Any woman can look and feel lovely, regardless of her age, bank balance, or pant size, and Looking Good . . . Every Day defines a simple yet sophisticated standard for women to determine exactly which clothes and accessories will showcase their unique beauty. The “points of connection” method explains that the more characteristics that exist in common between a woman and her outfit, the more lovely she will look. It shifts emphasis from hiding her perceived figure challenges and focuses on spotlighting her personal assets. By choosing wardrobe additions in this way, everything in her closet will work together. She has more outfits from fewer garments, allowing her to buy higher-quality garments without increasing her budget. Photography of real women—ranging from 22 to 80 years old and from size 4 to 24—illustrates the universal impact “points of connection” make in their appearance.
Any woman can look and feel lovely, regardless of her age, bank balance, or pant size, and Looking Good . . . Every Day defines a simple yet sophisticated standard for women to determine exactly which clothes and accessories will showcase their unique beauty. The “points of connection” method explains that the more characteristics that exist in common between a woman and her outfit, the more lovely she will look. It shifts emphasis from hiding her perceived figure challenges and focuses on spotlighting her personal assets. By choosing wardrobe additions in this way, everything in her closet will work together. She has more outfits from fewer garments, allowing her to buy higher-quality garments without increasing her budget. Photography of real women—ranging from 22 to 80 years old and from size 4 to 24—illustrates the universal impact “points of connection” make in their appearance.
10 Rules for Resilience : Mental Toughness for Families
Narrated by Joe De Sena, Lara Pence
Joe De SenaUnabridged — 7 hours, 3 minutes
10 Rules for Resilience : Mental Toughness for Families
Narrated by Joe De Sena, Lara Pence
Joe De SenaUnabridged — 7 hours, 3 minutes
Related collections and offers
Overview
Any woman can look and feel lovely, regardless of her age, bank balance, or pant size, and Looking Good . . . Every Day defines a simple yet sophisticated standard for women to determine exactly which clothes and accessories will showcase their unique beauty. The “points of connection” method explains that the more characteristics that exist in common between a woman and her outfit, the more lovely she will look. It shifts emphasis from hiding her perceived figure challenges and focuses on spotlighting her personal assets. By choosing wardrobe additions in this way, everything in her closet will work together. She has more outfits from fewer garments, allowing her to buy higher-quality garments without increasing her budget. Photography of real women—ranging from 22 to 80 years old and from size 4 to 24—illustrates the universal impact “points of connection” make in their appearance.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172989254 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 10/19/2021 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Read an Excerpt
Looking Good ... Every Day
Style Solutions for Real Women
By Nancy Nix-Rice, Pati Palmer, Taylor Jean Engel, Kate Pryka
Palmer/Pletsch Publishing
Copyright © 2014 Palmer/Pletsch IncorporatedAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61847-042-3
CHAPTER 1
Color Connections
After decades of dressing women, we are convinced that the foundation for a flattering, versatile wardrobe is always the connection between the clothing and the client's personal color pattern.
In your best colors, you'll look beautiful, with glowing skin, rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes, and hair filled with highlights. But put on the opposite colors and immediately you'll look drained and tired, with blotchy skin, dull eyes and hair, even illusions of under-eye circles and double chins.
The great news is that this powerful appearance enhancer is absolutely FREE. It doesn't cost a penny more to buy that sweater in a color that makes you glow than to buy it in a color that makes you look like you died yesterday. And it doesn't take any longer to get dressed in the right colors than in wrong ones.
Some women are afraid that learning their best colors will be too limiting. But nearly every woman can wear nearly every color family. It's just a matter of determining the specific hue, value and intensity of blue or green or red that is most effective for her.
Knowing Your Best Colors Saves You Money
* The average American woman has at least $3,000 invested in her wardrobe. Just one or two outfits that hang unworn can be as costly as a color consultation.
* Defining your best colors eliminates impulse buying and makes you less likely to jump on a fad color that doesn't flatter you or go with anything in your closet. It helps you resist the "it was such a great markdown" method of color selection too.
