“Buy less, choose well and make it last”: wise words from fashion icon Vivienne Westwood and ones that are touted in the quest for a sustainable wardrobe. But, in my experience, the theory doesn’t always match up to the reality. How can you buy less when you’re not really sure what to buy? And how do you know what suits you and what will stand the test of time? Well this is where a personal colour consultation comes into its own.
I’ve spent several decades in the fashion industry, initially as a buyer and now as a sustainable fashion blogger. Yet there are still days when I struggle to choose well when it comes to my clothes. One area I find particularly difficult is colour. I am so easily swayed by the colour of the moment. Time and again the items that fester in the bottom of my wardrobe are those I bought because they were the season’s must have. That neon pink vest looked great when I bought it, but now just leaves me looking washed out.
Personal colour consultations are designed to help with this type of conundrum. So, I plucked up the courage to invite Essie, from Essie Walker Studios, to see if she could solve my colour dilemmas and help me learn to buy better. For my aim is always to buy good quality clothes that make me feel great and that I’ll still be wearing in ten years’ time.
A Colour Consultation Is A Bit Like Therapy….
For Your Wardrobe
My first surprise was that it felt a bit like a therapy session, in a good way. Whilst Essie set up her colour wheel, I had to fill in a questionnaire to determine my colour personality. Apparently, your psychological and physiological colouring are intrinsically linked. And as females we often hide our true colour personality for fear of what others think. Sound familiar? I initially came out as yellow and Spring. Springs are “warm, light and friendly extroverts.” But my secondary personality was blue and summer. In contrast, Summer’s are “contained, cool, calm and collected, understated they crave order and balance.” Interestingly, the colours that suit me are actually more summer. Whilst, personality wise I am probably somewhere in the middle.
Finding The Colours That Really Suit You
Next came the colour analysis. I sat in front of a mirror in a white cape, make-up free. Essie then placed swatches of colour next to my face to see how the different shades affected my skin tone and eyes. It was amazing to see how some made my skin look sallow and yellow, whilst those that suited me made the blue of my eyes really pop out.
Soon Essie had collected a whole range of colours that work for me. These were later sent to me in a colour wallet for reference. She explained that some were key colours that would look great in any style, whilst others were highlight colours, like a pop of lipstick or nail varnish. Some would look gorgeous in a fluffy knit and some were for outerwear. I learnt that I need to wear cool colours, that are greyed off. Also that I should be careful with bright colours as they tend to take over. When it came to metallics, I realized that despite wearing gold jewellery for my entire life, silver actually suits me better.
A New Found Confidence In Shopping
Now, aside from it being a thoroughly enjoyable two hours of pure “me time,” I came away from the session with a new confidence in my ability to choose clothes. Armed with the colour pack of swatches, I now look at garments in a new way. It’s no longer a case of just asking myself whether I like something. I now think do I like it, and will that colour suit me? So, It’s a great way of revealing my motivation for a purchase, i.e. do I actually only like it because everyone on Instagram is wearing it? Or, do I like it because it suits me and I’ll happily wear it again and again? For unsurprisingly, when I re-evaluated my wardrobe and those items I love best, they were all in the colours Essie had handpicked for me.
Colour Consultation:
Transforming My Wardrobe One Item At A Time
So far since our session, I’ve bought a mohair jumper in a gorgeous carnation hue from Lowie. You’ll also be glad to hear that I’ve had the guts to finally pass on that neon pink vest. It’s funny that they are both pink garments, but the difference in how they make me look and feel is huge. I’ve also confidently invested in a gorgeous dress for summer, which is a cool duck egg blue. Choosing to shop from brands who prioritise people and planet is often more expensive, and so it’s important to get it right. But having a smaller number high quality, beautiful garments that make you feel great, is always a better option than a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear.
Already this colour consultation has helped me to buy better. So, hopefully I can buy less and build a truly sustainable wardrobe.
Essie Walker is a trained colour consultant. She also has 15 years experience as a fashion designer. And has worked for of Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Jasper Conran. However she is also a mum and so understands the demands of motherhood and the importance of self care. Also how wearing the right shade of lipstick and feeling able to dress confidently can be so empowering. Essie lives in South London with her family.
A colour consultation costs £150 and typically takes around 2 hours. For more info and for other services Essie offers please head to essiewalkerstudio.com
Disclosure – This personal colour consultation was gifted to me by Essie Walker Studios. You should know, though, this wonderful experience has been on my Christmas list for years (!) And all the opinions expressed are, as always, my own.
Photos by James Maurice & Bekky Lonsdale