Colour and Image Consulting «  

The colours of a summer landscape resemble a painting made with pastel colours, even the luscious tones seem muffled. The green of the leaves is deeper in summer, muffled with shades of blue, which make the colours of spring cooler, as if they reflected the delicate blue of the summer sky. The warmth of the summer sun seems to bleach the colours to pastel colours, purple turning into lavender and mauve, and the gentle breeze hardly moves the leaves, which danced in the lively winds of spring. Summer is characterized by the gentleness of expression, there is something luxurious to it.

The female summer type:

Personal colour scheme: Women with the summer colour scheme are the most feminine ones and love luxury most. The female summer type is usually

Physical traits:

The summer type’s relaxed personality and her soft, calm, melodic voice are characteristic. Her fingers are usually long, slim and pointed. Her gestures are soft and gracious, she’s not clumsy. She walks lightly and elegantly. Her movements are sleek and smooth.

Personality traits (these are general tendencies of women with a summer colour scheme, no individual characterization):

The summer type is best characterized by the word “femininity”. She is expressively beautiful, and her calm, relaxed manners and the calmness surrounding her make her stand out. She has somewhat formal ways and may be perceived as reserved and impersonal. She has long-term friendships but tends not to let her friends get too close or make them confidants. She hardly ever displays her feelings, but there’s a warmth to her character that’s not visible at first glance. She is an example of humbleness in its highest form. She loves beautiful things, elegance and sophistication. She surrounds herself with an illusion of softness and fineness. She thinks in great detail but often holds back with her opinion. She pays attention to details, is precise when it comes to planning and executing things, and she likes things to be organized. Female summer types like to write, draw and paint, sew, knit or play the piano. She is particularly suited to work in the retail of jewelry or perfume or as a nurse.

Colours for the summer type:

Blue: marine, jeans, steel, smoke, azure, turquoise-blue, lavender

Grey: silver-grey in different degrees of lightness

Red: raspberry, watermelon, soft burgundy red, bordeaux, azalea, ruby to eggplant, cherry-red

Pink: dusky pink, peony, blue rose, soft violet tones, cool violet

Green: grey blue-green, turquoise green, mint, jade, woodruff

Brown: cocoa-brown light to dark with pinkish undertone

Yellow: lemon, light yellow, chrysanthemum

Muffled colours that seemed tinged with blue, grey or pink correspond to the harmony of the summer type.

Ornaments: Image consulting: Softly curved S-lines emphasize the expression of the summer type. An S-line is the most feminine and most beautiful line, which expresses softness and elegance and seems to flow, such as the petals of roses or lilies.

Effects: Image consulting: The structure and tissue of the fabrics is very important for the summer type. Velvet, soft knits, crepe de chine, tulle, taffeta, batiste, chiffon, lace and broderie anglaise are highly recommended. The female summer type should be careful not to reduce the expression of her personality through either flamboyant or bland clothes. The summer type can wear feathers, red roses, hats or veils. Ribbons also suit her better than any other type. She may also wear clothes with shimmering beading as well as ornaments in her hair, such as flowers or little combs. Those flowers are characteristic for the summer type that have long stems or whose petals are like cascades (larkspur, fuchsias, lilies etc). Ornaments shouldn’t be stiff but convey movement, like a butterfly or a flying bird.

Metals: Silver, platinum or very light rose-gold in soft, creative designs correspond to the summer type character. Gems should shine rather than sparkle, pearls are very suitable. The summer type woman can wear several strings or layers of small stones that don’t seem too heavy. The summer type should make sure not to be literally crushed by too massive or dramatic jewelry in order not to lose the most precious part of her charisma: softness.

Lipstick: blue-red tones are very suitable for the summer type.

Perfume: The summer type should always have a soft trail of perfume behind her, but she shouldn’t use it so generously that it becomes obtrusive.

Focal points of the personality: Image consulting: Those designs should be picked from the huge range of clothing that support the expression of the summer type’s personality and enhance her individuality best. The signals clothing sends are nonverbal communication. Including design to express a trait of her personality helps the summer woman to present herself successfully and become interesting to other people.

