How to find the most flattering colour for you
“Getting your colours done” has long been heralded as the secret to looking great. Indeed, countless women swear that the process has unlocked their confidence and given them a guide to shop and dress by, for ever. But a recent study suggested that a simpler process might work, too. Scientists at the University of St Andrews led experiments which concluded that clothes matching the shade of our eyes would always be the most flattering.
Clearly, it’s a somewhat limiting tactic, but could it be a fast track to choosing complexion-enhancing outfits?
“Over the past 20 years, I have analysed numerous people from all over the world, and many different skin tones and ethnicities,” says Jules Standish, consultant, author and head of colour at the London College of Style. “While I agree that eye colour can have an instant impact when wearing certain colours, I do believe that the overall appearance must be taken into consideration to create the most flattering and harmonious effect for every individual.”
The colour analysis methods offered by experts such as Standish take into account a nuanced variety of factors (such as skin tone, hair and personality), deploying swatchbooks with endless shade variations to come up with a “summer”, “autumn”, “winter” or “spring” palette prescription.
Working with Standish, we enlisted six women with varying complexions to try both the simple eye shade and colour analysis approaches, luring devotees of black clothes away from their favourite shade and convincing others to try daring but surprisingly uplifting tones of magenta, pumpkin and lime.
These were the results…
Spring
Lisa Armstrong, The Telegraph’s head of fashion
Colour theory
A.P.C. Cotton jumper, ￡242, Matches Fashion
Eye science
Satin shirt, ￡39.50, Marks & Spencer
Colour analysis has come a long way since I first tried it out in my 20s. Back then it was didactic: since black wasn’t in my spectrum it was absolutely verboten, which was unhelpful if most of your wardrobe happened to be, say, black (which mine, and almost everyone else’s, was at the time).
Jules is far more realistic. One of her mantras is that anything goes below the waist provided you wear the right colours close to your face. She also showed me how to pimp khaki (not in my palette) by mixing it with cream and a specific fawn-beige. I discovered French navy (soft and bluer) is more youthful on me than a dark navy that has lots of black in it. “The aim,” Jules says, “is to make the whites of your eyes look whiter, even out your skin tones and bring out the colour of your hair”.
I have blue eyes and yellowy skin. That much I knew. I didn’t realise my eyes can also look green, depending on whether I match them with green or blue clothes, and that I have peachy undertones, so if I wear foundation it should be peach-based. Red lipsticks and clothes are great for me (knew that) but they need to be warm reds, not cool.
The right shade of orange and yellow are both in my palette – who knew? The people who complimented me when I occasionally wore them, I guess. I didn’t love the spring greens Jules picked out for me. They looked sickly and unsophisticated. I prefer bottle green – but she’s right, the “sickly” spring green made my eyes and skin come alive.
Standish says:
Lisa’s blue eyes have some yellow in their colouring, which makes them appear green. The eye experiment did not cover ‘green eyes’ specifically, but suggested that green and blue were cool colours. Lisa’s colour theory revealed she has a warm golden undertone and a complexion that can “blush”.
She has the spring palette to guide her into the bright, clear shades of coral pink, tangerine, lime green, sunflower yellow and vivid red – with ivory, camel, warm grey and navy being her best neutrals. Her complexion looks wonderfully smooth and glowing in her spring colours, along with vibrant coral lipstick to complete the look.
Spring
Annabel Jones, The Telegraph’s beauty editor at large
Colour theory
Wool jumper, ￡109, Whistles; Gold plated earrings, ￡290, YSSO
Eye science
Silk satin shirt, ￡290, Cefinn
I had my colours done once in the 2000s and I wasn’t impressed. The consultant took one look at my green eyes and determined that army green was the perfect colour for me – job done. Ask me and I’d have said that shade drains the colour from my face and makes my eyes disappear into the background. From then on I’ve stuck with neutrals: white, navy and black with the odd pop of chambray blue and, on occasion, pink.
When Jules arrived to colour match me, I was expecting her to be, as my previous consultant was, in camp green, the colour of my eyes. I’m pale and my skin has yellow undertones so Jules suggested I suit warm colours, not cool – and agreed that army green wasn’t a good fit for me. She suggested a punchy aquamarine instead, which didn’t tick my usual box, but I was open to the suggestion of brightening up. Jules’s theory, I was glad to discover, was more in-depth than matching my eyes to my jumper. She labels people not just by their eye colour but the undertone of their complexion and their personality.
