Body ♥ Love Challenge Day 8: Flatter Your Coloring

In our journey to love the skin we're in, it's important to understand it.  Hence, a color analysis, or as the british say, a colour analysis:

You can direct yourself to the primary categories here:

Cool & Delicate

Cool & Brilliant

Warm & Fresh

Warm & Rich

Take an even deeper dive, by determining a seasonal subcategory.  Complexion based hybrids abound and perhaps you bloom in a border.  Might I suggest a quiz with plenty of supportive source materials?

Day 8 Challenge: Determine your color category and wear a sparkle inducing color.  

Post your complexion confession in the comments,  feel free to link to blogs, instagram, pinterest, flicker, or other sources

How to Dress for a Family Photo: Pattern Play

Happy Thanksgiving Fashion Pilgrims!

Florence Welch & The Machine

 Creative playfulness, unexpected essentia, the province of patterns.  If you choose to advance your family portrait into the realm of pattern, choose supporting ornamentations.  Select simple patterns like small florals, pinstripes, and polka-dots.  You and your dear ones are the photographic Prima Donnas so don’t surrender the spotlight to a bright ikat. 

Also consider the placement of patterns.  One pattern is all one family member should likely sustain.    If possible, refuse your patterns immediate contact. Solids provide critical white space for your family assembly.  

Keeping all your patterns in the same color family can add further sophistication. The more colors, patterns, and people you introduce, the greater chance for ocular disjoint.

Speaking of adding more members to the photograph, more people should directly translate into more motif caution. Whereas a spattering of stripes and florals will not overwhelm a family of four, it could enact a pictorial cataclysm in a family of fifty.   

Patterns can practice spotlight thievery, just when your rosy cheeks are ready to shine, Auntie Clementine’s fluorescent brocade bares its brilliance stealing the shutter’s concentration. Squelch the focus filching by opting for unassuming solids. Solids are natural supporting actors, allowing visages to take the lead.

For large or extended family portraits,  a similar range of solid colors makes it easy to identify confederate members in your extended family portrait. Clothing doesn’t need to match exactly, but it should blend.   Individual garments ought to share similarities in hue (pigment), value (light/dark), and/or chroma (purity). A palette of ocean blues (similar hue), bold primary colors (similar value), or ashy pastels (similar purity) would place each family member on equal color footing.  However, if you place cousin Sally in scarlet and niece Brenda in beige, there will be talk of favoritism. Sally will bloom and Brenda will recede into an angst filled background.

The final step arrives tomorrow, to your color theory and pattern play, add props.

And if you haven't yet entered this week's giveaway...

Allow Cardigan Empire to style your kin for their next Family Photo. Click here to book a family-sized virtual shopping session.

How to Dress for a Family Photo: Color Schemes

 Precursor: Pasted somewhere in your family album is a visual collection of white shirts and khaki pants.  Well maybe the shirts are black and the pants are denim, but the optical philosophy persists.  Your family is dressed in uniform, making it simple to identify the confederate members.  While there's nothing distasteful with this strategy, particularly when extended groups are involved, perhaps you long for something unexpected, maybe you've nibbled at accented neturals (ie black and white with dashes of red).  The following post is intended to present a feast of fresh photographic possibilities.

The Allen family is led by an artistic matriarch who carefully orchestrated a harmonious yet unexpected color scheme for her Autumnal family photo.   While she is collegiately papered in chromatic proficiency, the rest of us can benefit from a crash course in color theory.


First the Color Wheel

Our primary colors, as learned in our elementary education, are red, yellow, and blue.  Every other color on the wheel is born from a combination of these hues.


The first generation of genesis are secondary colors.  When two primary colors are combined, a secondary color dawns.  The next lineage of colors is tertiary, created by mixing a primary and secondary color.


Finally, it is relevant to register the left side of the wheel as cool and the right side of the wheel as warm.


Now, on to our harmonies:

I Monochromatic

Monochormatic: Consisting of variations in lightness and saturation of a single hue.

In the preceding specimen, the entire ensemble sprouts from the same red-violet base.  Monochromatic harmonies are clean and elegant.  To keep them interesting combine textures as well as tints (hues created by adding white), shades (hues created by adding black), and tones (hues created by adding gray).  For example, combining the opulent velvet magenta shade with the gauzy rose tint.

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II Analogous

Analogous: Colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.

The pointed pair above illustrates a soothing analogous color harmony.  The scheme shares a common violet core but introduces variation by mixing more blue on one side and red on the other.  Not only does this combination cross hues, but it also bridges the warm/cool boundary which further enriches the effect. 

