Color Systems

So I have links to various 12 seasonal palette color analysis web sites in the right column.  As you may all know, the original system was Color Me Beautiful with the four seasonal types.  The spin off systems basically account for each season blending with the others.  So there are 3 subtypes in each season.  There also is a system called Color Me a Season that has these 3 subtypes and retains the absolute version of each season.

The different systems have slightly different names for the seasons.
In no particular order:
(and anything left out is purely a google search oversight on my part)


12 Tone Pictures (examples) - Reveal Consultancy:
True Spring, Bright Spring, Light Spring
True Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
True Autumn, Soft Autumn, Dark Autumn
True Winter, Bright Winter, Dark Winter

Truth is Beauty - Seasonal Color Analysis:
Warm Spring, Bright Spring, Light Spring
Cool Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
Warm Autumn, Soft Autumn, Deep Autumn
Cool Winter, Bright Winter, Deep Winter

12 Blueprints: Christine Scaman (Sci/Art):
True Spring, Bright Spring, Light Spring
True Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
True Autumn, Soft Autumn, Dark Autumn
True Winter, Bright Winter, Dark Winter

Seasonal Color Analysis: The Chic Fashionista:
Warm Spring, Bright Spring, Light Spring
Cool Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
Warm Autumn, Soft Autumn, Deep Autumn
Cool Winter, Bright Winter, Deep Winter

Pretty Your World: Color Revival by Lora Alexander:
Warm Spring, Clear Spring, Light Spring
Cool Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
Warm Autumn, Soft Autumn, Deep Autumn
Cool Winter, Clear Winter, Deep Winter

Seasonal Color Analysis Blog, Yelena Starikova:
Warm Spring, Clear Spring, Light Spring
Cool Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
Warm Autumn, Soft Autumn, Deep Autumn
Cool Winter, Clear Winter, Deep Winter

Shop My Closet Color Guide:
Warm Spring, Clear Spring, Light Spring
Cool Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
Warm Autumn, Soft Autumn, Deep Autumn
Cool Winter, Clear Winter, Deep Winter

Color Me a Season:
Absolute Spring, Pastel Spring, Striking Spring, Glorious Spring
Absolute Summer, Moonlight Summer, Sunshine Summer, Indian Summer
Absolute Autumn, Gentle Autumn, Golden Autumn, Striking Autumn
Absolute Winter, Snow Frost Winter, Firelight Winter, Sunset Winter

Slim Inspiration

I was inspired by discussion at the FB group to get a professional bra fitting. I took a pic in the same shirt as a recent outfit. You can see how much this improves my line. I guess I never really thought about trying to dress slimmer.

But here are some other ideas I found that I'm going to try:

• wear a tunic with emphasis front and center
• wear a correctly shaped thin cardigan
• wear shape correcting jeans
• pick the right skirt for my shape
• wear only paired down trousers
• use wide belts
• choose a dress with structured waist
• try long waisted skirts
• wrap style dresses
• Wear a wide belt over a dress to streamline your shape.
• Look for styles that have gathered fabric in strategic places, called ruching, which pulls you in at the middle, and V-necks, which draw the eye upward.
• Tops: Men's-style shirts tucked into trousers and skirts camouflage the middle area and are always "Katherine Hepburn" chic.
• Jackets: Stick to slightly tapered jackets to create a slimmer waist
• In addition look for tops and dresses that fit close to your waist to maintain the shape.
  Also try pencil and high waisted skirts; you should really be able to wear them well.
• Wear belts. Belted dresses and other outfits with belts can help draw attention to your lovely waist.
• Choose tops with open necks, V-necks and other low necklines to give length to your throat and upper body and draw attention to your face.
• If you wear separates, make them the same color. That will lengthen your look.
• Try A-line skirts to flatter your hips.
• Consider shoes with heels. They can add length to your legs and make your hips look less full.

In addition,when piecing together outfits try to keep your color combinations balanced. This means stick to a combination of dark colors, or light colors; but not both together at the same time. Light colors make things appear bigger, while dark colors make things appear smaller. If you pair a white top with dark pants your going to look top-heavy, and vis-versa; if you pair a dark top with light bottoms you are going to look bottom-heavy. It is very easy to throw off the balance of an hourglass figure so be careful!

Things to avoid:

What Not To Wear:

• If you look at your silhouette you will notice that the narrowest part of your body is your waist. Your hips and shoulders may be well balanced and in proportion, but it is the contrast in the size of waistline that gives you the sex appeal. When choosing clothing it is important that you avoid anything that diminishes this contrast.
• You should try to stay away from boxy jackets, high necklines, loose fitting tops, and shapeless dresses. You don't want to hide your biggest asset!
• As for bottoms; thought you may have a great shape, you still want to keep the focus on your middle so steer clear of low-rise pants, extra detailing, and large prints that would throw of your visual balance.
• High-necked tops or turtlenecks
• Separates of distinctly different colors, or mix colors and prints. You might end up looking as though you've been cut in half at that narrow waist.
• Short skirts. They make your hips look rounder.
• Loose, baggy pants. They make your legs look big all the way down. Try ones with a bit of flare at the bottom of the legs instead.
• Jackets that end at the widest part of your bottom. Go for waist-length tops or longer ones that hang below your hips.
• Double-breasted jackets. They'll make your chest look too big.
• High-waisted dresses or tops. They camouflage your slender waist and hide the best part of your body.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/thin-slim-clothing-styles-women-sexy

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/flatter-your-waist

http://www.ivillage.com/figure-fixers/5-a-146742#ixzz1TMv9J8Wd
http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-if-You've-Got-an-Hourglass-Figure

Silhouette

yes, I need a bra fitting! will blog on that later

Update: I went to get measured and sure enough, I've been wearing the wrong bra size.  I bought one new one and will get more soon.

