No Hiding Allowed – Seasonal Colors Out of Season
Written by Meira Schneider-Atik
Myth: If you wear a color that isn’t right for the season, you’ll look strange and out of style.
Truth: If a color flatters you, then it’s in season for you and you’ll look great.
Many times I’ve seen people ask on social media about wearing spring or summer colors in fall or winter or vice-versa. They’re afraid that if they wear colors outside of the season, they’ll look wrong. I always answer that this idea is incorrect.
There was an old rule that one shouldn’t wear white between Labor Day and Memorial Day. Supposedly, that rule simply came about because most women wore white in the summer to feel cooler in hot weather since lighter colors reflect light and heat. But that rule is dead and winter white is considered a classic.
It’s true that designers use different versions of colors for each season. Autumn colors are rich and earthy. Winter colors are strong and jewel-like. Spring colors are warm and bright. Summer colors are soft and hazy. And it’s true that different colors and different versions of colors come in and out of style depending on the season. But while it’s important for women to be aware of those things, it’s even more important for each woman to know which versions of colors flatter her the most and to work with those.
If a color flatters you and makes you appear healthy and either active or relaxed (depending on the effect you want), then it’s a good color for you. And it will be a good color for you all year round.If a color does not flatter you but you love it anyway and you just wear it away from your face, then you’re still doing just fine. But if you wear that unflattering color only because it’s an appropriate seasonal color, then you will look strange and out of style.
It’s also important to remember that the colors of the ROY G BIV spectrum are actually color families. Within each color family, there are tints, tones, shades, saturations, values, and temperatures to make for a million and one variations on each hue. And there are variations of each hue to fit into each season. So if one version of a color doesn’t flatter you but you want to wear that color, then you just need to find YOUR version of that color and then you can wear it all year round.
The key to dressing seasonally appropriate is less about color itself and more about how you wear that color. If light sage green (which is more of a summer color) flatters you and you wear it in a heavier weight fabric for winter, it will still flatter you.
If you wear that same light sage green in a shell near your face and layered with another top, it will keep you warmer and still flatter you. If dark olive green (more of an autumn color) flatters you and you wear it in a fitted and lightweight t-shirt, it will keep you cooler in summer and still flatter you.
When choosing what to wear, you must consider the weather and the temperature and choose fabrics and layers that are appropriate. You could be wearing summer colors in summer but if the fabrics are too heavy, then you’ll be perspiring and uncomfortable. You could be wearing winter colors in winter but if the fabrics are too light and you’re not layered up properly, you’ll be shivering and uncomfortable.
On the other hand, if you wear your most flattering autumn and winter colors in the summer, you’ll look healthy and sunkissed even without any sun exposure. If you wear your most flattering spring and summer colors in the winter, they will brighten up the winter doldrums.
When you wear your best colors, they make you appear healthy, active, and vital. You deserve that all year round.
The key to dressing seasonally appropriate is less about color itself and more about how you wear that color.
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