s/o dressing nicer... Dress Your Truth vs. Seasons

[Janie Grace]

Someone in the dressing nicer thread mentioned Dress Your Truth and I was intrigued, so I watched all the free videos. Fascinating! I think I'm a Type 2 (who was encouraged by my upbringing and marriage dynamic to be a Type 3) and I am excited to dress more like my real self (a style I *really* gravitate towards on a visceral level). The only thing is, how does dressing for your coloring play in? It seems like Type 2 people are supposed to dress in soft colors, Type 3 in bold colors, Type 4 in black (?)... but what if that doesn't go with your skin tone? I have always thought I was a winter (dark hair/eyes, pale skin) and my wardrobe is full of black, navy and red. If I am a Type 2, won't that look bad with my skin/hair? 

 

 

[Guest]

I'd balance it with some pieces that flatter your skin tone paired with some you gravitate toward and love, if possible. And if all else fails use makeup or jewelry to help your skin tone, but go with the wardrobe that makes you feel your absolute best. Confidence is far more alluring and beautiful than tone matching, if it comes down to choosing.

[Guest]

One of the things about the color wheel that helps to know is that there are shades of colors that work better or worse on each person.  I can wear a light pink if it has a blue undertone, but if it is a coral undertone, I look washed out.  Same with bold colors...go toward the pure red, not the orange, and I'm fine.  Maybe it doesn't have to be either-or, but just the right shade. 

 

Note:  I do not necessarily know what I am talking about.  

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

DYT is very similar to seasonal dressing.  DYT is kind of like a summer.  Summer and winter are cool toned.  What color are your eyes? If they are light,  just saw you said your eyes are dark you are likely a summer; if they are dark, you are likely a winter.  

 

Look up "jewel-toned summer" and see if that fits you. :)

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Edited January 8, 2017 by kbeal

[melbotoast]

This just happened to me, too. I think I'm a type 2, but I'm not giving up my autumn colors!

[Ellie]

Someone in the dressing nicer thread mentioned Dress Your Truth and I was intrigued, so I watched all the free videos. Fascinating! I think I'm a Type 2 (who was encouraged by my upbringing and marriage dynamic to be a Type 3) and I am excited to dress more like my real self (a style I *really* gravitate towards on a visceral level). The only thing is, how does dressing for your coloring play in? It seems like Type 2 people are supposed to dress in soft colors, Type 3 in bold colors, Type 4 in black (?)... but what if that doesn't go with your skin tone? I have always thought I was a winter (dark hair/eyes, pale skin) and my wardrobe is full of black, navy and red. If I am a Type 2, won't that look bad with my skin/hair? 

 

Haven't seen those videos, but if I had, and they encouraged me to wear colors I know are not my season (I'm a Summer) I would not do it.

 

OTOH, if you have not actually had your colors done by an expert, you don't know for sure what season you are. You can usually figure out if you're Warm or Cool, but not necessarily your season. Also, your hair color does not affect your season (yes, I'm trained to do color analysis :001_smile:  ). 

[Desert Strawberry]

Ok, so I looked over both color systems. It's been a while since I have read these. 

I'm a warm autumn. 

My quiz and personality are very strongly type 1. I am very slightly type 2.

 

I dress type 2. I love it. I feel good in it. 

My accessories are definitely, strongly type 1. 

My makeup is definitely warm autumn. 

This balance works for me. I like my style, feel comfortable is subtle colors, drapey styles, natural makeup, with bold lipstick, bright accessories and bubbly, pretty jewelry. 

These are just tools. Try it out. See what you think. But in the end, no system is perfect. The key is to dress the way you FEEL, not the way you think you should look. 

[BooksandBoys]

If you read more on the Dressing Your Truth method, you'll find that she's big on finding your secondary style as well as your primary. I think, for many people that resolves the "season" issue, as you can wear both your primary and secondary types in a way that fits you.

 

This didn't help me much. I'm a Type 4 with some Type 3 thrown in, and I rock winter colors (mostly the colors of a Type 4) and look scary in most autumn colors (Type 3). But I do pull off the wilder hair of a Type 3. :-) Sleek and sophisticated hair is never going to work for me. I've known I was a winter forever, and, like Ellie, I wasn't going to give up my winter colors!

 

I have a friend who is a Type 1 primary, Type 3 secondary. The fun, spontaneous nature of Type 1 style works on her, but is enhanced when she leans toward the more autumn coloring of her Type 3.

 

You might enjoy watching her free YouTube videos. Type 4 is definitely not wearing all black. :-)

[Moonhawk]

OTOH, if you have not actually had your colors done by an expert, you don't know for sure what season you are. You can usually figure out if you're Warm or Cool, but not necessarily your season. Also, your hair color does not affect your season (yes, I'm trained to do color analysis :001_smile:  ). 