* Consistently shopping with your best colors in mind creates a natural harmony within your wardrobe and leads to all sorts of happy accidents — wardrobe items that just seem to go together without conscious planning.
Points of Connection
So how do you know which colors are your personal best? You look for "Points of Connection."
Temperature Connection
The color wheel is a systematic representation of all the colors we see, organized according to the proportion of warm yellow pigment or cool blue pigment each color contains.
Just as colors can be classified as warm or cool based on the presence or absence of yellow pigment, humans can be described as warm or cool based on their unique body coloring.
The first step in pinpointing flattering colors is to echo the warmth or coolness of your personal coloring.
A Simple Test for Warm or Cool
On the most basic level, some women can determine their own temperature category — warm or cool — with this simple test. Hold sheets of gold and silver metallic paper or fabric alternately near your face. If the gold is obviously more harmonious, your undertones are WARM. If the silver is noticeably more flattering, your undertones are COOL.
Once you've determined your most enhancing metallic, you can hold that metal up next to a color you are considering for your wardrobe. If your metal looks good with the color, chances are the color has the right undertone for you.
There are more characteristics to consider, so this test doesn't pinpoint your very best colors. But it can steer you away from the range of colors that are drastically wrong for you.
Value Connection
The next step in choosing optimal wardrobe colors is the element of value — how light (a tint) or how dark (a shade) the color is. Every color family exists in a range of values, arranged here from very dark to very light. You will look your best in colors whose value is close to the overall value of your personal color pattern.
Your personal value is determined by the combination of your skin, hair, and eyes. Blonde hair, porcelain skin, and pale blue eyes add up to a light/soft value. A woman of color, with rich brown skin, black hair, and brown eyes would be a dark/strong value. A high-contrast woman with pale to medium skin, dark eyes, and dark hair would also be classified as a dark/strong value.
Wearing colors that balance with your personal value pattern gives you a unified appearance from head to toe. (That allows you to look taller and trimmer in the bargain.) Wearing colors in a significantly mismatched value creates the effect that your head is somehow separate from the clothes and your body.
Intensity Connection
Intensity refers to the clarity of a color — pure and saturated or more muted. A pure color becomes muted when it is blended with its complement (its color wheel opposite). It can also be muted by blending with brown or tan — a warm effect called toasting. Or it can be muted by blending with black or gray — a cool effect called silvering.
Characteristics like bright eyes or hair color, smooth skin and sleek hair texture can give a woman clearer, more intense coloring. Softer personal colors, more textural or multicolored hair, and eyes with varied highlights all contribute to a gentle, muted color pattern. The objective is to choose colors about as bright or as muted as your own color pattern.
Ironically, women with gentle, muted coloring often describe themselves as "drab" and try to brighten up their look by wearing overly bright colors. This approach actually makes their lovely, subtle coloring look dull by comparison. Surrounded by more muted wardrobe colors instead, their appearance takes on a natural glow.
Women with clear coloring, on the other hand, do look drab wearing muted colors; they need the connection of equally bright/clear clothing colors to showcase their beauty.
The "Four Seasons" of Color
The traditional "four seasons" approach considers temperature, value, and intensity as either/or concepts and combines them to create four categories. Winter and Spring, on the left, are bright. Summer and Fall, on the right, are more muted. The cooler women are at the top and warmer at the bottom.
Beyond Four Seasons
Some women fit into one of those seasonal stereotypes just beautifully. But many others do not. Why? Because color temperature, value, and intensity aren't really either/or concepts. Women can have color patterns along the entire continuum of each characteristic.
Variations of Warm and Cool
For example, the gold/silver test doesn't work for everyone because color temperature isn't an either/or trait. There are very warm women (the obviously gold gals), medium warms, barely warms, middle people, barely cools, medium cools and very cools (the decidedly silvers) — an infinite continuum of temperatures.
Similarly, nearly all fashion color families are also available in a continuum of temperatures. Left to right, these greens go from warm to cool.
