Color is important and Inauguration Day 2021 illustrated in living color how effective it can be to convey a clear and dramatic message. It was a gorgeous color-soaked event. What a thrill it was to see beautiful, accomplished women of many complexions radiating by wearing COLOR. Watching the coverage was like staring in awe at a masterpiece painting. As it played out it seemed as if the individual elements were all in perfect balance with each other.
Early in the morning on Inauguration Day I posted a definition of harmony on social media not knowing that I would soon be seeing it unfold in front of my eyes. Harmony is defined as an orderly and pleasing combination of parts creating a consistent and more pleasing “whole”. I specialize in personal color harmony but know that the same concepts that bring a person in harmony with what they wear are also desirable in creating harmony in all aspects of our lives. When each of us shines in our own unique way, the whole actually unifies and becomes better, enhancing the individual and the whole at the same time.
Each of the key female figures at the Inauguration looked stunning in their color and style choice. The monochromatic scheme was dramatic and effective. The clothing and color suited their roles and reflected their unique personality styles. This brought a balanced and unified look to the “whole”.
Jill Biden’s teal blue suit balanced her lighter, softer coloring and personality. It felt right for her role as the new First Lady. The more muted blue stood in subtle balanced contrast to Kamala Harris’s rich jewel tone blue. This color reflected the strength of Kamala’s personality. She brought additional meaning to her style by continuing the tradition of wearing her signature pearls. This is a ritual for honoring the pioneers who established her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, for women of color.
The President's granddaughters, Finnegan and Natalie Biden chose a soft salmon and a light pink. For women with softer or lighter coloring, a choice in those colors will actually empower them. A bold color would not have enhanced their looks. It would have overpowered them. Both women were able to stand out without wearing strong colors. Michelle Obama was understated but radiant in her deep elegant red. It was a very appropriate choice for a former first lady and a woman with deep tones in her hair, eyes and skin. She appeared to be a calming mentor who showed up without overshadowing “the others” or fading into the background.
The shining star was the exceptionally radiant Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman! Her powerful delivery was perfectly balanced with the bright bold yellow and contrasting red in her outfit. Her stylish overcoat and signature head band added to her shiny accessories and it was impossible to ignore her presence in any way. Our eyes were drawn to look at her while our ears hungered to hear her words. She orchestrated a perfectly choreographed appearance and performance with the polish of an art director. She was her own true masterpiece.
Each of these women illustrated how wearing color and styles with confidence and honoring yourself in your role not only allows you to stand out but creates a pleasing ensemble.
Could we be entering an era where we celebrate, elevate, and honor the power of color? Maybe the world is ready to embrace our individuality and create a more unified, complementary and harmonious “whole”. I can’t wait.
Kerry Jones, Personal Color Analyst
indigotones.com | @indigotones
photo credit: @thehomeedit
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It’s a treat to introduce you to this month's colorful lives feature, Soft Autumn Tim Stich who is also my son!! Tim’s experience with shopping for clothing and wearing color is unique as I become a color analyst when he was quite young. When he and his sister Clare were little, I tried dressing them in bright colors with strong patterns as was the style then.....but even before learning about personal color harmony, I started to sense that the clothes overwhelmed them and began dressing them in softer colors and solids. I was even shocked the other day to discover when I pulled out his school photos that every single photo (even before I learned of his color palette) was taken in a Soft Autumn color. You can see how his life has evolved wearing the soft, earthy colors that suit his ruddy hair, freckles and soft blue/green eyes.
Over the years, he has mostly been very eager to wear what suits him and looked to me to help him distinguish soft autumn colors from the two seasons nearby - warm autumn and soft summer. We enjoy shopping together, especially now that he lives in Manhattan and the shopping is abundant. It can be a challenge to find his colors in sizes and style that fit but when its perfect, it feels great and he knows it. Read on to learn more about what it’s like to be a guy whose mom is a color consultant!
I am so excited to introduce you the “entertainingly irreverent” (Associated Press) Soft Summer, Valerie Peterson. Valerie is an extraordinary storyteller in a variety of media including scriptwriting, screenplays, fiction, non-fiction and book publishing/consulting. I analyzed her colors years ago in Rhode Island at a girls weekend hosted by a mutual friend (color analysis and girls weekends make a great combo!). In the years since, Valerie has embraced her Soft Summer colors in spite of living and working in New York City where black is a standard and practical.
It was a thrill when her publisher chose a photo of my family for her wonderfully spirited book, Peterson’s Happy Hour. On page 46, you can find me with my family - brothers, Mike and Tim and my parents Marcia and J. Michael Jones circa 1970. The book features many more photographic gems and recipes for a fabulous social gathering!
In this month’s colorful lives blog, Valerie shares her journey with her color palette. As with all her writing projects, she is humorous, colorful and entertaining! She has kept in great condition and still uses the Sci Art swatch book that I provided back in those days!! Be sure to check out her large body of work on valeriepeterson.net and read more in the blog:
While doing color analysis in Boston in June, I had the pleasure of meeting Danielle Burton and giving her a 12-Season Color Analysis. Danielle had recently experienced a 4-Season Color Analysis with a House of Colour consultant and was told she was a Winter. I was skeptical that she was any type of Winter (in the 12 season system, there are actually 3 Winters - Dark Winter, Cool Winter and Bright Winter). Her light eyes, natural lighter and soft brownish hair and skin tone were much more consistent with my clients who fall into the lighter seasons, especially Summer.
Since her hair had been highlighted, we covered it with a neutral gray cap to do the testing portion of the analysis, ensuring that the lighter color did not sway the results of the analysis. It was clear from the beginning that Danielle was responding more harmoniously to the cool tones even some of the lighter cool winter drapes which was consistent with her 4 season color analysis.
But, while she contrasted with any drapes that were dark and bright, she was softened and balanced by the lighter cool tones, particularly Summer. The dark colors brought out shadows under her eyes and the brighter colors overwhelmed her and brought attention to themselves. In the end, she looked lovely and perfectly balanced and harmonious in the Cool Summer colors!
"While I had a great experience at House of Colour, I do think they are missing out on a ton of research and color science by not including the 12 seasons and variants. The added layer of cool vs bright vs dark was a huge difference for me and really solidified which category I best fit”.
Enjoy reading more about Danielle’s experience with both systems and her reaction to her diagnosis as a Cool Summer:
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