It
is amazing how circular life can be sometimes.
When I visited Sharon for my first PCA, I had self-analyzed myself as
being a Soft Summer in the 12 season system.
I had also been through Dressing Your Truth and my discovery of being a
Type 2 Soft and Subtle personality seemed to reinforce the Soft Summer
palette. I had bought a lot of yarn and
fabric in these colors and had a very detailed sewing plan set up as well. At the time, though, I seemed to be having a
great deal of dissatisfaction with my wardrobe.
Looking back now, I realize that I was terribly unhappy in other areas
of my life and that manifested itself into an area that I felt like I had more
control over… my closet. Unfortunately,
by focusing on something exterior, I still wasn’t dealing with my interior
struggles. Having a result of Bright
Winter from my first PCA helped me find my inner strength to deal with the
problems of my relationship and the colors gave me a boldness to go against the
grain and everyone’s advice and make some life decisions that I felt suited me
best. Those decisions weren’t popular with
some people and my default response of
trying to please others needed the offset of that Bright Winter boldness to
maintain my position. On the inside, I
felt exhausted from the effort, though.
Truly, I am a much more laid back and relaxed person. I can be on-point and driven when going after
something I want, but over the years, I have found that by stepping back and
giving God the reins, I usually get where I need and want to be without the
extra self-imposed stress.
When Sharon contacted me to see how I was doing with the Bright Winter palette and asked if I would like a re-drape using the original Sci\Art drapes, I decided to take her up on her offer. If nothing else, it would simply confirm the Bright Winter result from before. However, Sharon had suspicions that I might actually be another season and that Bright Winter was an incorrect result the first time. At the second draping, we discovered that I am , in fact, a Soft Summer. I had not really thought a lot about how I would feel if that was the result. Given my discouragement from before, I should have expected to be disappointed, but oddly enough I felt at peace and somewhat relieved. The Bright Winter palette is beautiful. All those intensely saturated colors are gorgeous, but it is also inherently a high-contrast season. Thus, the combination of palette colors naturally generates a lot of "color pop" looks. I have always tended to prefer a more coordinated look and the natural smoky haze of all the Soft Summer colors makes them very easy to combine.
When Sharon contacted me to see how I was doing with the Bright Winter palette and asked if I would like a re-drape using the original Sci\Art drapes, I decided to take her up on her offer. If nothing else, it would simply confirm the Bright Winter result from before. However, Sharon had suspicions that I might actually be another season and that Bright Winter was an incorrect result the first time. At the second draping, we discovered that I am , in fact, a Soft Summer. I had not really thought a lot about how I would feel if that was the result. Given my discouragement from before, I should have expected to be disappointed, but oddly enough I felt at peace and somewhat relieved. The Bright Winter palette is beautiful. All those intensely saturated colors are gorgeous, but it is also inherently a high-contrast season. Thus, the combination of palette colors naturally generates a lot of "color pop" looks. I have always tended to prefer a more coordinated look and the natural smoky haze of all the Soft Summer colors makes them very easy to combine.
Given that I received an incorrect result at my first PCA, what might I say to someone who is considering making the investment? First, do some research. Read about the different systems, get the names of some analysts and take a look at their websites and social media posts. Get a feel for which one makes the most unbiased sense.
Second, listen to your own instincts. I wish I had questioned Sharon more during my first visit. I thought I saw the same things that she did, but the result was emotionally shocking to me and she and I agree now that we should have explored that emotional response more at the time.
Above all integrity is key. I cannot thank Sharon enough for taking the time to give me a re-drape. The willingness to make things right or even just answer a question in one's own mind is worth a lot. Because she kept searching for better answers to her questions as an analyst, because she chose to contact her previous clients to offer re-drapes, because she was willing to do whatever was necessary to make things right, I cannot recommend her enough.
