European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday june 24,1966different shades of opinion personal color analysis is the latest Middle class lad id sweep America and Nowil has come to Europe. Beginning in the United Stales with word of Mouth advertising among women it soon popped up on television Lalk shows thanks to easy Reading Rade Hooks with contrived photos and fervid testimonials. In the insecurity Ridden inner world of personal appearance color analysis have replaced psychoanalysis prescribing color cures Lor everything irom altering Beauty health and happiness to a Dull sex tile. Legions of clients pay As Little As $25 or As much As $800. Formerly a woman s fad cot oriols now report a growing percentage of men among their clients. Personal color analysis is based on the premise thai each individual is a certain color Lype and looks Best in a specific Sot of colors that Are predetermined by skin hair and Eye color Bone Structure and personality. Bui the personal color analyst claims few people can Tell for themselves whal colors make them look Nice. As an expert the analyst selects the shades hat Ike you Best nol always the shades you like Best. Working Oul of the Home or in a Salon in private consultation or in groups some consultants match Small paint chips to the color of the hair eyes skin fingernails. Or even the inside of the lip. Others remove makeup cover the client s upper Torso neck and hair in while and systematically drape coloured cloths around the neck. Still others rely on a laser like beam emitted from a spec pro photometer or Colorimeter to Lake color readings All methods they Promise will produce a group of nattering colors that will always go together. Seemingly harmless and fun at first glance this trend is viewed so optically and More recently with disdain by experienced professionals in academic fashion and Beauty Fields spec Scally it is the Lack of knowledge and creativity on the part of Many commercial practitioners characterized by Over exaggerated and highly emotional claims which brings concern to those in fashion related Fields. Margaret Walch. Associate director of the color association of the United states wrote the extremes to a Titch these systems Are carried is outlandish  it is the Inadequacy and inaccuracy of the methods the typecast tag and Over Simp bulk advice accompanied by rigid rules that alarms educators a three Day or two week raining course Complete with certificate does not an educated expert make there is not enough scientific evidence to support these theories stated Stanford psychology professor Brian Wendell. These theories Are unbelievable like something out of the dark Ages said Margery Norton clothing and textiles professor at Virginia polytechnic Institute. Consumers Are urged to remember the following Points 1 the entire world population cannot be categorized into iwo. Four six or even 12 personal colouring groups. People possess an Infinita variety of personal colouring patterns often with a combination of apparently warm and Cool based hues. Most people lie somewhere in the Middle of the extremes. In addition personal colouring often changes with age health and exposure to the elements Sun. Cold wind Etc. 2 All Cotor. Including personal colouring and nothing color is relative and appears to change with different surroundings and lighting actor can be made to appear warmer cooler. Buhler Darker brighter or duller simply by changing a color nearby. This effect is known As simultaneous Contrail co Tore in contrast with one another. Colors can be combined to emphasize attractive personal doming and to counter undesirable effects on personal a folding in numerous Waya not accounted Tot in the currently popular odor Type systems. 3 differences in personal color perception and interpretation cannot be ignored or overcome. Color perception is dependent on the pm Iron Enlal surroundings the color o the Iris of the eyes the color and shape of the Lens of the Eye. The ability of me rods and Cones m the Retina of the Eye to perceive Light and color As Well As the brain s ability to inc pret color and the consultant s cultural and educational background in Many instances. What an analyst perceives to be attractive is simply the result of what he she has Boon trained to see think and say is attractive advice May vary and conflict according to the system used and even among analysis using the same system therefore you cannot take the advice of one individual or system As the final word Aboul what colors to Wear or no a to Wear 4 colors from the variously prescribed groups or palettes including apparently warm and Cool based col0rr, can be combined worn by All individuals and Beaul Lully so. You have Only to look around you. The harmonious color combinations of nature and Man Are endless limited Only by Trie Bounds of your artistic imagination or belief in a system Wilh rigid rules of do and Don  to become dependent on a set of prescribed colors appropriate Lor a particular Typo eliminates Many possible color choices and combinations for people of Oil Ages. 5 Consumers cannot depend on a set of supposed Best hues to make them Beautiful handsome or harmonious. Color is important but equally important is the selection of attractive and harmonious styles fabrics. And til accessories and hairstyle As Well As makeup or women can make or break the final effect nol to mention a smile. 