The following keywords contain a few possibilities of expression that correspond to most summer types naturally: femininity, fineness, luxuriousness, softness, grace, gentleness, finesse, kindness.

The colours in spring seem like painted with watercolour, fresh, colourful, with a strong brushstroke. The green-tones symbolize nature’s awakening: sun-drenched and washed by the rain, clear and bursting with life.

Nature is in gleeful anticipation. Tulips, daffodils and crocuses show brilliant red and yellow, the trees grow fresh green leaves, in between blossoms in creme-white, pink and apricot-coloured. Golden sunlight floods the scenery with light, warmth and bright shine. If there should be clouds in the sky, it looks as if they’d been washed pure white by the spring rain.

The male spring type:

Personal colour schme: The male spring type usually has blue, blue-green or grey-green eyes. The hair colour ranges from blond to chestnut-brown. Some male spring types also have dark-brown hair, but they always have golden shining light in either the hair or the eyes. The skin tone is golden-brown, yellow-brown or a deep apricot-coloured tone.

Physical traits:

There are four general types when it comes to physical traits and body-contours:

1. tall, athletic, flexible, even bony, perfectly suited for outdoor activities such as climbing or basketball

2. rather square build with wide shoulders, big hands and feet and pronounced jaw, predestined for sports like football

3. intermediate colour scheme and rather thin, dignified charisma but still oriented towards activities

4. bright blue or blue-green eyes, usually compact and less bony build, often very accommodating

Personality traits (these are general tendencies of men with a spring colour scheme, no individual characterization): The liveliness and adventurousness prevailing in spring seem to be reflected in the male spring type. He displays a boldness and played courage that characterizes rascals, rogues and dandies. He is in general very adventurous and especially interested in sports where speed is of the essence. He feels alive when shooting rapids, sailing, flying an airplane or presenting himself as a vagabond. He always wants to move. He thinks and acts fast, without hesitating, since he knows he can rely on his impulses. He is convivial, is easily accepted by other people and can communicate beyond interpersonal barriers. He also pays attention to his appearance. The male spring type is predestined for jobs focused on human contacts, in which there is communication on a personal level. He is less suited for an office job, since he prefers being behind the steering wheel of a car, boat or airplane and travelling.

Colours for the male spring type:

Very sporty and adventurous spring types prefer blue-tones ranging from aquamarine to turquoise, blue-green tones and yellow-green. The more down-to-earth types prefer yellow-brown-tones such as caramel, walnut, tobacco, lemon, but also different green-tones. They usually like garments made from leather. More elegant men like to pick blue- and white-tones.

Typical colours for the spring type are:

Champagne: delicate, creamy white and beige tones, wool-white

Brown: brown-beige, hazelnut, chestnut, cinnamon, nutmeg, camelhair

Blue: Forget-me-not, aquamarine, amethyst-violet, syringe-turquoise (yellow-based), cornflower-blue

Red: tomato, poppy, strawberry, salmon, coral

Pink: peach, apricot, salmon-pink, tulipwood

Green: apple-green, spring-green, yellowish mint

Yellow: daffodil, sun-yellow, light and delicate, warm yellow tones, gold

Orange: yellow-orange

Metals:

Yellow-gold for jewelry such as watches or tiepins corresponds to the spring type’s characteristics and emphasizes the golden shining lights of the hair and complexion. The darker the hair is the more oxidized gold or green-gold becomes suitable.

The colours in spring seem like painted with watercolour, fresh, colourful, with a strong brushstroke. The green-tones symbolize nature’s awakening: sun-drenched and washed by the rain, clear and bursting with life.

Nature is in gleeful anticipation. Tulips, daffodils and crocuses show brilliant red and yellow, the trees grow fresh green leaves, in between blossoms in creme-white, pink and apricot-coloured. Golden sunlight floods the scenery with light, warmth and bright shine. If there should be clouds in the sky, it looks as if they’d been washed pure white by the spring rain.

