Mama Kat Thursday: Red is for Winters

The Mama Kat Thursday Blog Prompt for today is to:
"Write a post inspired by the word "red."

 

Well, I know I don't and won't wear it.
 I mean, not an entire outfit or blouse in red, though there might be a touch of red in one of my scarves or a pair of  earrings.

Why don't I wear it?
Ever heard of identifying your fashion colors based on "seasons"?
I actually had my "colors" done by a color consultant once upon a time. The theory is your hair-tone, skin-tone and eye color look the most glowing and best with certain families of color.
The color consultant did tell me, however, that people tend to gravitate naturally toward the colors they look good in. If you like purple, you may find it on your seasonal palette.
(People who wear all black all the time may be an exception, since this is often a fashion statement unrelated to looking good.)

I don't wear red because I'm not a "winter."
My fair, freckled warm skin tone (with red undertones), dark golden-brown to reddish hair and green-gray eyes puts me in the"Autumn" palette, though I've always preferred wearing greens, golds, certain oranges, browns and creamy whites.

 This palette also includes teal, sea foam, purple, lime green, certain corals and---burgundy/maroons, which are my limit in the red family.
It's because red-reds, orange-reds, and pinks bring out the red-tones in my skin, that I can't wear them. They make me look flushed.

The theory of wearing your "season of color" is not about wearing a whole outfits in your colors, but wearing your colors in the vicinity of your face to enhance you skin tone and bring out your eye color.
This can be done with just a blouse, just a sweater or just a jacket or even just a few simple accent pieces, like earrings, necklaces or scarves.
So, technically, even if black isn't on your palette, you can still wear a black dress as long as you accessorize it in your colors with a shawl, jacket, scarf or jewelry, etc.

 

You might wonder which season, then, can wear red?
It's the "winter" palette that can wear pure, strong colors, such as true red most easily.
Really the deciding factor is skin-tone as to whether you can wear a red to the "blue" side or to the "orange side."
(Maroon runs to the "blue" side, since it has a bit of purple in it, which is why I can wear it.)

 "Springs" & "Summers" tend to look best in muted colors and/or pastels, depending on tones of hair and skin as well.

Two Tips to Remember When Considering Your Palette:

Your color palette must be figured on your true hair color, the one you were born with; not a dyed or lightened color.
That goes for turning gray, too: your palette is still based on your original hair color.

Want to know your colors? Here's a good link:

 

http://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-tips/how-to-find-your-perfect-colors/

Don't let the title "college fashion" throw you.
This link offers a guide through hair, skin & eye color and gives you a little example palette of 22 color choices for each color season. It also sub-divides each season into types. For example: you might be a "soft winter" or  a "deep winter."
(Based on this guide, I'm more of a "soft autumn," though I still range into some "deep autumn" colors as well.)

Just remember, this is "more like guidelines, then actual rules."
You do not have to throw away your whole closet.
What you want to do is accessorize well in order to put the colors that help you look your best closest to the one thing people look at first: your face.