Style Buzz: Acting Differently + Color Analysis + Styling a Purple Blouse
- Eugene Stylist
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Three Ideas to Inspire Your Style This Week
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"If I dress differently,
will I have to act differently?"
A sweet lady asked me this recently and my initial reaction was to say, "NO! Of course not. You'll still be completely yourself!" But I had another think about it, and perhaps that's not quite true. Perhaps dressing differently will actively encourage her to tell even more of her story. We're all multi-faceted creatures and our style can and should reflect that. Dressing differently and more authentically might allow you to act in a way that lets you bring out a side of yourself you've never shown before.
xxx rachel
COLOR AND STYLE
I had coffee recently with a lovely lady named Bernie Burson, a color and image consultant. While talking about clients and style, she mentioned that one of her clients has a dress in burgundy that really isn't her best color but she gets a lot of compliments when wearing it.
There's a resurgence of interest in color analysis, and happily it's come a long way from the experience I had with Color Me Beautiful as a teen. I remember "getting my colors done" and learning that I was a Winter. The assessment was based off the fact that I could wear black, white, and red, so I trusted the expert and went about my merry way. However, as the years went on, I found my closet to be slowly acquiring more cream than white, more navy and brown than black, and more pink than red. All this made sense when Bernie set me straight: I'm a Spring, which is a very different palette than a Winter!
Bernie's services are entirely customized to the client, which means she didn't just drape me in generic rainbows and make a pronouncement. She drew from many pallets and my own coloring to come up with this fan deck of colors that are complementary to me. The hues from the deep reds to the light browns are the actual tones in my blush, lips, skin, eyes, teeth, and hair. She spent a lot of time comparing varying shades to find the right colors that will make me glow and bring out my features rather than making me look grey, and to the surprise of both of us, black is still in the mix!
So what about Bernie's client in the burgundy dress? Were people complimenting the color and not paying attention to how it looked on her, or was it perhaps she was trying a style that was out of her norm and they just wanted to say something nice? We will never know! There is nothing to stop you from wearing colors outside of your palette but once you have the awareness, it can help guide you toward the pieces that will enhance your look. And because of my new knowledge, I was inspired to buy a dress in a deep crabapple red because I'm now very confident it will suit me. What a powerful tool to help me feel good when I'm wearing something out of my comfort zone.
I highly recommend Bernie's services and if you're even at all intrigued, give her a call.
You'll learn so much about yourself and how to elevate your style.
Bernie Burson
3 WAYS TO WEAR IT: Purple Silk Blouse
I'm diverting from my own wardrobe for a moment to show one of my favorite Shop Your Closet sessions. The client was a dear friend who usually lives in scrubs but loved buying pretty items that she had no idea how to style. One challenge was a deep purple silk tank, which she had actually never worn! I showed her how to pair it with neutrals and colors, turning it from a style dream into a staple of her wardrobe.
The color really pops against the neutral taupe trousers and heels, creating a long, sophisticated and understated outfit. | The same trousers play a supporting role when paired with a bright orange belt over the untucked shirt and salmon-colored sandals. | She was surprised the purple and red played nicely together, but it's all because of the neutral belt separating them, tied in with the tonal peep toes. |
Comments