The female spring type:

Personal colour scheme: The bright golden shine of a spring day is reflected in the colour scheme of the female spring type. The eyes are mostly a bright blue, but also blue-green, green-blue, baby-blue, blue-grey or brown. The golden, yellow-golden or yellow-brown tone of the hair is characteristic. Usually, the golden shining lights in the hair outshine every other impression. The skin tone is ivory- or peach-coloured.

Physical traits: In general, the eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth and chin are often rounded, and very often there are dimples. The shape of the face is usually round or oval. The facial expression is very lively. The body’s contours are rounded and soft, but there are also tall and slim types of spring women. Gathers and ruffles can produce soft effects that correspond to the natural expression of the spring woman.

Personality traits (these are general tendencies of women with a spring colour scheme, no individual characterization): The sunny colour tones of the spring type seem to be reflected in the personality: warmth, spontaneity, liveliness, happiness, cheerfulness are typical characteristics. The spring type has a wide awake spirit, charming manners and has many different interests. The spring type seems ageless with a forever young spirit. She is surrounded by a basic aura of cheerfulness, which makes interpersonal relationships easier for her. She prefers informal gatherings to big social events. She likes having people around as well as big family meetings. Spring types are rarely silent but don’t usually bother others with their own worries. The spring woman may be easily annoyed, but the annoyance ceases just as easily. She is good at jobs involving communication or PR.

Colours for the spring woman:

Champagne: delicate, creamy white and beige tones, wool-white

Brown: brown-beige, hazelnut, chestnut, cinnamon, nutmeg, camelhair
Blue: Forget-me-not, aquamarine, amethyst-violet, syringe-turquoise (yellow-based), cornflower-blue

Red: tomato, poppy, strawberry, salmon, coral

Pink: peach, apricot, salmon-pink, tulipwood

Green: apple-green, spring-green, yellowish mint

Yellow: daffodil, sun-yellow, light and delicate, warm yellow tones, gold

Orange: yellow-orange

All colours should be clear and bright in order to express warmth, liveliness and cheerfulness. You should avoid all blue-red tones, dark red tones, burgundy and very intensive pink.

Ornaments: image consultation: the lines emphasizing the expression of the spring type are sweeping lines such as circles or semicircles, like in delicate flowers and plants.

Effects: image consultation: the spring woman may wear a ruffle and look chic in it or a bouquet on her coat, a head embellished with flowers or a sequined scarf. Prints should be floral, such as flowers, butterflies or birds expressing joy of living.

Metals: a light yellowish gold for jewelry corresponds to the characteristics of the spring type and emphasizes the golden highlights of the hair and complexion. The darker the hair is the more oxidized gold or green-gold becomes suitable. Jewelry should be light and filigree or broken up.

Lipstick: clear red tones and orange-red are the colours of the spring woman. Dark red or blue-red tones should be avoided.

Perfume: The spring woman’s perfume is fresh, airy and light and smells of flowers and grass.

Focal points of the personality: image consultation: Those designs should be picked from the huge range of clothing that support the expression of the spring type’s personality and enhance their individuality best. The signals clothing sends are nonverbal communication. Including design to express a trait of her personality helps the spring woman to present herself successfully and become interesting to other people.

The following keywords contain a few possibilities of expression that correspond to most spring types naturally: liveliness, lightness, cheerfulness, charisma, vividness, being bubbly, jauntiness, freshness, flirtatiousness, boldness.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) didn’t only occupy himself with literature but also natural science and had a holistic approach to his observations on colour. His book “On Colour theory” was first published in 1810 by Cotta Publishing House. He considered this book, the most comprehensive one of all his works, as more important than his literary works. In this book, he sheds light at the phenomenon of colour in its entirety from different angles. It was important to him to describe the development of colours from the angle of natural sciences but also explain the psychological and aesthetic aspects of colours and how his findings could be used in painting.

Goethe was of the opinion that colours are on the border between light and darkness. The colour yellow is “by the light at first”, while blue is “by the darkness at first”. His point of view that colours arise from dimness was in stark contrast to Newton’s scientific findings regarding the spectral colours that white light is made up of. This is the main reason Goethe’s colour theory is partially met with refusal.

