by Johanna Järvinen (Finland)
We all have our own perspective on colour, and certainly on our own colour palette. I’m going to start with just mentioning my own colour journey, so that you’ll be better able to understand my reaction to finding my correct palette. Initially, I guessed myself to be a Spring in the 4 Season system, but subsequently I was misanalysed a Summer several times, and wasn’t yet savvy enough to know it wasn’t right. It wasn’t until much later, when I trained with Christine Scaman, that I found my true palette of Bright Spring. Therefore, my personal journey went from warmer colours to cooler colours and, finally, back to warmer and also brighter colours than I had ever expected.
1. I look alive!
After years of looking faded and believing it was somehow my own fault (ouch!), I finally look like I’m actually present and awake. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. After Covid, I’ve never really got back to wearing a full face of makeup, so I also love that I don’t need a lot of makeup when the colours are right. A brighter orange-red lip will go a long way towards bringing colour to my face and a sparkle to my eyes. (This also helps with the sensitivities my eyes have developed – less eye makeup, more lip colour works OK, except onscreen).
2. I love neutrals but couldn’t live without colour.
No-one needs to wear either colour only or neutrals only, but if I had to pick – I’d choose colour. Bright Spring is a bit low on (findable) neutrals, but abundant in a riot of colours. At first, this terrified me, but now I’m totally OK with it now. Colourful trousers? No problem.
This is also true about decorating my home which might be described as “interesting” by Scandinavian standards. To be honest, I’m not much of a decorator anyway, so the mix’n’match of colours is mostly accidental, but still, it’s definitely not all neutrals.
3. I love the brightness of my palette
Like many clients who find out they’ve been wearing too-muted colours, initially, I felt a bit, well, loud in my colours. I have since discovered that this is due to nothing but habit – if you, like so many of us, are used to wearing very muted colours (they are very plentiful in the shops here in Finland), the change into something brighter feels almost obscene, but the good news is that you get used to wearing brighter colour. After a while you really don’t notice. It’s just normal clothes. And when it comes to “what will people think!”, well…if they have any sense, they’ll see that it works. And if not, who cares.
I have heard some comments that clients are afraid of not being taken seriously, and, of course, that can be a concern at the workplace. Still… I’d say: don’t use that as an excuse not to wear your colours. There are neutrals, and light and dark colours that can be combined for a more conservative look. Obviously, the style of the garment(s) also matters tremendously. A more colourful suit should be OK for most offices.
That said, I have also learned that one can go too far with brightness. Neon colours (very findable in athletic wear in what would be Bright Spring colours if it weren’t for the neon particles) do bad things to my face.
4. My favourite colours
Everybody has their favourite colours in their palette. My personal favourites are aquas and greens and Bright Spring versions of white and gold (a shout-out to other magpies, you know who you are!) I must also mention the joy of wearing orange after all those years of “being a summer”. This “permission” to wear colour is really a thing. Many people feel as if they have that permission after a Personal Colour Analysis. It’s wonderful, of course, to find out that you are flattered by colours you never even imagined wearing. But it’s also a little sad that we feel timid about wearing something colourful unless an expert tells us it’s OK, isn’t it?
5. Fun!
Bright Spring is a lot of fun to wear. It is said that Springs like to have fun. I’m not sure how far I subscribe to the connection between colour Season and personality, but I can agree with this one. Life is hard enough, why not have some fun with colour!
Finally, nobody asked me to mention a not-so-favourite thing about Bright Spring but here it goes: it’s hard to find my colours. Without knowing what to look for, I’d never just happen on these colours in the shops, so knowledge is definitely power, but still… it’s not easy. Manufacturers, please make more bright colours, and Spring colours in general!
This is just the beginning
This is part 1 of the series in which our analysts are going to share what they have grown to cherish and value about their own Season. Stay in touch and look out for other instalments of 5 Things I Love About…
We also recommend looking at another insightful post from Johanna about colour and ageing:
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