A bit of history. Since time immemorial, people have concerned themselves with their appearance and how to present themselves stylishly. What this looked like naturally differed per culture and time period. In the Middle Ages, for example, it was customary to show your status through your clothing. Wealthy individuals wore suits and dresses of luxurious fabrics such as velvet and silk with detailed embellishments. The average citizen wore simple but practical garments.
Colour Theory
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Swiss painter Johannes Itten designed the colour wheel. On the colour wheel you can see how colours blend into each other, but also which ones clash. A distinction is also made between primary and secondary colours. The primary colours are red, yellow and blue. When you mix these colours, the secondary colours are created: green, orange and purple. Technically, black and white are not colours, which is why they don't appear on the colour wheel. Black can intensify a colour, while white softens it.
What exactly are colour types?
Building on Johannes Itten's colour wheel, the colour types were developed by the Fashion Academy in California. This way of analysing colours started to become increasingly popular in the Netherlands in the 1980s. Colour types are based on the natural shades present in your hair, eyes and skin. With a little imagination, you'll see that these correspond to the colours we see in nature. That's precisely why the colour types are based on the four seasons: autumn, winter, spring and summer. Using a number of characteristics, you can determine which type you are.
How to recognise the Autumn type?
You have a light to beige-ish skin, sometimes also with freckles. You probably have warm green or brown eyes. Your hair colour is usually red, chestnut brown or another warm shade of brown.
The colours that suit you best are:
– Warm
– Dark (medium dark to dark)
– Muted
Men with an autumn type should make sure they don't wear too many light or bright colours in an outfit, as this makes you look very washed out. The colours that suit you best are: warm earth tones, mahogany, golden yellow, maize yellow, warm green, petrol, olive green, moss green, avocado, rust brown, muted orange, cognac, peach, khaki, apricot, terracotta, burgundy, warm grey, mustard, salmon, turquoise, coral and warm white.
How to recognise the winter type?
The winter type often has a rosy to dark brown skin with a bluish undertone; your veins probably also have a bluish colour. The colour of your eyes is usually dark brown, green, greyish-green or greyish-blue. You usually have dark hair ranging from dark brown to black, or white, grey to cool dark brown in colour.
The colours that suit you best are:
– Cool
– Bright
– Dark
Men with a winter type have a powerful and striking appearance. It's important to choose colours with a cool undertone; warm colours such as ochre yellow, olive green or orange can make your skin look yellowish. The winter type is, however, the only type that can wear white beautifully. For example, a white jumper with dark-coloured trousers. Colours that suit a winter type well are: black, anthracite grey, bright shades of blue, bright shades of pink, teal, petrol, lilac and purple, shades of grey, taupe, chocolate brown and white.
How to recognise the spring type?
The spring type often has a warm, light skin with a yellow or ivory-coloured undertone; spring types often also have freckles. The colour of your eyes is blue, greyish-blue or green, and the colour of your hair is probably blond or dark blond. Often with a golden undertone.
The colours that suit you best are:
– Warm
– Bright (accent colours in tie, glasses, collar or scarf)
– Light (light to medium dark)
Men with a spring type have a fresh, energetic and youthful appearance. The colours that suit the spring type well are: warm shades of brown, yellow, green, salmon pink, turquoise, coral, warm white, ochre yellow, orange, bright pastel shades, bright green, gold/yellow and tomato red.
How to identify the summer type?
You have a cool, porcelain-like skin tone with a reddish undertone; these are also the types that can burn quite badly in summer. The colour of your eyes is usually (light) blue, greyish-green or light brown. You probably have a cool hair shade such as ash blond, or light brown.
The colours that suit you best are:
– Cool
– Muted
– Not too dark
Men with a summer type have a calm and gentle appearance; you come across as elegant and friendly. The colours that suit the summer type well are: shades of blue, shades of green, greys, off-white, chocolate brown, taupe, pink, mint green and light shades of purple.