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III Complementary

Complementary: Pairing colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. 

This intrinsically attention absorbing harmony adds natural vibrancy.  When used judiciously it can add energy and interest.  Desaturating one component (the blue in this sample) allows the opposing golden orange to dominate and shine. Using tints, shades, and tones as well as secondary and tertiary color combinations also keeps the scheme from appearing trite (ie a primary red again a secondary green Christmas combination).

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IV Split Complementary+Triad

Split Complementary: A variation on the standard complementary scheme, this harmony uses a color and two colors adjacent to its complementary.

The harmony visualized in the foreground of the image (left-front daughter in blue-violet + right-front baby in red-orange + emerald green grass) provides high contrast without the strong tension of a straight complementary scheme. 

And let's just acknowledge here and now for all you smarty britches, that this citation is not a perfect split complementary.  The color compound should include red-violet instead of true violet, but I like it and as the owner/writer of this blog, I say, "close enough.")

  

Triad: Combining three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. 

This harmony illustrated by the upper tier of image representatives (son in blue green scarf and yellow-orange plaid + daughter in red-violet jacket) offers rich  contrast while retaining optical balance. The trio is not as visually demanding as the complementary scheme, but it shines in balance and interest.

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V Tetradic

Tetradic: Arranging four colors into complementary pairs  

The dominant colors within the image form a harmonious tetrad.  The varying shades of red violet shine against the yellow-green grass. The blues and oranges conflict just enough to create dynamic interest.  And as a whole they balance each other beautifully.

  So can you identify the color harmony represented by this adorable cherub?  (Hint: consider the brown as a neutral acting as background to the true chromatic star)

Now that you've graduated color theory, return tomorrow to thank fashion for pattern play.

And don't forget to color your chances in favor of winning this week's giveaway.

Allow Cardigan Empire to style your kin for their next Family Photo. Click here to book a family-sized virtual shopping session.

Accessories: Color Theory

Love Triangle

Your heart loves this shirt.

Your complexion loves another color, outside of the oatmeal family.

The Mediator

When your fashion chic and facial cast clash, use a properly hued accessory mediator near your face.

String your finger if you need to, but don't forget to enter the accessory giveaway.

Fitting Room Friday: Neutrals Giveaway

Sponsored by

My name is Reachel, and I am a color addict. I apply it liberally Monday through Sunday: crimson, coral, cobalt, and chartreuse. But there are days for remission, moments to revert back to simple tone on tone sophistication. There is a time for neutrals.

Shade Clothing can help you begin to break your dye based dependence. Start with garments like the Drape Front Cardigan in Oatmeal, purveyed by these quality neutral merchandisers. To select an ensemble in neutral shades of ecru, camel and cream, ensure you've determined the color family which best flatters your complexion, then add texture, shape, and shine as detailed in the following episode of Fitting Room Friday.

Get your own neutral enchantment by taking a digital holiday at Shade Clothing where when you purchase one item, you can acquire a second for 50% off.

Or you can enter up to two times for a chance to win a $25 Shade Clothing Gift Card.

option uno: Become a fan of Shade on Facebook and leave a confirming comment on this post.

option dos: Go to Shade Clothing, inspect their lovelies, return to this post, and submit a comment on your nomination for your preferred neutral foundation.

The winner of the Shade Gift Card will be selected at 8 am on Monday, February 8th. The winner gets a $25 Shade Clothing gift card to apply to her Neutral Regala of choice.

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book can include your own color theory and much more.

* Post Script 1: Links to the remainder of the Neutral Ensemble

Dollops of Creme Blouse
Jana Herringbone Trousers
Treasured Trinkets Necklace
Three-Beat Belt

Color Analysis: Warm and Fresh

Veronica Lake


Certainly not frigidly cool nor feverishly warm, the variegated climate of Warm and Fresh has an alloyed charm. These assorted coquettes possesses both warm and cool blossoms in their complexions. Their warm, sunny skin may bear roses (rather than peaches). Or there may be an occasional ashen shimmer alongside the majority of honey highlights in their braids. And the sunburst of colors in their iris may display both warm and cool casts.

Despite the amalgamation, the majority of features still leans warm. But because of the hybridization, this color class can wear perhaps the widest variety of colors. And the colors kindest to these charms are sharp, lively, mid-tone colors. Nothing too deep, too soft, too cool, or too warm.

