Dressing With Your Surroundings In Mind - Oriental Philosophy I Want To Uphold As I Continue On This Fashion Journey

OK. Well, this will be my last post for tonight. :-)

So, if you're like me, you've probably enjoyed a whole slew of fashion and style guide books, websites and even gotten some consultations by a handful of industry 'experts.'

I've loved all of my journey thus far --
Recommendations by David Zyla to study the colors found in my body, such as hair, eye, skin colors, more specifically the 8 Personal Colors as he calls them...

Insights from IreneeOnline and 12 Blueprints, and 16 palette Seasons Based Color analysis...

More sophisticated suggestions by Sterling Style Academy and more time consuming but relevant research approach from Brenda Kinsel...

Then, there are Minimalist lifestyle suggestions from Project 333, and more self-aware consumerist approaches by Jill Chivers and helpful visual tips from Ms. Imogen Lamport, as well as the Dozen Formula...

Anyhow...
What I or we must not forget is...
Despite how *Individualistic* we are, and how AWESOME it is to be *different* you can't really put your best fashion foot forward, if you're unaware as to what is going on around you... Yes, break all the rules if you must, I'm not opposing that, but sticking out like a sore thumb doesn't equal Stylishness either...!

This of course, is something that is a lot more pronounced in my Asian culture. Generally speaking, sticking out in any shape or form puts these Asian folk into a tailspin of panic and Xenophobic tantrum. So I've learnt my lesson over the painful years...

So here are some examples from my Chip It experiments...

These are all images of Seoul I pulled from Google.

Each of these color palettes I believe are really conducive for creating my own color clusters and core wardrobe colors, since I'd most likely blend well into the Urban feel and vibe offered by my daily environment...

As you can see, there's a clear mix of monochromatic scheme juxtaposed by some vivids and some in-between-colors...

* * *

Then, above are my eye colors...

It's a brown/blue combo. I have that blue ring around my pupil, which in Zyla speak, is called your First Base Color, my Formal Attire Color.

* * *

OK, not my most glamorous picture, but still works well enough to show my most dominant body coloring...

http://letschipit.com/

Thanks Esther S for sharing this website! I love how 'neat' these work!!!

Finally A Color Palette For Moi: A Dissonant Color Palette For My Style in S/S 2013

OK. So I have searched high and low. The basic tenets of color theory always tend to use the same labels, and NONE of them appealed to me.

You know, your usual, Primary Colors, Triadic Colors, Split Complementary, Tetradic Color Scheme... Monochromatic, Achromatic, Analogous... etc. Then, you've got your Seasons and Season based palettes. Now offered in lovely 16, instead of the original 4.

Well. I finally put the finger on what makes my heart sing!

It appears that the reason none of the usual palettes worked for me or inspired me is BECAUSE, I'm into a whole other category called 'Dissonant Color Palette,' which I didn't even know existed until last week. :-)

Here's the lovely color scheme by itself.

OK. So this isn't what I'm going to wear. But it does show some potential...

Thanks to http://coloranddesign.weebly.com/color-dissonance.html for sharing their work online! It's inspiring!

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While I'm at it, here are some really practical and savvy insights from a Men's Fashion Website which I LOVE!

They did a whole series of 100 Fashion Tips or something like it, and from their suggestions, I ONLY like 2 types of color combinations for my particular wardrobe.

This would probably cover most of my needs. :-)

OK. Here's the totally AMAZING men's fashion website I mentioned above:

http://www.fashionbeans.com/2011/mens-fashion-basics-%E2%80%93-part-41-%E2%80%93-an-introduction-to-colour/

If you're like me, it's GUARANTEED you'll be up all night, poring over their tips!

Love & Inspiration,

Jessica

xoxo

Theory of Color Relativity and Dressing Your Truth

Color.

It's one thing everyone chooses each morning as they cover up their humble bodies.

Today, I would like to mention, what I am not happy about some of the 'theories' and 'suggestions' as proposed by Dressing Your Truth.

As you have heard from Carol Tuttle and her team, there are 4 clearly marked color guides that they would like you to don. Now, I have experimented with at least two of their suggestions for over 90 days each, and I've done a number of my own researches regarding color theories, so this is not coming from a personal attack on their system or anything. More of an intellectual engagement of their proposed strategies, and why I am choosing to move on to something different.

Please study the color cubes, which I pulled from Handprint.com regarding Munsell Colors. The 3rd and 4th rows have the center squares in exact same colors, and the top two rows use the same background colors.

As misleading as it is, since from a young age, linguistically, we've been trained to call certain 'range' of colors a single name, eg. Blue, Red, Orange...

Now, the world we actually live in, has all kinds of colors, always interacting with all kinds of surrounding colors. Seriously, how often is it that you see a single color by itself?

* * *

Now, according to Carol Tuttle, if you're a Type 4, you'll ONLY choose to wear stark WHITE colors. Or JET BLACK colors. Even if in reality, I might look just as great in colors that are deep enough and contrasting enough, which DYT forbids me to wear.

I mean, I AM a Type 4, I love DYT's descriptions in 'Child Whisperer' about Type 4s, there's a lot of insight and wisdom there for sure.

But where the Fashion Statement is made, I am choosing to veer off from DYTs strategies. Why?

Because, I'm a Type 4, but I don't want to look like a commercial ad from the 60s.

I don't want to look like all of the other Type 4 ladies.

Because, I got draped by my local color analyst, and my season came out Bronze Autumn.

Because, I shiver at the thought of wearing Type 4 metal in the Winter.

Because, Brass/Bronze colors look better to bring out my eye color.

Because, some color combinations work for me really well, which are clearly outside of the DYT Type 4 realm.

Need I go on?

* * *

Expanding a little bit more on the idea of contrast levels, which IS an important concept in image and style, me, being an Asian coloring, as long as I have the right level of contrast, which is already in my body, which is an easy two fold split of dark hair & eyes VS lighter but warm based skin, ANY of the combos of Black/White, Black/Gray, Black/Brown, Black/Beige, Black/Blush, Black/Nude, Black/Silver, Black/Gold, Black/Bronze ALL WORK.

* * *

To go on, not only the contrast level, but the DENSITY level is another thing one must consider. Borrowing the concept from Typography Design and Layout, depending on how your facial features sit on your face-scape, the kind of pattern and size you look great in greatly changes.

If you have a face with bold lines, you can do really big shapes and still look great. If you have a mix of features, such as big eyes but smaller more delicate nose and mouth features, you'll need to have the right accents in the right places to keep things in balance. 

How and where you employ color changes the Design Equation entirely!

And I just feel that the 4 Type Cookie Cutter Method, while a great training method for women of all ages and beauties to learn from, is not customized enough to help you refine and articulate your Beauty Persona.

Having said that, I want to thank Carol and her team for the amazing work they are doing. Regarding your dominant energy type and the psychology and what helps you understand yourself and your child, and how to soothe yourself and so on, their material I believe definitely adds value to thousands of lives!

But for the aesthete that I want to become and grow into, I just find their premise a little bit lacking in Precision and lacking in depth, 'Visual' Communication-wise.

OK!

That's all from me folks!

Love and big hugs,

Jessica