 

I think I can agree with this, lol. I've never heard of this color analysis season thing.  I just took 3 different tests online.  I'm either an autumn or a winter. Which seem pretty different when I read the advice for each. And all of the tests strongly relied on my hair color to make a judgment. So, color me confused :) 

[Onceuponatime]

Dressing your truth is loosely based on personality with a kind of new agey doctrine about "energy" and "movement." They try to factor in physical attributes as well, which in my opinion is often conflicting. It definitely does not work for everyone, but they have enough tips to make a lot of people feel put together and happy with their style.

 

I went through a stage where I was trying to find my style/colors and searched the web for every kind of style assessment I could find. Nothing was obviously cut and dry for me. So I created my own particular style out of a combination of different assessments and my personal likes and dislikes.

 

For color analysis, I came up with soft autumn, soft summer, and soft winter. I realized that my skin, hair and eyes are neutral, not warm or cool, and medium, not dark or light. That was aggravating. Then I found that there are some color analyses that have a category that is just called " soft." I ended up choosing a main palette of medium charcoal grey, navy blue, teals and blue/greens, and berries, with a soft white or ivory. However, in autumn I have fun going chocolate brown, olive, and rusty orange for a few months.

 

I do gravitate toward the type 2 in DYT, but their colors are too muted for me and I am not fond of drapey ruffles of scarves. I have an almost equal tendency toward the type 4 personality, but I hate black, the colors are too harsh for me, and I don't care for stiff or crisp. Lol. I prefer an in between style of softly structured but casual.

 

The most helpful advice I got from DYT is to pay attention to 1. When you get compliments that say *you* look great, not your clothes. 2. When you feel very comfortable and appropriate in what you are wearing. 3. When you find yourself gravitating to a certain outfit in your closet or ignoring certain other clothes that you own. Ask yourself why, and what is it about those things that makes you like them or not. If something makes you feel awkward, it's probably not right for you. Plus, if possible, try to only buy what you love. Get rid of stuff you don't wear because it doesn't work for you.

 

It also helps to write down what your personal preferences are in color, fabrics, patterns, and styles on a small card as a reminder when you go shopping. That doesn't mean you can't be adventurous if you want, but you will have better luck

finding something that works well with the rest of your wardrobe.

[Ellie]

I think I can agree with this, lol. I've never heard of this color analysis season thing.  I just took 3 different tests online.  I'm either an autumn or a winter. Which seem pretty different when I read the advice for each. And all of the tests strongly relied on my hair color to make a judgment. So, color me confused :)

 

Autumn is warm; Winter is cool. So, yeah, polar opposites.

 

Carole Jackson's Color Me Beautiful was the first seasonal analysis method, and she looked at hair color, eye color, freckles, and probably other things. :-) But it was sometimes inaccurate; there are, for example, people with red hair who are cool seasons, even though most red-haired people are warm (Autumn or Spring). I was trained in a method that relies solely on skin reactions to specific fabric drapes. We don't look at hair color; in fact, we have our people put their hair up in a white shower cap. :-)

 

You can usually figure out if you're warm or cool: Go to your friendly neighborhood make-up counter; put a warm blush on one side of your face, and a cool blush on the other. If you are a warm season, the warm blush will look natural, and the cool blush will look like clown cheeks. If you are a cool season, the cool blush will look natural and the warm blush will look like clown cheeks. Lipstick does the same thing; if you're warm and you wear a cool lipstick, your lips will not look right, and the opposite if you wear a warm lipstick.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Ellie

[Alexigail]

I've done DYT for awhile now. Every type has a version of every color (except black.) There's a type 1 red, a type 2 red etc. She has a great video explaining this, let me see if I can find it.

 

ETA: I didn't find it off the bat but I'll look around.  I'm a type 1 and although I do gravitate towards those colors I'm not strict about it. I think it's true there are types and those types tend to look best in tints, tones, etc.  However, if I like something I'll wear it and if I don't I won't.  Some things from my type look great, others look silly.  I think we look best when we feel good.  I really like what a previous post said about wearing what makes you happy and confident.  I read fly lady a long time ago and never adopted her methods, but one thing that stuck for me is to get dressed every day in decent looking clothes.  Something about that keeps me feeling great even as a SAHM in the dead of winter.  I dress for myself even if I'm not going anywhere or seeing anyone.  

 

 For me, DYT has been much more useful regarding things like personality - I know that I need to stay positive and have a good laugh sometimes.  I know that my kids learning and personality styles are very different from mine and I have to adapt their schooling to what suits them.  

Edited January 8, 2017 by Alexigail

[Joyofsixreboot]

I totally believe if you try something on it will make you feel great....or not. We just let types/seasons/age dictate to us. Cost matters too of course. I say take those guidelines and go try on LOTS of things. At everywhere from upscale to Goodwill. Just take notes on what seems to feel good. Take selfies. Then go home, look things over when you don't feel excited or pressured and see what you think. What felt and looked good? Is there a trend? THEN decide your style.

Edited January 8, 2017 by joyofsix