clear green instead of the muddy, grayish color I had come to know lately. My face looked thinner and felt more highly-defined. Who doesn’t love that? Even though I was in shock, I could accept the result. I saw the effects of the drapes and Sharon made sure I saw it; I could not argue against it.
Sharon applied makeup more vivid than I had ever worn: blackberry eyeliner, fluorescent pink blush, and fuchsia lipstick. The colors, though shocking in their cases, blended easily into my skin. Any doubts were erased. And, when Sharon asked if I was familiar with Revlon's Cherries in the Snow lipstick, I was sold. "Wait, you are telling me that I can wear one of the most iconic lip shades ever?"
So, what does Bright Winter look like? Well, here's the palette.
Rachel's Pinterest page offers some additional insight. There are many other boards that give inspiration too.
How do I feel about the result? Initial shock and numbness, followed by the realization that my wardrobe will have to be redone almost completely from scratch, over time of course! Soft Summer is a far cry from Bright Winter, and there is very little in my closet that swatches correctly against my palettes. I do not even own a pair of black pants! My feelings are entwined in my earlier comment on it being a spiritual experience. It is about much more than finding a shirt in the right color; it is about outwardly expressing who I truly am on the inside. I believe that I am at a turning point in my life right now. I have several choices to make. Do I continue to work at my current job or change careers? Am I willing to prepare myself for the position of management that I can inherit from my mentor and boss? Do I have the courage to accept that responsibility? Do I continue to be the wallflower or do I dress to reflect my inner strength, drive, and ability? Am I prepared to be noticed? Because in this palette, it is going to happen.
I believe that it takes a great deal of courage to reach this point, but only here can the work really begin. It is one thing for an individual to act in ignorance, but entirely another to act in willful defiance of that which is known to be truth through education. I know my truth and it is Bright Winter. My responsibility to myself is to act in accordance with that truth. Dressing with less saturation, less contrast, less shine is not serving myself well.
Beloved’s reaction? “ You look stunning.”
It is hard to argue with that statement!
What a great read!!! Thank you for posting in such detail, I can just see your beautiful face as you took this journey!! I'm really excited for you :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I can't wait until we get together again so you can see the results in person. It has been an interesting experience so far but I really am enjoying wearing the colors. I have found kelly green to be an "Energy" color for me. Whenever I wear it I get TONS of stuff done... come to think of it, maybe I should wear it every day! :-D
DeleteWow, what a great description, spiritual experience indeed! I'm a Bright Winter too, and loving my new colors. Kelly green and turquoise are my power colors, and lime green and yellow are my playful colors. I hope you share some more of your color journey.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am definitely still settling in although I like the colors very much. I am still struggling with black a little; since I am blonde and don't have any black clothing, I am thinking about using some other color as my base neutral, such as navy or charcoal, rather than reverting to black. I plan to go back through the Wardrobe Architect series using my new palette and make a new sewing plan, but right now I am loving kelly green, cobalt, yellow, fuschia, and red!
Delete