The ‘80s are Calling; They Want to Know Your Season

Time and time again, we learn the lesson that history repeats itself. In the fashion and beauty industry, this is a proverb. 

Aesthetic trends have continuously cycled back around into popularity, such as the huge boom of ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s-inspired fashion over the past couple of years. To many’s demise, even the dresses over jeans and double tank tops of the 2010s are returning. 

Social media has only accelerated the recycling of old fashion and beauty trends. One such trend that’s re-emerged, likely cultivated by the recent fascination with color theory videos on TikTok, is seasonal color analysis.

Seasonal color analysis is often used by the fashion and cosmetic industries to determine colors that best suit someone’s complexion. The analysis aims to define colors that brighten or smooth one’s features while hiding “flaws” like wrinkles or uneven skin tone. 

Color analysis’s roots are based on color theory, the guidance and science behind color mixing and the expected outcomes. In the case of color analysis, this is most helpful in knowing what colors may help to “cancel” or bring out other colors.  

Color analysis aligns skin overtones and undertones with pre-existing color seasons. 

Color seasons are colors grouped by their hues that “evoke a season.” For example, winter includes more dark, cool-toned colors, and spring more light, warm-toned colors. 

Cosmetologists and fashion designers like Bernice Kenter, Suzanne Caygill, and Carole Jackson pioneered and popularized the seasonal color analysis trend throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. 

Carole Jackson’s book, “Color Me Beautiful,” was incredibly sensational then. 

Although mainly only light skin was considered for the seasonal creations, this trend steered many women’s fashion and beauty choices throughout the decade. 

However, just as quickly as it came, the trend was washed over by the new fads of the ‘90s, only to be seldom seen as a page filler for beauty magazines. 

Today, seasonal color analysis is back as an expansive trend, mainly repopularized by Asian countries such as Korea. 

A client tests a warm and cool green against her skin tone. Photo courtesy of Adored Color (@adoredcolor) on Instagram.

However, it has quickly spread worldwide. On TikTok, the #ColorAnalysis hashtag has reached over 1.1 billion views, with the popular DIY color season filter “Armocromia” used in over 515,500 videos. 

With this uptick in popularity, many color analysis content creators and businesses have emerged to help guide the masses toward the color palette that will make them pop.

Angie Xue, owner of Adored Color and Adored Ink, has been helping analyze people’s color season since July, after taking a class in Korea. 

Xue explained that on her Korean trip, she wanted to get her color analysis done, however everything was booked. 

Instead, she got an appointment for a class and realized it aligned with her work as a tattoo artist. 

“It’s important to understand color theory very well when you’re doing colored tattoos,” she said. “So it just made sense to expand the business.”

Xue explained that Korean color analysis uses a different system than other Asian color analysis in that it essentially looks for colors that make the complexion look more pale, in alignment with the beauty culture and standards there.  

“Obviously, that isn’t right for America,” Xue said. “So here we’ve included the Japanese Practical Color Coordinate System (PCCS) to help find the color that makes people look most lively.”

The PCCS chart shows how much white, black or gray a person’s complexion is able to handle. For example, how many hues of blue will look good with your skin tone. 

Xue further explained that the original four-color seasons that were popular in the ‘80s and still popular in Western color analysis don’t allow for enough variation in overtone and undertone. 

“It basically puts so many colors into four categories, and says that’s your season,” Xue said. 

“Really there’s so much variation in color like light, dark, and bright, and most people can’t handle the drastic change from light to dark colors.” 

Therefore, a 12-season color analysis scale has become more common in modern day. 

Color analysis includes a range of categorized shades and hues. Image courtesy of Adored Color (@adoredcolor) on Instagram.

This allows for each season to have 3 categories of the same colors but different hues. So someone could be either a light summer, cool summer or soft summer, depending on which hues look best on their skin.

Cait Johnson, 24, first came across color seasons through  YouTube. 

“It was on my recommendations after watching some fashion videos and I came across a channel called Color Analysis Studio,” Johnson said. 

“I loved how Alessandra and Giulia explained every step and it made me so excited…I basically binge-watched all their videos.”

Johnson explained they never had a good “eye” for the color or tones of their skin and found themself always wearing black. 

“Even when I wore what felt safe, I feel like I couldn’t see me through the color,” Johnson said. “I needed color analysis to find the colors that didn’t dull me down or overpower me.”

“Most people are looking at the cuts of clothes when buying rather than color,” Xue said.

“I would say, like, 85 percent of people don’t look good in black.”

Adored Color’s analysis offers two-hour sessions that go through four key steps. 

First, they do a sit-down presentation of what color analysis is and what the client will be looking at and for. 

Then, they determine a client’s skin tone by utilizing a spectrum meter, used to determine overtone, and then gold and silver cloth to determine undertone. 

Second is making an inference as to what colors and hues will look best, usually starting with two shades of green: one offering a more yellow undertone and the other blue. 

“When we get to that, we’re basically trying to confirm whether their undertone is warm or cool,” Xue said. “Color analysis is just a process of elimination where you come up with a theory and keep trying to prove it.”

Third is draping the different seasonal colors to determine what season the client is in and where they lie on the PCCS chart of hues. 

The client’s three best and worst colors are determined. Collars and patterns are also analyzed to help with personal style. 

A makeup analysis showcasing the right color season and needed adjustments to current products ends the session. 

Clients also receive a PowerPoint with all the information and suggestions covered in the session.

A client receives a personal consultation at Adored Color. Photo courtesy of Adored Color (@adoredcolor) on Instagram.

Johnson was analyzed virtually by Color Analysis Studio, which included a full PDF, color palette, and suggestions on how to use or implement the palette. 

Johnson admitted to being skeptical at first, but after viewing the details of the consultation in the video, they thought it was money well spent.

“I am a True Summer, which means I have a low-medium intensity with a cool undertone…dusty, muted cool tones look best on me,” they said. 

Johnson explained that for them, color seasons drew them in for the same reason it makes many people run from it, a formula: “I needed a palette that said these will be great no matter what; don’t think.”

They said, “It’s not for everyone. A lot of people think it stifles creativity, but I’m more attracted to practically, and the colors in my season have definitely helped me venture out.”

Johnson now implements their color season when buying new clothes and styling what’s already in their closet. 

“I hadn’t worn pink since middle school, probably, but I pulled out my palette in-store and bought a dusty pink shirt that’s lovely on me,” they said.

“At the end of the day, people want to look their best and feel their best,” said Xue. “Color analysis is nothing new; it’s just something people are taking more seriously because it does help them feel more confident, put together, and dominant in a room.”