Hooray	Booh
Flame Red	Deep Crimson Red
Coral/Salmon	Neon Orange
Daffodil Yellow	Electric Yellow
Cobalt Blue	Midnight Navy
Parrot Green	Hunter Green
Pansy Purple	Indigo Violet
Ivory	Bright White

1 hundred 98 cents = your own Color Type fashion look book cheat sheet

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book includes your own color theory rules of conduct and much more.

Color Analysis: Cool and Delicate

Grace Kelly

Somewhere in the middle of the chart, but slightly to the chilled left, is the delicate blend of cool and delicate. Without the extreme disparity of vivid features and alabaster skin, these mildly hued sirens have a low contrast between their softly rosed lips, ashy hued hair, and mildly-toned skin.


Their eyes have the texture of crackled glass, glinting and catching the colors of the sun. And while they may have some warm features, the overall effect is still dominantly cool.

These lambs look best in pastel or sun-drenched colors, anything too intense will overwhelm their subtle color harmony.

Yup	Nope
Lavender	Pumpkin Orange
Dusty Rose	Rusty Wine
Pale Citrus Yellow	Gold Chartreuse
Powder Blue	Warm Beige/Camel
Sage/Mint Green	Olive Green
Blush Pink	Terracotta
Watermelon Red	Black

1 hundred 98 cents = your own Color Type fashion look book cheat sheet

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book includes your own color theory rules of conduct and much more.

Color Analysis: Warm & Rich

Rita Hayworth

Swinging to the warm side of the chart is a population of peaches & cream faces mingling with visages of olive and sunny brown, copper or amber tinged locks, and golden flecked eyes.


Softly swirling borders embrace the pupils of their eyes while erratic flecks glint towards the edges of their irises.

This group blooms in earthy hues while withering in pastels and unadulterated primaries. Warm complexions whose hair and skin create a strong comparison can wear black, but it should be deliberately coupled with appropriately fiery cosmetics.

Uh'Huh	Uh-Uh
Tobacco Brown	Dark/Dove Grey
Green Gold/Mustard	Lemon Yellow
Rust Red	Hot Pink
Teal Blue	Periwinkle/Sky Blue
Wine Purple	Lavender
Warm Beige	Dusty Rose
Olive Green	Navy

1 hundred 98 cents = your own Color Type fashion look book cheat sheet

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book includes your own color theory rules of conduct and much more.

Color Analysis: Cool and Brilliant

Hugging the cool side of the chart is Snow White incarnate, with ethereal, moonlit skin and deep, dark locks (or possibly dark ebony skin and inky black tresses).
A dark ring rims your iris while spokes of glinting color radiate from the pupil.

The intense contrast between your translucent skin and pigment soaked hair and eyes foretells of personal radiance in pure, crisp colors, like those following on the left. Wearing the warm colors in the right forebodes of epidermal infirmity.

Yes Ma'am	No Sir
Bright Emerald	Olive Green
Lemon/Canary Yellow	Mustard
Cherry Red	Brick Red
Schiaparelli Pink/Fuchsia	Apricot
Dark/Dove Grey	Tobacco Brown
Navy	Rusty Orange
Pure White	Camel/Beige

1 hundred 98 cents = your own Color Type fashion look book cheat sheet

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book includes your own color theory rules of conduct and much more.

Color Theory: Warm vs. Cool

Wearing the wrong color can make you ill. Sallow, ashen, and muddy complexions are all signs of color contamination. And the only protection against chromatism allergies is color composition cognizance, specifically, knowledge of the amount of warmth and coolness in your hair, skin, and eyes.

So, as you are now asking, what makes the blue sky cool and the yellow sun warm? I answer, the warm nucleus is embodied by: red, orange, and yellow. The cool core embraces: blue, green, and violet. Additional combinations of these primary and secondary founders births a brood of warm and cool tertiary creations. Your eyes, hair, and skin included. Now follow me down below for a warm and cool dichotomy of your chromatic features.

Cool	Warm
Eyes
Pure, clear blue (light to mid)	Mid to deep blue with golden flecks
Gray Hazel	Golden hazel
Rosy brown to jet black	Golden brown
Bright blue-green	Green with golden flecks
Skin
Rosy (red or blue undertones)	Peachy (yellow or golden undertones)
Green olive	Golden olive
Blue-black or rosy brown	Golden honey brown
Veins (look at the underside of your forearm)
Blueish	Greenish
Hair
Ash, sandy, or platinum blonde	Honey, golden, or strawberry blonde
Violet or bordeaux red	Copper or rust wine red
Ash brown	Golden brown
Salt & pepper gray	Ginger gray
Deep blue black	Warm deep brown/black

If you hugged the left side of the chart, that means something. If you veered far right, that also means something. And if you switched sides like a campaigning politician, or fell in the middle like a dedicated swing group, that means something to.