Here's the same shirt with new bra for comparison.
I was wearing a 36D and was sized 34E.

How to find your perfect silhouette for sewing:

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/5149/find-your-best-silhouette

Happy Grrls: What Body Type Are You: Find the best styles suited to your shape...
Hourglass ?
You can tell a woman has an hourglass figure when she has a bust, small bone structure, defined waist, curved hips, shapely legs, and sometimes a protruding bottom. You definitely have curves, so why not show them off?
So what styles are best suited for your shape? Because you have a defined waist, drawing attention to your waist by wearing pants with a contoured waistband, belts, or wrap tops that sit just at your waist, is a great way to accentuate your assets. Stick with clothing that is semi-fitted as opposed to too fitted or tight. Stay away from oversized or baggy styles since they will overpower your bone structure. Every magazine states that having an hourglass figure is the dream figure to have, so make sure you wear clothes that accentuate your curves.

Cafe Press Seasonal Color Palette Products



seasonal color analysis palettes
on tote bags, water bottles, sticker and cards



expressingyourtruth.net on tees, etc.

Lip Draping

the feedback from the EYT FB group is:
I am definitely not a spring, and probably not an autumn!
The best are cool summer, soft summer

https://www.eleablake.com/store/lip-drape-kit/dp/2451

the key

on my arm - 4 is cool summer

cool summer

Read my earlier post on makeup draping to order the lip drape kit.

Makeup Draping

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‎"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.' "

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

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I'm going to order these two samples from Elea Blake Cosmetics.

The first is called Lip Drape and it includes the red for each palette.

The second is mineral foundation samples for the three types in each season.  I'm ordering summer and winter, because I know I'm a cool skin tone.  I'm also ordering spring for my niece and autumn for my mom.

Thanks for the recommendation Jeanine.

Beauty

"Beauty is as Beauty does." "Beauty is skin deep."
"It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly."  Oscar Wilde
"It is beauty that captures your attention, personality that captures your heart."
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her."
"Love of beauty is Taste.  Creation of beauty is art." 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 
Marianne Williamson

I had a Sozo prayer once, which is a type of guided conversation with the holy spirit for healing.  In it, three separate women gave me a word of knowledge: Beauty.  It struck me as so odd that in a spiritual prayer meeting this word would be presented.  This was several years ago, so the meaning has been unfolding slowly.  At some level, I knew that God would use beauty in my presentation of self to show a grander beauty, the beauty of His heart.  His love is beautiful.  Beauty shows his love.  I also feel that I have a deep sense of what many women may feel about beauty, and that is a layer of shame.  Don't appear vain.  Don't appear conceited.  If you feel beautiful, don't announce it to the world.  Why?  I never had a father watch me twirl in a skirt as a little girl.  But I have a heavenly father, and He delights in each woman's beauty.

Dye Job

Dyeing is proving to be challenging, but worth it.  I love the fact that it is very frugal.  I can take items that I am considering throwing out and perhaps make them wearable again.  Jeans that are faded just don't do me justice, so making them crisp in color is an awesome thing.

cheap, faded jeans

crisp and new looking - after dyeing twice

old navy jacket in boring neutral

now it's my favorite scarlet color

here's me in that color



scarlet is one of the cool summer colors

Click the Labels link for other posts about Dye

Why do you care about how you look?

I took my mom out for dinner and the topic of this blog came up in conversation.  She asked me "why do you care about how you look?"  I guess it's a fair question. She bought Dressing Your Truth by Carol Tuttle, because she had asked me if there was a subject we could bond about.  I sort of had to prod her to read it and I'm certain it won't be changing her fashion sense any time soon.  And that's ok. 

 I've been interested in fashion since adolescence, when I would buy fashion magazines and watch Style with Elsa Klensch.  I used to draw fashion designs when I was very young, but gave that up eventually. 

I really struggled with being poor.  As a child, we didn't have money.  I work as a social worker, so I've never had the money it would take to actually wear the fashions of my fantasies.  I also won't spend money that I do have on anything full price, which ultimately ends up costing on quality at times.

I have a half-sister, Ama Leu, who became an international print model.

When I was very young, my mother seemed like a goddess to me.  I thought she was quite beautiful and she has aged very gracefully.  I have always looked younger than my age as well.  During my adolescence, my mother and I both went through hard emotional times.  Our potential beauty was affected.  I developed a life long weight problem.

I wrote about my difficult high school years in my autobiography (here). 

I guess I have always felt like my beauty potential was teasing me.  Like it was always somehow slightly out of reach, but beckoning me to wonder if there was more to be expressed.

There is so much more I could say, but I can't seem to find the words.  To be continued....



Sunday is for Creativity

Today I've been dyeing clothes.  It is very difficult to see the results here, but I changed a pair of jeans from grey black to charcoal brown.  Seriously!



I've been having migraines, so today I'm concentrating on dyeing clothes and won't be posting an outfit. Tomorrow I have a day surgery, so I won't be making the effort either. And Tues. I will be recuperating. I will be back today to post my dyeing results!

Day Zero

I'm going to take today to go through my closet and box up anything that's not in the cool summer palette, for now!

throwing or storing

getting reorganized

taking all my black shoes to storage

red, silver, blue

pink, taupe, rose, red

earrings

sorted by color

Thrift Store Haul

Cool Summer Colors

two tones of purple, animal print

olive capris

dark brown

olive