Variations in Value
The same concept applies to personal color value. Women can have very light coloring, medium light, mid-value, slightly dark and so on. Characteristics like stronger hair colors or darker eyes would influence your place along the continuum.
Variations in Intensity
The same kind of continuum exists for personal color intensity.
Summary
In a four seasons model, women with color characteristics that differ from the either/or extremes of warm/cool, light/dark or clear/muted were pushed to one side or the other of an artificial dividing line. That typically left them with seasonal color recommendations that weren't a great fit. Sometimes the same woman was placed in different categories by different consultants, depending on where each one drew that arbitrary line.
The most sophisticated approaches to color recognize an infinite number of personal color patterns. Highly trained consultants create recommendations that are uniquely personalized to each individual client's temperature, value, and intensity as well as the specific colors found in her skin, hair, and eyes.
For example, the women below might both be classified as Autumns in a seasonal system. But a customized analysis would distinguish subtle differences between their color patterns and create personalized color palettes for each of them.
Coloring Changes With Age
As you mature, pigmentation diminishes and the colors of your skin, hair and eyes all soften. That reduces your color value and intensity. It can also make a warm woman appear more cool, since so much of her perceived warmth came from previously golden, red or auburn hair color.
Our graphic designer, Linda Wisner, has cool, soft, muted coloring. By age 45, she was wearing softer colors than she chose when her darker hair color gave her a stronger personal color pattern.
Linda today is even lighter in her hair color and, as a result, her palette has also changed a bit.
Do You Need a Professional Color Analysis?
Unless you happen to fit decisively into one of the four seasonal categories, a professional color analysis is one of the best investments you can make in your wardrobe. A trained professional can assess your coloring objectively, comparing you to a wide range of other women. She can give you pinpointed guidance on which colors to choose for your clothing and which ones to scrupulously avoid.
You'll especially want to consider a consultation if:
* You've never been analyzed before.
* Your previous four-season swatches don't seem to fit as well as they used to.
* Those old swatches are lying unused in a drawer; if they were serving you well you'd never shop without them.
* You were analyzed more than once, with different seasonal classifications.
* You have had a significant change in coloring (especially hair color) since your previous consultation.
*It's been more than 10 years since your previous analysis.
Choose your consultant carefully. Beyond the cost of the analysis itself, you'll spend countless dollars on clothing over the years, based on his or her recommendations. Here are some questions to ask before you schedule an appointment:
Q: What system do you use?
A top consultant uses a recognized system, not just her own personal opinions. She should be able to describe her philosophy and process in terms you understand.
Q: How were you trained?
Color analysis is NOT a read-the-book skill. Since it calls for making sophisticated visual comparisons, comprehensive hands-on training is essential.
Q: Will we work in an individual session or a group?
A one-on-one consultation is obviously the most personalized and in-depth. However, a group of two or three participants can provide a good learning experience because you can see the color impact on another person much more objectively than on yourself. A large group — an adult education color class or a color "party" — doesn't allow personalized information for each participant. It can be a good introduction to color concepts and a chance to evaluate the ability of the instructor, should you decide to schedule a private session later.
Q: What lighting do you use?
Because light affects color to such a great degree, indirect natural daylight is the best choice. If your analysis will take place after dark, the artificial lighting should be carefully color-corrected to simulate daylight.
Q: Do I have to remove my makeup?
It is difficult to get an accurate analysis with your full makeup on because your current makeup may not be the best for your coloring. Even though it takes a little longer, removing it is an important step.
Q: What swatches will I receive?
You'll want fabric, printed, or painted swatches of the recommended colors to use as a permanent shopping reference. The number of swatches is important. Ten to 15 would be too limiting for most people; a hundred or more could be overwhelming. A range of 40-60 is about right for most people.
Q: What additional services are available?
Instruction in using your colors should be part of the basic consultation fee. Supporting print materials are a nice addition. Information about selecting compatible makeup colors is also important. (If the colors next to your face affect your appearance so dramatically, just imagine the impact of the colors ON your face.) Some color consultants carry their own line of cosmetics to help you make informed choices. Some consultants also offer closet audits, wardrobe planning, and personal shopping services to help you transition into your new color palette.
