Colour analysis 101: How the right colours can up your fashion game

Author - Rhea Malve

If you’ve scrolled through the fashion algorithm on social media this past year, you’ve probably already heard about the colour analysis theory and why everyone and their mothers cannot stop talking about it. ICYMI: It’s a popular service in Korea that suggests colours look different on people depending on their skin tone, hair, and eye colour. And it’s sparked a major sustainable fashion movement. It encourages building a capsule wardrobe filled with styles and colours that complement your unique features and align with a sustainable approach to fashion.

Traditionally, you participate by paying an expert to recognise your seasonal archetype (just a heads up, there are 16,) like "bright summer," "deep spring," "true winter," and so on.

Let me break it down for you:

Winters and summers are cool-toned while Autumn and spring are warm. They each have four subcategories- bright, true, deep and soft, all determined by the level of greyness or chroma in your skin. For example, someone with muted tones (greyer) will most likely be in one of the "soft" seasons while someone who has more vibrant undertones can be in a "bright" season.

The core idea behind seasonal colour analysis is to harmonise your natural features with the colours you wear in a conscious and intentional way, aligning your fashion choices with a more personal and sustainable style philosophy.

Why even bother with this whole fiasco you may ask.

"We want to be the main character, not our clothes," says Ari Cho, a colour analysis expert. Now if that's not a compelling enough argument for you, I don't know what is.

If you're like me and won't be going to a colour analysis studio in Korea or New York anytime soon, there are multiple other ways of finding your season and colour palette at home and better yet free of cost! I used our trusty dusty AI like many other people on social media and here's the scoop-

Let's cover the basics.

Check the veins on your wrist, if they're green you have warm undertones, and if it's blue/purple you have cool undertones. Your hair and eyes are also cues; most people with darker features have cool undertones and lighter features with warmer undertones.

Start with a blank Canvas.

Quite literally. Try wearing a white top or even a cream top to see what washes you out and what brightens up your face. You can also see which jewellery suits you the best. Gold will mostly likely suit warm-toned skin and silver with cool-toned skin. A sure telltale is that the best option will always brighten your skin, be it colour, fabric, texture, jewellery and even makeup.

It's time for some trial and error.

Start collecting fabrics of different colours, from clothes to curtains to pillowcases, and anything else you can find to drape and swatch. Make sure you have a good variation of vibrant, muted, dark and pastel shades. Now if you're like me whose wardrobe and home are filled with only blacks and neutrals, you might want to make a trip to the closest fabric store.

Unless you're an expert, I recommend using one of a dozen filters available on Instagram. Show the salesperson that this is what the filter suggests, and see if they have similar shades for you to drape right there. This way you're seeing the full effect in real.

Other ways you can DIY:

Thank god for technology we have plenty of apps that can help with colour analysis right at home. Here are a few you might want to try:

• Colorwise.me: This app considers your hair, skin, and eye colour to suggest a customized colour palette. It identifies your season and lets you compare palettes to see what flatters you most.
• Dressika and Vivaldi Color Lab are some other popular apps for colour analysis at home.

While you're at it, why not check out One Less? Discover our organic, eco friendly, sustainable options that are available in a variety of colours. Who knows, it might just match your season perfectly! Click here to know more.