But I won't tell you what it means until tomorrow.

1 hundred 98 cents = your own Color Type fashion look book cheat sheet

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book includes your own color theory rules of conduct and much more.

The Color Series

This week on Cardigan Empire we will be immersing ourselves in decadent chromasity. The classification of whether your complexion will thrive under periwinkle or indigo, is cardinal (not as in red, but as in vital and fundamental). So enjoy your Labor Day and come back tomorrow for color analysis.

Advanced Mix & Match

Encourage closet multiplication through cross breeding. Cardigan Empire offers you tips on how to expand your ensemble choices by applying multiple prints in a single ensemble. To read on clickety click on over to Shop It To Me.

While you're blog hopping, I am personally inviting you to sign up for your own little Shop it To Me robot who will tell you when you're favorite pretties have gone on sale. You can read more about it here. Make sure to enter your own e-mail at the end of the sign up process.

Once you're inducted, you can send a invitation to 10 of your friends and get a $10 gift certificate to Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, JCrew, Gap, Macy's, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, or Bloomingdales.

Fitting Room Friday: Mix & Match

Happy Boxing Day. In honor of all the new pretties procured during the preceding winter holidays, please partake in the pursuing primer on mixing and matching.

Uniforms have a delightfully useful purpose. Identifying the person who delivers your mail, changes your bed pan, or brings you nourishment. Avoiding confusion between these services with a simple visual identification can only be called crucial. However, some things in life should not be oversimplified. You, for example: a many-tricked pony, incapable of being tamed by a single definition. It is reprehensible for you to wear the same blouse with the same trousers every time you retrieve them from your closet.

Let your wardrobe crossbreed. Have you seen what happens when cousins take a liking to each other? Allow some diversity into your ensembles and breed a prosperous wardrobe. Mixing & matching allows you to have a vast set of outfitting options without requiring an Imelda Marcos wardrobe scope. In essence, mixing and matching is a money saver, dispensing a new outfit rush without draining a dime for the fix. For debt, my lovelies, is never attractive.




Beginning Mix & Matching: Use Color as an Accent
Pair a muted neutral trouser with a vibrant color that suits your complexion. Or take a solid dress and pair it with a dramatically hued shoe. Matching is not a prerequisite. And layering during reduced temperatures is both practical and pretty.



Intermediate Mix & Matching: Yes Paula, Opposites do Attract
A story without conflict is boring. We don't necessarily want an outfit villain, but maybe just an outfit trouble maker. Someone in your ensemble that induces interest. Create some chromatic conflict by pairing one color with it's opposite or complement on the color wheel. Or dramatize a demure solid with a shameless pattern.



Advanced Mix & Matching: Or how not to look like Carmen Miranda
Despite what people who aren't right like me will say, you can weave multiple patterns into a single ensemble. The trick is choosing lead motifs and supporting ornamentation. Prima Donnas are singular. Keep all your patterns in the same color family for further sophistication. The more colors you introduce, the greater chance you have of looking like a chiquita banana advertisement.

Below is an ensemble example of the mix & match principles.

Whirliwig Cowlneck: The draping neckline on this buttery soft, solid peacock knit is prefect for peeking out under a cardigan or jumper. (It also tucks into a skirt beautifully)

Autumn Song Hoodie: Colorful, embroidered buds around your finger keepers give you a wealth of outfitting possibilities.

Level 99 Chloe Rinse: Dark denim goes with everything. They provide proverbial white space in your ensemble art. While extending your leg line far past its normal parameters.

Kenneth Cole Reaction Party Bell-a Mary Jane
They don't match, they go. They're a complimentary color to the green above and they reminisce the embroidered buds on the sweater.


Coupling the high waisted Skythed Lawns Skirts with a tucked-in Whirligig Cowlneck uses the principle of opposite, complementary colors: pairing persian green with poppy pink.

Layering the multi-hued Autumn Song Hoodie over the solid Familiar Places Dress provides yet another outfitting possibility.

1 hundred 98 cents = your own mix & match fashion look book cheat sheet.

Procure your own empire constitution. Your personalized fashion look book includes your own mix and match rules of conduct and much more.