Q: How much will it cost?
As with most purchases, you get what you pay for. Expect to pay from $150 to $500 or more, depending on the area of the country. But you can save back the entire investment by avoiding just one or two costly shopping mistakes. A "free" color analysis at a home party or department store makeup counter can be a very costly mistake, since the consultant may be more thoroughly trained to sell you her products than to offer professional color advice.
Q: What if there is no color consultant in my area?
Some consultants offer color consultations via photographs for women who do not live near them. Verify the consultant's experience before you try this method, since it is more challenging than working face to face. The accuracy of the results depends entirely on the color accuracy of the photographs you provide. Take front and profile views in indirect natural light, then check carefully that the resulting prints match your true coloring. Don't try to save time by sending electronic files rather than hard-copy prints. The colors a consultant sees on her monitor may differ widely from the images you see on yours. However, technology keeps improving!
One Woman's Color Adventure
Cennetta, an expert seamstress and winner of the Palmer/Pletsch 2012 sewing contest, worked with color consultant Ethel Harms when she attended a Palmer/Pletsch workshop.
Try Out Colors and Prints From Your Current Wardrobe
Of course your color analysis is only worth its cost if you USE it to develop a more flattering, versatile wardrobe. Few of us can afford to toss out our entire closet and start over from scratch. It can take a few seasons to develop a wardrobe totally keyed to your color fan, so be patient. Here's how to begin:
* Purge items that are polar-opposite wrong colors for you, especially if the items have other problems like poor fit or obvious wear and tear. You probably have at least twice as many clothes as you need anyway, so you'll do fine without those items.
* Resolve to make all new wardrobe purchases in your best colors.
* Items worn near your face matter most. If a suit is a less optimal color, try adding a blouse in your best shade. If a dress is the wrong color, wear a scarf or necklace in a flattering color. A touch of your hair color within the accessory adds to the flattery and visual connection.
* Don't overlook the option of dyeing an existing garment to a more flattering color for an instant update. See how-tos on page 191.
Shop With Your Colors
* Don't leave home without your colors — you never know when a shopping opportunity might develop.
* Compare garment colors to your swatches in daylight whenever possible, since some fluorescent lighting can distort colors.
* Understand that the colors you buy need to blend with your swatches, not necessarily match them exactly.
* When considering a print or a pattern, look at the item from 8-10 feet away. The dominant colors — the ones you notice most from a distance — are the ones that need to match your swatches.
* Sometimes colors blend to form entirely new colors when viewed from a distance. Small prints, even in very bright colors, often look surprisingly muted from a few feet away. This is especially important when matching a print and a solid color you plan to wear together.
* When buying a recommended color you haven't worn before, consider trying it first in a smaller item like a scarf or T-shirt instead of a more expensive garment.
* Make sure you have your name and address on your color swatches; they can be expensive to replace.
Color Your Cosmetics
Your color fan is a guide for choosing your most flattering makeup colors as well as wardrobe choices.
* Match foundation color to your natural skin tone.
* Choose lipstick, blush and nail colors in the various shades of red — pink, wine, peach, rust, coral, etc. — from your fan. Most women like to have a paler choice, a mid-tone, and a stronger option for lips and nails.
* Pick accent eye shadow colors that repeat your own eye color, or choose its complement (its color wheel opposite) instead. Emmy's gray eyes are emphasized by repeating subtle gray shades in her eye shadow.
* Use a dark version of your hair color for eyeliner and mascara. Brown mascara is far more natural looking than black on most blondes and redheads. It gives equal emphasis to the lashes without looking harsh and obviously artificial.
* Find complete makeup application how-tos on page 145.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Looking Good ... Every Day by Nancy Nix-Rice, Pati Palmer, Taylor Jean Engel, Kate Pryka. Copyright © 2014 Palmer/Pletsch Incorporated. Excerpted by permission of Palmer/Pletsch Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Videos
