The Antidote to Hyper-Consumerism
SO IT SEEMS like as a personal stylist specialising in colour analysis, I’m encouraging people to over-consume. As getting your ‘colours done’ does invariably involve a wardrobe and make-up overhaul. But a few things… ultimately it will mean that you will consume less.
I usually advise clients to start mindfully and intentionally with clothing purchases and to replace items as they wear out, rather than throw everything out and start from scratch all at once. (It’s the reason I still have a few clothes which aren’t in my Spring season palette).
There’s also an argument for when you are shopping intentionally, i.e. looking for a blouse in a certain violet, or a pair of trousers in a certain shade of navy, then vintage and second-hand shopping is super-relevant too. This week I bought the beautiful creamy glass necklace I’m wearing in this picture for £8 from my local vintage store - I’d been looking for something like this for months, and I know I will keep it for many years.
Mindful vintage shopping when you know your colour season
But also when you have developed a wardrobe that all goes seamlessly together and you’ve made mindful, considered purchases, such as basics in your key neutrals, and you use your season colours to build around those essentials, you will have a complete wardrobe you are so happy with, that there will be no need to fall for all those manipulative magazine headlines or adverts telling you you need a burgundy bag this year, or that a little black dress is universally chic, or this ‘must-have’ seasonal buy or that ‘you can’t do without’ accessory. You’ll be far too busy dressing in a way that suits you to care.
I had a lovely client recently - who was just about to go off to university. I was incredibly impressed that someone as young as her already realised that if she knew her best colour season now, she would never end up wasting so much time, and easily thousands of pounds across a number of years, wearing the wrong colours, that never feel quite right. She also wanted to be able to make some investment pieces - coats and suits - that she could wear for years to come. Thinking back, I would have loved to have had my colours done at such a young age, to have known my season from the get-go, and saved myself so much trouble over the years. I love this generation Z, they’re so wise!