[Color Theories & Experts] Using the Five Color Image Scale to Finalize Your Seasonal Color Palette (or Core Wardrobe Colors)

OK. I should hop into bed and tuck myself in real soon, but I thought I'd share this post also...

in case, there are 'confused' stylistas out there, who may have been frustrated with their seasonal color draping results, NOT really being EASY PEASY, when it comes to APPLYING it to their personal wardrobes!

^___^V

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So. This 'Five Color Image Scale' is something I shared on my blog LONG TIME AGO! It's a color combo 'map' that visually lays out for your what the Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter colors groupings LOOK LIKE... in their own 'Quadrants' so to speak.

Take a peak here, at the book where this diagram comes from

Image: Five Color Image Scale by Shigenobu Kobayashi (1992)

Image: Analyzing Color Preferences - 7 Taste Profiles

I shared both images in this blog before, and I think it was clear to me right away that I connected with the Refreshing & Hard palette... the most. Followed by the Colorful & Hard palette second. 

The custom in my country (South Korea) is that most people tweak their outfit colors for each season. And the seasonal color analysis which is great for all the diverse beauties and body pigments you find in the US or other nations doesn't work to the full extent for the majority of Koreans. Well, at least, in my opinion any way... 

I know that color draping is becoming more known here too, and the Fashion cable TVs do a lot to spread information to the masses... but seriously... with the level of contrast that most Koreans get born with... It's probably only 20~45% of population that would ONLY dress in their season's palette all year round... 

Because hair color STILL is the most dominant thing in a person, and if you work, your wardrobe will NEED black/gray/blue/beige for neutrals...

Even my color analyst, who told me she was the same seasonal type as me, we both tested Autumn, told me that after like a year to a year and half of trying to dress ONLY in the Autumn palette, she felt rather 'limited' in what she could wear.

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So. Going back to what I did... using Kobayashi's image map...

I wrote down, what my 'experiments' and 'explorations' have taught me in coming up with the correct colors to use as my Core Wardrobe Colors! :D

After dressing in Type 2 for 90 days, I knew with the level of energy drain I felt, I knew that even though my facial features have a softened/natural effect going on... this couldn't be it for me.

The Spring colors or Soft-Warm colors are really pretty, but you can't build a work wardrobe just on those, or at least, for me, with my black hair and almost black eyes, it wouldn't work that well.

Then, even though I was tested Autumn, the Warm/Hard section seem too sporty and casual for a work wardrobe. While the muted muddy brown and olive colors were Autumn colors that didn't enhance my skin coloring. So I was told to stay away from them by my analyst. The only palette that I feel I CAN incorporate into my workable functioning work wardrobe was the Warm/Hard palette called 'Gorgeous' (Blue ring on the left).

And what I knew from personal experience and personal needs for a work wardrobe, and most of all, what the Dollars and Sense have taught me in the past 15 years of working life... I realized where my objective is to have a TRULY hard working wardrobe for myself, the most OPTIMAL work wardrobe for myself, I'd just have to stick to the Cool/Hard colors, to accommodate my hair/eye coloring.

So... in the end, when I whited out all the other color combos...

These are the colors I COULD easily use to build my Core Wardrobe.

Talk about money saving & having TRUE wardrobe REAL ESTATE!!!

This to me is all it needs to be!!!

I'll probably have to play dress up & check the mirror

to see how these palettes work out...

But, this gives me at least some MORE ideas on where to spend for quality and long term investment... and where to cut corners by large!

Having said that, let me wrap up with where I feel I am, in Into-Mind's 'Wardrobe Diagnostics' :-)

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Image: "wardrobe diagnostics: why you don’t have anything to wear" by ANUSCHKA REES

About 2~3 months ago, I got this from this flowchart:

YOU HAVE NO COHERENT STYLE CONCEPT
:(

Well. I took the flowchart again, and this time round, I get...
YOUR SHOPPING STRATEGY IS TOO REACTIVE

I really hope that by the end of this year, I can get to the last stage!
UNDEVELOPED STYLING SKILLS

:)

Aight!

Thank you for listening!!
And share with me, how your color journey has been~!!

xoxo

Jessica Flatshoenista!