Yellow and blue, to Goethe, were the two pure colours that he based his colour theory on. He also noticed that purple (red) cannot be mixed from other colours. Hence, yellow, blue and red were the pure colours to him. He juxtaposed these three colours with their complementary colours violet, orange and green in his colour circle. This colour circle starts with red at the top, green is right across at the bottom.

That part of the circle that goes from red to yellow was the “plus side” for Goethe: yellow, red-yellow (orange), yellow-red (minium, vermilion). These colours “put you in an active, lively, striving mood”. The second part of the circle, which goes from red to blue, was the “minus side”: blue, red-blue and blue-red. These colours “make you feel restless, soft and longing”.

“Just the way yellow always bears something light in it, blue always bears something dark.”

Goethe described the “sensual-ethical” and aesthetic impact of the individual colours of his colour circle and also explained the meaning and impact of combinations of colours. This holistic observation of colour was of big importance to Goethe. In his “historic observations”, he also made reference to colours in clothing, “the character of colours in clothing is applied to the character of the person. Hence, the relationship of the individual colours and combinations to the colour of the face, age and status can be observed.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s work hat great influence on colour theory and also colour type theory.

The Swiss painter, art theoretician and arts pedagogue Johannes Itten (1888-1967) is considered the founder of colour type theory, that served as the basis for the pioneers of colour consultation, Suzanne Caygill and Carole Jackson.

After he had finished his education as a teacher, he decided to become a painter. He became a student of Adolf Hölzel’s at the Academy of Stuttgart, and he took over Hölzel’s concept of colour contrasts. In 1919, Itten became a teacher at the federal Bauhaus in Weimar. While teaching there and working with students, he developed his colour type theory: he determined that all human beings can be allocated to one of the four different types spring, summer, autumn and winter. While warm tones dominate in spring and autumn, cold tones prevail in summer and winter. Itten considered it natural to use especially a person’s charisma when allocating a type, next to the pigmentation of the skin, hair and eye colour. He also found out in his experiments that his students preferred those colours for painting that also looked best on themselves, and that there are people with a very limited colour range, people with a wide range and all sorts of intermediate stages.

Itten occupied himself intensively with the impact of colours on the human being. He noticed that certain colours and colour cominbations make us feel better than others. Itten allocated certain ”traits” to different colours, e.g. red – heat, blue – cold. Itten’s theory is still applied when planning and furnishing rooms. His twelve-part colour circle doesn’t only contain the primary colours red, yellow and blue and the complimentary colours orange, green and violet, but also different mixture ratios of the colours with each other. Itten doesn’t consider black and white to be colours.

He describes the mutual influence of colours in his seven colour-contrasts:

The colour-as-such contrast

The light-dark contrast

The cold-warm contrast

The complementary contrast

The simultaneous contrast

The quality contrast

The quantity contrast

Johannes Itten’s main book on colour theory is “Art of Colour”, which was published by Urania in 1970.

The American Carole Jackson is the most famous trailblazer of colour consultation. She studied psychology and pedagogy, arts, colour theory and fashion, and she was a student of Johannes Itten’s, a Swiss painter and arts pedagogue, who intensively occupied himself with colour consultation.

Carole Jackson made colour consultation accessible to the public. She founded the international corporation “Color me Beautiful” in 1974 and wrote a book with the same title as well as a book titled “Make-up with Color me Beautiful”.

Her goal was to bring out the individual attractiveness of every man and woman by choosing the right colours for their clothing. A quote from the blurb of her book “Color Me Beautiful”: “What is so fantastic about the colour palettes is that the personality they bring to light is genuine. Your new image doesn’t twist the facts or make use of beauty tricks, but emphasizes your natural traits.”

