BENGALURU: With videos of influencers flying to South Korea to get a seasonal colour analysis being popular, image consultants and stylists in the city have seen an increase in Bengalureans interested in learning what colour palette suits them best – spring, summer, autumn or winter.
Bia Sandhu, an image consultant, notes that youngsters don’t just want her to transform their style, they want to learn how to do it themselves.
“Earlier people would just ask for help with a makeover. But now people will call with specific requirements. ‘Can you help me with personal colours? I want to know what colours work for me.’ I wouldn’t have had these questions two-three years ago.” With the ongoing rains casting an air of gloom and confining us to our homes, perhaps, now is the time to cheer yourself up by adding a pop of your personal colour to your wardrobe.
Personal colour analysis examines an individual’s undertone (cool, warm or neutral), skin tone (deep or light), and contrast (difference between lightest and darkest facial feature) to categorise them into four distinct colour palettes based on the four seasons. Experts say that makeup, jewellery and clothing worn according to an individual’s seasonal colours flatter them the most.
Jaya Kumari, one of the few seasonal colour analysts in Bengaluru, says, “People who look good in soft and cool colours like pastels are generally in the summer category. Earthy tones, maybe browns, beiges or mustards, are majorly autumn. Jewel tones like ruby red, emerald green or turquoise colours, are winter, and people who look good in bright, fresh colours, are in the spring category.”
The idea of getting a personal colour analysis isn’t to completely overhaul your wardrobe but to learn how to work with colours to make the best out of your clothes. Tusharika Tejaswi, a 24-year-old professional stumbled upon seasonal colour analysis videos on social media recently. She discovered that she is a ‘winter’.
“Some of my personal colours are fuchsia pink, violet, and royal blues. I was stuck in a cycle of wearing the same old clothes to work every day and didn’t feel confident in some of those colours. I learnt to sustainably use whatever I have and if a colour overpowers me, I pair it up with something that neutralises it. At the moment I’m looking for a lot of wardrobe pieces,” she says.
Kumari explains that you can create a versatile wardrobe which has pieces that work well with each other and you will understand how to combine colours. She recommends seeking out a professional to get a comprehensive experience. “People have come to me after using AI apps to do their colour analysis and realising that everyone in the house has gotten the same result,” she laughs.
“When a client walks in, even I can’t tell what season they are immediately. It’s a process involving draping different colours of cloth to see what shades of colours look good. It’s difficult to figure without applying the drape.”
Vein check
According to image consultant Bia Sandhu, an easy place to start incorporating your personal colours is to identify your undertone. “If you take a look at the veins in your arm and they are blue, you have a cool undertone; green indicates a warm undertone; and if it’s both, you have a neutral undertone. As a rule of thumb, greens, purples and blues work well if you have bluish veins; if you have greenish veins, reds, oranges and yellows work well,” she says.