Breaking up with your wardrobe

Discovering your season can be a shock.

This is especially true if you’ve been wearing colours outside your natural palette for years - which to be fair, is basically all of us!

We develop a relationship with the colours we wear that becomes intimately entwined with our sense of self.

You’re the guy who favours Autumn-toned shirts because you’re outdoorsy and that feels kind of right.

Bright red lipstick is your signature flair.

You can’t imagine being taken seriously at work or looking office-appropriate if you’re not wearing dark corporate neutrals + white.

This is how you know yourself, how others know you.

We all become used to seeing each other a particular way and it’s difficult separating how we look from who we are.

Seeing ourselves differently can be a little confronting and daunting.

Don’t underestimate it.

Breaking up with your wardrobe is life changing.

If you’re interested in discovering your natural beauty, there are a lot of lessons you have to unlearn.

So take your time.

We know from day one that learning a language or mastering judo won’t happen overnight.

Like any new skill, understanding colour is a step by step process.

Be kind to yourself.

After your analysis, you will almost certainly feel out of your comfort zone.

Teaming up with your palette might feel like an arranged marriage.

Many of the rules you used to rely on may have changed and with them, your go-to staples.

Embrace this ambiguous space - in it is the learning.

The rug might have been pulled out from under you but you’re about to step on a new one that isn’t going anywhere.

Small steps.

Think about ways to start moving towards your new palette with low-risk, affordable items.

Scarves.

Lipsticks.

Tshirts.

Nail polish.

Ties.

Practice your palette.

And do this every day.

It’s really easy to rely on what you already think you know which doesn’t advance your colour skills.

This often leads to mixing up colours which to the untrained eye seem similar but in reality have quite different properties.

Your swatch or fan is just a guide.

You need to learn how to extrapolate the colour from its tiny squares to an actual item on the shelf - or on you!

I’ve had a True Spring confidently announce they’ve finally found a jacket in their turquoise - and it’s actually Dark Autumn teal.

I’ve seen a Bright Winter struggle to comprehend the difference between chroma and value so keeps falling back into a lifelong habit of Dark Winter dressing.

One Soft Autumn client repeatedly confuses their earth rose with Light Spring blush.

Remember, leaning about colour is a genuine skill and to be good at anything takes practice.

But you’ll get there.

For me, natural beauty is the most realistic, achievable and rewarding way to style.

I am always truly floored when I see colour harmony in all it’s glory.

If you have started this journey, don’t stop now.

Don’t go home after your analysis and have it all end there.

Keep the learning alive.

Building a rich relationship with your best palette is completely worth the investment.

Your colours will return the love unconditionally.