Color Analysis 101: Different Systems and Approaches

Color analysis looks at how different colors interact with the natural elements of a person’s appearance. At its core, it’s about identifying which shades enhance your natural beauty, highlighting your best features, and minimizing those that aren’t as flattering. This makes it a super valuable tool for discovering your personal style and putting together your wardrobe.

There are many color analysts out there and also a few different approaches and systems. This can make the whole world of color analysis a bit confusing.

The History of Color Analysis

Color analysis has been around for centuries in one form or another, but it really started to take shape in the 20th century. In the 1920s and 1930s, famous artist Johannes Itten explored how color affected the human face and how it related to physical features. This led to the foundation of many of today’s color systems.

However, color analysis truly exploded in popularity during the 1980s with Carole Jackson’s book Color Me Beautiful. In it, Jackson introduced the “seasonal color theory” and divided people into four seasons—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—based on their skin tone and natural coloring. This shift changed the way people approached fashion, showing that color could influence not just our appearance but also our mood and emotional well-being.

In recent years, color analysis has become popular on TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms and creators have taken Jackson's color seasons further and created systems of 12 seasons or 16 seasons, and more.

The Goals of Color Analysis

The main goal of color analysis is to help you understand which colors work best for you. The specific aims include:

• Enhancing natural features: By selecting colors that complement your skin tone, eye color, and hair, color analysis can make you look healthier, more vibrant, and more youthful.

• Building a functional wardrobe: Knowing which colors work best for you helps streamline shopping, making it easier to choose clothes that not only look great on you but also mix and match well.

• Boosting confidence: Wearing the right colors can significantly impact how you feel about yourself. When you look good in what you’re wearing, it often translates to feeling good as well. Color analysis provides you with the confidence to wear colors that truly suit you, freeing you from trends and instead encouraging you to wear what enhances your natural beauty!

• Creating a signature look: Understanding your personal color palette helps develop a cohesive and recognizable personal style. It allows you to curate a wardrobe that truly reflects your essence and personality, helping you stand out in a crowd for the right reasons.

  
  

Different Color Analysis Systems

There are several color analysis systems out there, each offering a slightly different approach. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular:

The 12-Season System

This is one of the most widely used systems that is based on Jackson's four main seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each of these seasons is then divided into three subcategories, based on characteristics like value (light vs. dark), temperature (cool vs. warm), and chroma (bright vs. muted).

In this system, you’ll have:

• 4 “True” seasons: True Spring, True Summer, True Autumn, True Winter.

• 8 “Flow” seasons: Soft Summer, Soft Autumn, Bright Winter, Bright Spring, Light Spring, Light Summer, Deep Winter, Deep Autumn.

This is the system I also primarily focus on in this blog since it is the easiest to understand and the most universally used, and I find that it gives most people the results they want.

*You can sometimes find the seasons are called different names such as Muted (the same as Soft), Clear (the same as Bright) and Dark (the same as Deep).

The 16-Season System

The 16-season system includes all of the seasons listed in the 12-season one and adds the options of Warm Spring and Warm Autumn, Cool Winter and Cool Summer. The difference here between say True Spring and Warm Spring would be that a True Spring has no defining characteristics - they are equally warm, bright and light, whereas a Warm Spring has warmth as their primary characteristic and they are also closer to the Autumn season.

In this system, there is a subtle distinction between the “True” seasons and the “Cool/Warm” seasons, a distinction that doesn’t exist in the 12-season system.

Other Color Systems

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Some color analysts also add the option of True Warm, True Cool, True Bright, True Deep, True Light and True Muted for people who rest between two sister palettes, for example someone between Bright Spring and Bright Winter would be classified a True Bright.

Some studios also have different names for seasons, like the House of Color, and slightly different palettes.

Features-Based vs. Draping-Based Systems

There is some debate amongst color analysts on which features each season can have and whether a person's features (eye color, hair color) should be taken into account when determining their palette or whether one should just focus on how the color affects their skin.

Color analysts who use feature-based systems argue that a person’s natural hair color and eye color play a large role in their overall coloring and should be taken into account. These stylists typically have more rigid rules on what hair color you can have to fall into a specific season. For example, redheads are always warm-toned, a winter cannot be a natural blonde, etc.

Other color analysts argue that draping is the only way to find a person’s best season and their features cannot be used at all to rule out a palette. Hence, a natural blonde can be a winter if that palette looks the best on them and redhead can be cool-toned, etc.

In-Person vs. Digital Color Analysis

There is also some debate on whether digital draping can be used for determining someone’s color season, or whether the color analysis must be done in person.

Some color analysts believe that in-person draping (where fabrics in different colors are placed near your face) is the best way to see subtle shifts in your appearance. They argue that lighting is crucial, and you don’t get the same results through a computer screen.

Others believe that virtual analysis can work if done correctly, especially when using historical photos or photos taken in proper lighting. It’s all about what feels most comfortable and effective for you.

How Do You Choose the Right System?

You might be a little confused when seeing all the different systems out there, but the goal is the same - to find the best colors for you! My suggestion is to choose the system that resonates most with you and to go on from there. Color analysis should be a fun, it should be about experimenting and finding your personal style. So, don’t stress too much about the different systems.

In this blog, we mainly look at the 12-season system, since it is the easiest to understand but feel free to also explore more on the 16-seasons system as well.

Final Thoughts

Color analysis is more than just a tool for picking out clothes—it’s a way to understand your natural beauty and create a wardrobe that feels like you. By finding the right colors, you can boost your confidence, simplify shopping, and develop a personal style that always flatters.

So, whether you’re curious about the 12-season system, the 16-season approach, or any of the other variations, remember that color analysis is your journey. Have fun with it, and discover the shades that help you shine!