Carole Jackson’s system of colour consultation distinguishes clearly between the four seasonal types spring, summer, autumn and winter, but mixed types are not taken into consideration. In contrast to Suzanne Caygill’s method, types are allocated solely according to external factors of colour schemes, the skin’s undertone having a special importance: every human being has a natural skin undertone, which is either yellowish (spring or autumn) or bluish (summer or winter). That tone isn’t always very obvious, but it is determined by holding pieces of fabric in different colours next to the face. When the colour is “right”, the skin seems smoother and fresher, the eyes shine. When the colour is “wrong”, the skin seems pale, skin blemishes and wrinkles become more visible.

Carole Jackson characterized the colours of the seasons like this:

Spring: clear, warm (yellow), fresh

Summer: blue, pink, soft

Autumn: warm, rich, earth- and gold-coloured

Winter: clear, blue, lively, icy, bright

Carole Jackson’s method is applied by most colour consultants in the German-speaking area, just as her four seasons system is still the most widespread and famous.

Carole Jackson eventually sold her corporation “Color me Beautiful”. The colour consultation system within the corporation was expanded and added to several times, mixed types were included, and eventually the season names were dropped completely.

The American Suzanne Caygill (1911-1994) developed her system of colour consulting in the 1940s, which focuses on every person’s individuality. She distinguished between the seasonal types spring, summer, autumn and winter, but those four skin types were only a basic framework. Suzanne Caygill distinguished between many different subtypes such as Classic Winter, Soft Winter, Patrician Winter, Dynamic Winter and Exotic Winter. The allocation of her clients to a season was primarily based on their personality, charisma, posture and voice, and only secondarily on the individual pigmentation of skin, hair and eyes. In Suzanne Caygill’s opinion, characteristics and colours from more than one season are found in many people, which makes it necessary to compile a specifically adjusted colour passport for every individual customer to ensure their individuality. She also distinguished between female and male colour schemes. While she picked the colours of flowers or blossoms for women, the colours of minerals and metals seemed to be more suitable for men.

Suzanne Caygill allocated the following key qualities to the colours of the respective season:

Spring: clarity

Summer: softness

Autumn: satiety

Winter: contrast

In the late 1970s, Suzanne Caygill founded the “Academy of Color”, an eight-week training program for colour consultation for select students. Over the next 15 years, she trained more than 40 colour consultants.

In 1980, Suzanne Caygill published a book about her work, “Color: The Essence of You”, in order to help her customers understand her basic principles better. In the preface she states that the colour theory presented in her book “aims at awakening an intuitive and instinctive impulse in every human to the constellation of colours in the universal structure, which he or she is connected with cosmically”. For Suzanne Caygill, colour meant vibration in the physical sense, which spreads to the person in his / her entirety. She also considered nature with its rhythm of seasons as the true teacher. She wrote, ”Colour is nonverbal communication. Clothes are a symbol of what we think of ourselves. Design and colour are the means of expressing personality in action. We need the reflection of the truth about us in our clothes and our furniture, so we won’t project anything artificial or distorted. By recognizing colour as a key to our selves, by recognizing the harmonies in nature, we find a way of seeing exactly who we are, a way leading us out of personal stiffness, a way to connect us with those energies that allow us to be ourselves. The more we are able to accept the colourful messages in the rhythm of the universe, the more authentic we become as personalities, the more happiness we gain for ourselves and the more we give to others.”

The archived documents of Suzanne Caygill are kept at Cornell University in the USA.

Your body’s basic shape as well as the proportions of your body are the basis for image consulting. For example, the relative proportion of your head to the length of your body can be balanced out by choosing according cuts of clothing, as can the proportion of the length of your legs to your upper body. By including the special characteristics of your face and your body, I determine harmonious details for your clothes such as the size and type of prints and patterns or the lapel of jackets and coats. I’ll be happy to give you general guidelines on the right length of trousers or shirt sleeves. My consultation is not based on current trends in fashion, but I want you to develop a sense of your individual timeless style.

You will also receive suggestions on different styles for your wardrobe from me, which are based on your personality, your professional position and your position in society as well as your lifestyle. It is important to me to work on this together with you, so that a useful basic wardrobe can be compiled and I can give you advice on clothing for festivities or special occasions.