6 shopping is nol necessarily easier with a packet or palette o personal color swatches or chips. Swatch shoppers Are More frequently frustrated when unable to Malch exactly and they Lack Confidence to select irom new fashion colors or colors nol on their personal Pasalle Paul h Gladstone retail Clothier since i960, wrote people show up with Swatch motors Many of which Are unavailable or inappropriate for certain fabrics styles occasions and limes of the year especially h Thev re  they Are helpless in evaluating new fresh items and no longer have the creativity or Confidence to make Good taste us Gemella. 7 commercial color consultants Are Seldom qualified to Olfer advice about fashion fabrics. Hairstyles skin and hair care. They have no business dabbling in personality predictions and clothing correlations often dispensing Cul and dried advice with serious psychological backlash. 3 color analysis clients Are nol necessarily happier following analysis. Consumers must consider he Long Range of feels of the analysis experience and advice. Consumers report growing feelings of boredom frustration confusion anger guilt and depression. Once told you can t Wear or Don t look Nice in a particular color you never forget no matter How Nice you really look Pam Satran fashion editor at Glamour Magazine Summa Zed it Well when she wrote Don t Lake your color swatches too he Erafily. No color consultant has the one and True answer. The colors you get will vary depending on the technique and even among consultants using the same technique. The colors you gel will go with other colors besides their own group. Even the Best colors alone won t make you look great in your clothes. Some color consultants make a Stab at giving fashion and fabric adv be but that s not their  color me confused a i have you been color Analysed a Youn woman asked me recently. I understand it a very spiritual , i have i replied with a Grin but spiritual was t How i d describe the  who did your colors she continued. Which time of and she paused. You mean you be had it done More than once yup. 31 times. I be been color draped keyed. Coded and  wow you re really into ii Aren t  "1 keep hoping to catch the  what Are the right colors you re supposed to Wear she wanted to know. Well it All depends on which Chart you look  i told her. You mean they re not All the same she asked in disbelief. They re different no they re not the same. And yes. They re All different add to that there s noway to know which ii Only is  at that Point i launched into a Brief history of my own color analysis experience. Why i be been color draped and pronounced a key ii person in one session a key i person in a second session and a combination or a Neutral in still other color key session. My first color i associates analyst allowed me 44 colors appropriate for my gentle Type. Thirty four were tints and shades of the same ten different hues including Black but excluding Navy Blue a personal favorite. My second color i Chart also contained 44 paint chips. That time they were Bright versions of 14 hues appropriate for a contrast Type which she said i obviously was. It included both Black and Navy Blue but also chartreuse a color i hate a third visit to another color i analyst yielded a personal color Chart with 61 paint chips representing Bright and Dun tints and shades of 21 different hues again for my contrast Type. But now rust was missing. When 1 asked about it because i like it and receive Many compliments on a rust coloured sweater i Wear the eager to please consultant added it to my palette explaining you know How color works so you can have  on Many separate occasions i be been typed As a Winter an autumn and also a summer. In the spirit of color me Beautiful a id color me a season i be been told i m never supposed to Wear Black always supposed to Wear Black or sometimes supposed to Wear Black As Long As it s worn Wilh Tan or beige. Maybe Wilh  said another. I be been told to Wear White but not Ivory or Ivory but not White. I be been told to Wear Only pure red. Only red with a Blue base or Only red with an Orange base but then Only in i m prepared to anger my audience. Somo of my analysts said i should Wear fuchsia a color i love to see in my Flower Garden but would t Wear on my body and none of them could agree Aboul Gray or Green. I be been instructed by the color people to Wear Only Silver jewelry but nol Gold and Gold but not Silver. In Phoenix ariz., while i was wearing Beautiful Indian necklaces in both Gold and Silver a self appointed analyst from the audience asked me to remove the Silver because the ladies in her group had been Laughl that Gold and Silver can l be mixed  at an autograph party some months ago a. Woman identified herself As a certified color consultant and complimented me for choosing a dress harmonious with my Winter skin tones. Within an hour at the same party another trained color analyst expressed her displeasure that i was wearing a color so obviously inappropriate Lor my season autumn. Typed again As a Winter by a Beauly for All seasons analyst i was told i should never Wear my favorite Olive Green austrian Cape because it was attractive Only to an autumn. It made no difference that my own Olive Green eyes looked absolutely vibrant when i wore the Cape the analyst went on telling me to get rid of it or if you must Wear it Only on unimportant occasions when you re with people you Don t  by now the poor girl was completely confused and rightly so. She ventured to ask then what season Are you i m not a season at All i replied. A season a a time of year. I m a per son. With a Little thought a person can become More aware of color you can develop your Cdo sense. Look in a Mirror apply a Little common sense and look terrific wearing any color you  a band