Bearing in mind all of the above, Jules plotted me in the spring spectrum of warm and vibrant colours. When it came to red and pink, she held a peachy pink against my complexion, letting out a reassuring “oooh” as she did so. If I wear red, she advised I should steer away from dark plums and cool reds, which will wash me out, and choose a warm, tomato red instead.
For the photo shoot, Jules suggested I wear a lime green top which didn’t feel quite right. We settled on a rich blue silky shirt from Cefinn, which aligned somewhat with the eye-colour theory, yet also suited my complexion. It wasn’t far off my usual navy so I felt good wearing it.
For my other option, I was presented with a Whistles jumper in “hot coral” which Jules said is the type of pink that suits me best, not the Barbie pink I’d been wearing occasionally. I agreed and added it to my birthday list later that day.
Standish says:
Annabel has blue eyes with a sprinkling of yellow, which gives them their green colouring. Even though her complexion and hair are fair, her genetics belong to the spring palette, as Annabel’s colour theory showed she has a warm yellow-golden-based skin tone.
With the eye science suggesting light eyes correlate with wearing cool greens and blues, her best shades are in fact the vivid, warm shades of these. It is bright turquoise green that particularly flatters her complexion, lighting it up, while making her eyes sparkle. Annabel’s personality suggests that her comfort zone lies between her neutrals and vibrant colours, favouring this bright shade of navy, along with her spring hot coral pink.
Summer
Laura Hinton, PR specialist
Colour theory
Gabriela Hearst Silk dress, ￡2,580, Selfridges;Recycled silver plated necklace, ￡34.99, Pilgrim
Eye science
Wool blend cardigan, ￡135, Jigsaw; Silver earrings, ￡50, Tilly Sveaas
As founder of my own beauty PR agency, the pressure to look the part is always prevalent. My time with Jules was eye-opening, talking about what actually suits my skin, eyes and hair. I’ve always felt an enormous pressure to stick to “appropriate” business colours, but Jules helped me to embrace the shades I actually love on myself.
Deeper tones and the narrow selection of conservative workwear shades never quite clicked with me, and now I understand why. I’ve now accepted that pastels, sorbets and blues are the key to making me look better and feel more confident.
For me, the game changer was the conversations with Jules and how she factors in your personality, too. I love my job and it’s all about helping others shine. Jules even factored this into the palette selection which made it feel really tailored.
The whole process felt empowering, and now I’m armed with the tools to dress for myself, feeling confident, and not just following stereotypical expectations. I loved both the sugary pink and pale blue colours chosen for me, and genuinely will wear them in the future. But if I had to choose a favourite it would be the blue, as it feels so easy to wear, whatever the occasion.
Standish says:
Laura’s eye and colour theory are a match. With a cool undertone and pale complexion, light blue eyes and ash-toned hair, the best blues to make her eyes stand out are from her summer palette in shades of cornflower and periwinkle.
Wearing her cool, soft and delicate colours ensure that her complexion always looks healthy and youthful, and the whites of her eyes appear clearest in these. They automatically make her eye colour “pop”. She is best suited to clothes in pastel shades of cool blues, rose pinks, lilac and mauve, along with mint green and sorbet yellow, with her neutrals being off-white, dove grey and muted navy.
Autumn
Alexandra Zagalsky, fashion and luxury editor and consultant
Colour theory
Joseph Cashmere jumper, ￡475, Matches; Gold vermeil earrings, ￡175 and chain, ￡80, Otiumberg
Eye science
Velvet blazer,￡375, Soeur
Black and dark grey take up almost three-quarters of my wardrobe, as I’ve always considered them chic and understated. Never did I imagine these tones might be sapping warmth and glow from my complexion until Jules encouraged me to try chocolatey brown and khaki instead. The black fabric she held up to my skin definitely accentuated my dark circles and marionette lines, while the brown and green tones had an instant illuminating effect.
It’s not exactly like finding fashion’s answer to a fountain of youth, but I was swayed enough to shop from Jules’s colour chart: last week I bought a khaki suedette dress and two mocha knits from Zara. I changed my lip colour from bright berry to deep terracotta, and I think it’s made a difference. A friend even asked me if I’d been on holiday without my kids, which is basically the gold standard of parent-to-parent praises, meaning I looked relaxed, put together, youthful and stylish. I hadn’t even brushed my hair!
