34. What About Color Contrast?

Most color-conscious people agree that color analysis, in general is a good idea because people look better when they’re wearing their best colors.  What is not agreed upon is which  color analysis method is best.  The older competing systems are fraught with complexities that leave people feeling less than confident with the results.  Let’s look at a recent attempt to move away from the complexities involved in seasonal color systems.  


It is thought by some investigators that it may be possible to achieve attractive results by focusing just on the level of contrast between a person's skin tone and his or her hair and eye colors.  Towards this end, in 2002 Alan Flusser laid out 2 fairly simple rules.


The degree of contrast between the wearer's skin, and their hair and eyes, should be reflected in the degree of contrast between the colors in their clothes.  Naturally, a great many shades of colors will be found in any individual’s hair, eyes and complexion.  The theory is, however, that these many shadings can be reduced to 2 areas of interest:  


1.  color contrast format, and 
2.  muting or clarity of the colors format.


Under this concept:

• if you have very dark hair, and very light skin, then your have a contrast format.
• If your hair color and skin color are similar, then you are looking at a muted, or tonal, format.  In other words, your personal coloring would be considered muted or tonal.   

The goal is for a person with a high-contrast complexion to dress in clothes that have a lot of contrast between the colors.  The idea is that the clothing would set up a harmony with wearer’s likewise contrasted hair-eyes-skin tone triangle.  This is said to draw an observer’s eyes to focus on the wearer’s face.  


On the other hand, an individual with a muted complexion should wear more muted colors as a high contrast in clothing colors would distract attention away from the individual’s face.  


One or more of the tones in the skin and hair should be repeated in an article of clothing near the face.  One option is to select one of the hair colors and repeat it in an item of clothing worn near the face in order to “frame” the face.   Preference should be given to selecting a hair color to wear in a blouse, jacket or scarf which would draw an observer‘s eyes to the face which is in between the two.  Flusser claims that it is possible to achieve harmonious results by repeating the eye color, or the skin tones, in clothing articles that are close to the face.  Even better, wear several colors in the clothes to match some combination of skin, hair and eye color.


The personal color analysis system worked out by Flusser is sketchy and imprecise, but there's definite merit to his philosophy.   In fact, the mathematic computer-aided calculations used by MyBestColors.com's system pays exacting attention, and provides precisely correct results, regarding contrast, muting, clarity, value and hue within each cohesive, 620 color, skin-tone-matched palette.