Ava C. Green, Features Editor
It’s impossible to be a passive clothing-wearer. Everyone has their preferences and certain things that they seem to gravitate towards, regardless of if they are conscious of it or not.
Lately, I have been very intrigued by the colors people choose to wear and their “signature colors.” People’s style consistencies may be as simple as them liking the color pink and wearing it because it makes them feel happy. You may also wear certain colors frequently because man, oh man, do you look super hot in them! I’m here to tell you why you look so fetching in certain colors and/or to help you figure out how to enhance your natural allure.
If you’re unsure of what colors suits you most, then let me introduce you to the “seasons theory.” Unless you’re a middle-aged woman reading Cosmo in the ‘80s, you may not know what this means. Maybe you’ve heard someone say: “You are such a winter.” This phrase refers to the aforementioned theory which presents the idea that everyone’s natural coloring corresponds with a season. Each season has a color scheme associated with it that is supposed to be the most complimentary to the skin, hair and eye colors/undertones of a person whose features coincide with that season.
You may not know your own undertones, but that's what I’m here for! Your skin is going to be either cool, neutral or warm. To check, look at the veins on your wrist. If they appear to be purple and blue, your skin is cool, meaning it’s somewhat pink. If your veins are green and blue, then your skin is neutral or appears olive-toned. Fully green veins would indicate a warm tone, so the skin has a yellow or golden tint.
With hair and eyes, it’s easier to decipher your coloring. Warmer hair is going to be either golden or reddish in the sun while cooler hair is going to look blueish or neutral. Eye colors in the warm category would include the ambers – lighter brown and almost all greens. Cooler eyes will look more gray and icy.
Theoretically, everyone is either an autumn, a winter, a spring or a summer.
An autumn would have darker, warm features with a reddish tint; for example, honey-brown eyes, skin with pink undertones or hair that may look red in direct sunlight. Autumn celebrities include Jennifer Lopez and Drew Berrymore. If you’re an autumn, you’ll look especially wonderful in shades of beige and brown, deep greens and reds and especially gold! Autumns may want to stay away from ashy, pastel shades that will take away from the warmth their features carry.
If you’re a winter, you most likely have darker hair that contrasts with your cooler skin tone with blue/gray or brownish-black eyes. Notable winters are Lupita Nyong'o, Lucy Liu and Zooey Deschanel. As a winter, you’re gonna stand out in saturated shades of red/pink and cerulean blue. You probably also have the ability to not get washed out in straight black or white. More muted, pastel shades can get lost on the blue-ish skin of a winter.
Someone that is a spring would have warm and light features. This would mean that your skin tone and hair color is more golden and your eyes are green, turquoise or a lighter brown or hazel. Tyra Banks, Emma Stone and Blake Lively are all celebrities that would be considered springs. Colors that look best on spring people would include greens and blues, coral and nearly all vibrant floral shades. Dark, dusty colors can wash you out, so those might not be the most flattering.
Summers would have light features — similarly to springs — but with more neutral undertones. A summer would have ashy hair of any color and lighter eyes, with a subtle contrast between hair color and skin tone. Celebrities with summer coloring would be Emily Blunt, Rihana and Kate Middleton. If you have similar features to any of these ladies, you probably look best in berry tones as well as pastel blues and pinks. Be wary of dark, rich shades as they may overpower you a bit.
Now, I bet you’re asking yourself: “Ava, wise one, love of my life, I still don't know which season I am. How will I ever figure it out? Also, you’re so cool and amazing.” One, thank you, I’m flattered. Two, here’s how we’ll figure it out:
Use the graph, using your newfound knowledge of your hair, skin and eyes to see where your features land. Then, whichever one you end up in most is your season!
This “season theory” scientifically tells you what colors match you on the outside, but there is nothing scientific about how you feel on the inside. A simplistic graph, made by me (a birdbrained college sophomore with nothing better to do than sit around and write about elementary-level color theory) should not dictate what you wear. If you’re an autumn through-and-through but love wearing pink, wear it with pride! Honestly, take all of this with a grain of salt and just wear whatever you’d like. I have no doubt that you’ll look just wonderful!