Jules also recommended pumpkin and burnt orange, so I’m wearing a gorgeous cashmere knit from Joseph in a deep Cointreau shade. Although I love the tone and fit of the sweater, I’m wary of investing in this fiery autumnal hue as it’s so “statement”. Having said that, I wouldn’t say no to an Hermès stole in this classic house colour.
Standish says:
Alexandra’s eye and colour theory are a match. She has hazel brown eyes, with flecks of orange that marry with the genetics of her warm undertone. Her complexion tans to a deep golden colour and has a “metallic” sheen to it, and her hair colour is a rich brunette with copper highlights.
The overall harmony in her appearance is enhanced by the rich, earthy and muted autumn palette, and in line with the eye science, all the warm shades of brown look particularly attractive on her, along with brick red and burnt orange. Alexandra’s other flattering colourful shades are khaki green, terracotta, pumpkin, mustard yellow and teal blue, along with cream and marine navy.
Winter
Noreen Goodwin, model and philanthropist
Colour theory
Velvet dress, ￡250, Jigsaw
Eye science
Blazer, ￡200, Vivere; Wool jumper, ￡120, Plumo
I think we all get stuck in a rut with colours that we’re used to, but I’ve never thought about eye colour with regard to clothes. People don’t really notice it unless they’re very close to you. You see a broader image of somebody, the skin colour and hair colour.
I love all shades of green and brought a lime silk blouse to the shoot, but Jules said I was better with a forest green. Jules put my lime blouse on Lisa instead – on me it looked OK, but on her it looked amazing. I loved the dress I wore on the shoot – the red lipstick made it pop even more.
When Jules put me in the saffron yellow and brown, the colours suggested by the new eye science research, I just looked washed out. If you don’t feel nice in colours, you don’t feel nice in yourself.
For me, no shades are off-limits. If something is in fashion, I know I can wear it with a pair of shoes and they won’t make me look like a corpse. But I’ve realised that if I buy clothes which really are my colour, then I can invest in timeless pieces and know that they will always suit me and I may get more use out of them.
Standish says:
Noreen’s colouring suits wearing black better than brown. While the eye science mentioned brown eyes equating to warm-coloured clothing, Noreen has a blue-based olive skin tone, with very dark brown eyes and black hair. She looks wonderful in the dramatic winter palette, so her overall colour theory is in fact cool.
She radiates in the intensity of the sophisticated shades of plum and burgundy, and looks fabulously chic in navy blue and charcoal grey. We put Noreen in a warm brown and deep golden yellow, but she was visibly drained by them. This emerald makes her complexion appear velvet-like and her deep brown eyes stand out. Noreen’s blue-based strong red lipstick complements the green of her dress beautifully.
Winter
Ateh Jewel, beauty editor and brand founder
Colour theory
Wool jumper, ￡99, Jigsaw; Bespoke headband, Roseings London
Eye science
Extra fine merino jumper, ￡29.90, Uniqlo
I love wearing colour. Cooler-toned vibrant pinks, purples and brights make me feel empowered, confident and happy. I’m a real convert to dopamine dressing. It was great to meet Jules and understand more deeply that personality and your emotional response to colour and how you wear it is so important.
If you can believe it, I used to only wear black until the pandemic. It was like an armour to me, and a way to tone myself down. But during lockdown, I thought if all bets are off and if it’s the end of the world, there’s no time to hide any more – if you go out, go out swinging! It’s an attitude I’ve continued ever since.
The impact colour has on my mood and confidence is incredible. I immediately felt slinky and extra in the purple jumper and my pink crown. I felt like my volume had been turned up. As soon as I put on the jumper based on my eye colour, I felt very “meh” – my eye roll was caught on camera! Colour therapy is not only a science but definitely an art and deeply emotional.
I think scientists don’t take into account the huge nuances, personality and skin tones when it comes to colour that only an expert like Jules understands. This was a great experience and has just inspired me to go for it even more, with my beauty products as well as my wardrobe!
Standish says:
Ateh’s colour theory is cool. She has a blue-based skin tone, and she wows in the dynamic shades of the winter palette. The jewel-toned ruby reds and sapphire blues – along with the coolest, strongest magentas, fuchsia pinks and ultraviolet purples – make her dazzle.
Ateh can wear black, white and navy blue as her neutrals, but having morphed out of the black zone a few years ago, she is enjoying expressing herself in the bold colour zone of her winter season. Unlike the eye science suggestion that brown eyes correlate with warm brown clothing, this doesn’t suit her colouring or personality.
For more information on Jules’s services, visit colourconsultancy.co.uk