I try to consult you in such a way that you don’t only feel comfortable in your clothes but are also able to represent yourself and have a wardrobe that you can always rely on: you’ll find garments for any occasion in it.

It is important to me to consult in step with actual practice. For this reason, I request that you bring at least three pairs of trousers in different cuts, five dress shirts and shirts with different necklines, collars and sleeve lengths and two pairs of shoes in your current size.

We change in the course of our life, and that doesn’t only affect our body but also our personality. The impression we give to other people and our charisma today are different from the ones in 5 or 15 years. We should pay attention to that in our clothing in order to present ourselves as the persons that we are. I recommend having an image consultation every 7 to 10 years.

Since an effective wardrobe has a lot to do with the colours of clothing and accessories I recommend having a colour consultation before the image consultation. I offer a combination of both these consultations.

Our body is like a precious painting: colours, shapes and proportions have to be harmonious in order for us to portray a true image of ourselves. Our individual charisma adds radiance to this piece of art.

Carla Mason Mathis, a student of Suzanne Caygill’s, occupied herself intensively with the development of individual image consulting. She aimed at enabling every woman to find a suitable expression of her beauty. This is what my consultation is all about.

The body’s basic shape as well as lines and proportions of your body are the basis for image consulting in order to determine advantageous cuts for your wardrobe. By including the special characteristics of your face and your body, harmonious details for your fabric can be determined as well as the size and type of prints and patterns. I also consult you with regard to your accessories such as bags and shoes.

You will also receive suggestions on different styles for your wardrobe from me, which are based on your personality, your professional position and your position in society as well as your lifestyle. It is important to me to work on this together with you, so that a useful basic wardrobe can be compiled and I can give you advice on clothing for festivities or special occasions.

I try to consult you in such a way that you don’t only feel comfortable in your clothes but are also able to represent yourself and have a wardrobe that you can always rely on: you’ll find garments for any occasion in it.

It is important to me to consult in step with actual practice. For this reason, I request that you bring at least two to three pairs of trousers in different cuts, two to three skirts (short and long), five tops with different necklines and sleeve lengths as well as two pairs of shoes (flat and with a heel) in your current size.

We change in the course of our life, and that doesn’t only affect our body but also our personality. The impression we give to other people and our charisma today are different from the ones in 5 or 15 years. We should pay attention to that in our clothing in order to present ourselves as the persons that we are. I recommend having an image consultation every 7 to 10 years.

Since an effective wardrobe has a lot to do with the colours of clothing and accessories I recommend having a colour consultation before the image consultation. I offer a combination of both these consultations.

Already Suzanne Caygill, the pioneer of color consultation in the 1940s, differed between male and female coloration. Colors from the mineral realm, you seemed to be more suitable than the flowers or blossoms, which she assigns to women for men. The shades on the basis of minerals or metals have a strong color intensity, which corresponds to a quasi-masculine color quality. Suzanne Caygill differentiated in their deliberations four main types whose names are still used by many color consultants: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The naming of these types according to the four seasons should help to understand their customers and clients for their own color palette.

With a color consultation form your eyes, hair and skin color, the base color to create your passport, which is a harmonious extension of your natural color palette. Their individual coloring includes, by the nature of the colors in your wardrobe should be marked: warm or cool, clear or muffled, weak or strong color contrasts. But they are also available, which should predominate colors in your wardrobe. The combinations of individual shades are made visible in a color consultation with large towels.

In practice, my advice is usually one main type of the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter), which is complemented by the colors from other palettes.

The natural appeal and charisma of every human being to express the goal of my advice. I choose the colors for you so that your hair and eye color can develop their luminosity and they emphasize your face advantageous. And I also take account of the requirements for your professional wardrobe.

You will then receive advice on the passport with a color fabric swatches that you can use when choosing your clothing.

The color consultation takes place in daylight and unadorned. Please contribute to the consultation no tinted contact lenses and color your hair is not immediately before. The color of the renewable hairline – and thus your natural hair color – can be included in the consultation.

Please bring, in terms of the style advice, pants, jackets, shirts, ties and shoes in different styles and designs. A practical advice is important to me.