What should you wear to a colour or style consultation?

Posted on by Toni Carver

It’s important to feel comfortable during your time with me in the studio. Here’s some guidance on what to wear to your session.

Colour Analysis Consultations

During your appointment, you’ll wear a white draping cape. This will cover your clothes so you can wear what you like!

Please avoid wearing high necked tops as these are likely to show above the cape.

I’ll need to see your hair so hats and hair coverings need to be removed. Your hair plays an important part of your appearance, which is why it’s taken into account during my colour consultations. Should you have any religious or personal reasons for covering or removing, please get in touch: toni.carver@tlcstyleandcolour.co.uk

It’s best to arrive makeup (and fake tan) free so I can assess your skin tone and the impact of colour.

Style & Image Consultations

Wear something which you’d normally wear which you’ll be happy and comfortable in during the session.

There will be no need to strip you to your underwear either!

Makeup Assessments and Tutorials

You’ll be wearing a white draping cape during your session which covers what you’ll be wearing.

Please do arrive makeup free though.

Online sessions

Whilst conducted in different ways, the principles are the same for both in person and virtual sessions.

Ready to book?

Appointments are available Monday to Saturday.

Email: toni.carver@tlcstyleandcolour.co.uk to book your appointment.

Do you know the difference between body shape and body proportions?

Posted on by Toni Carver

Have you ever fell in love with something on the hanger only to discover that when you try it on it just doesn’t fit right?

Often, the reasons are down to the wrong sizing or the wrong shape. But, have you considered that it might not be made for your body proportions?

Take the elusive jumpsuit. I call it elusive as it is can be exceptionally challenging to find the right fit! It’s the perfect example where knowing your shape can still mean the garment doesn’t fit. For example, it could be too long in the body for you, or too short. It could be too short in the leg, or too long. The rise on the jump suit could be too long giving the appearance of a saggy bum, or indeed it could be too short so it digs uncomfortably in. I’m sure you get the idea and that’s before we assess the fabric!

Shape versus proportions

People get in touch often because they want to know what their body shape is and what suits them. But, if you frequently find the fit of clothes is the challenge then do consider that it might not be your shape that you’ve got wrong. It could well be your body proportions. I’ve talked about this recently in this video.

Broadly speaking, you need to consider where your waist is in proportion to the rest of your body. If you don’t have a clearly defined waist, think of where your natural bend is.

There is no right and no wrong. And, unfortunately, the retail and fashion industry don’t always make this easy as there is no uniform in sizing, cutting and shapes! But, it does help to know and understand your proportions to help you refine your clothing choices and make sure they work for you, (and not the other way round). Clever techniques exist, it’s just learning more about it.

I don’t use a tape measure, but I do assess and go through this during a style and image consultation alongside your body shape, scale and fabric cut and weight. All these factors have an impact on whether something fits and flatters you. This is why when you understand this detail, you’ll make fewer shopping mistakes. You’ll learn clever tips to balance yourself out, if you need to.

So if you’re struggling to shop for clothes or continually have to get things altered; a style and image consultation could be something that you’d really benefit from. I can’t guarantee you won’t need to get things altered. But, it might save you time and money buying something which doesn’t love you the same.

will I need to get rid of all my clothes

Will I need to get rid of all my clothes after a colour or style consultation?

Posted on by Toni Carver

One concern with having a colour or a style consultation is that you’ll need to empty your wardrobe, get rid of all your clothes and start again!

This is wasteful, exhausting and expensive and not something I recommend at TLC HQ!

Gain the right knowledge

It’s not for me to tell you what to wear. Or tell you to get rid of things. I’m not your mother and you’ve chosen to come to me for help and advice. But, I do try my best to explain why things do and don’t suit you so that you’re armed with the right information when you leave your session.

You’ll get follow up emails from me too as you’re unlikely to remember everything we go through. I do pride myself on doing this, as I want to make sure you’re supported on your journey and you feel you get value.

My services are an investment in yourself after all.

How to wear colour

When you have a colour consultation, you’ll understand about colour, how to wear and combine your colours and how to wear what you already have. But, there’s bound to be items you’re itching to get rid of and if that’s the case then you’ve got my permission!

Experiment with your colours and making things work for you if they’re not quite right. Alter them to make them perfect for you too. You can dye them so easily at home these days (more on that here) and, if you’re a dab hand with a sewing machine then change them. Even without this talent, you can still swap buttons or cinch them in like I’ve covered here.

Style, shape and fit

Even with a more colour coordinated wardrobe, you may still find some things don’t work. This is where a style and image consultation will really help. Perhaps you’re not wearing things because they don’t ‘go’ or they don’t feel right when you wear them. If you’ve nailed the colour (and why wouldn’t you after your colour consultation!) it’s often the style, shape or fit that’s not working.

During a style and image consultation, we’ll focus on identifying your style personality, how to express it in what you wear and what you choose, before moving onto your shape and proportions. Even if you’re confident about what body shape you have, your proportions (such as where your waist is) or your scale can skew this meaning things don’t fit quite right. Learn what works for YOU. A pear with long legs and a short body who’s classic will need to style, shop and dress differently than an hourglass shape with a long body and short legs who’s a romantic style personality. Then there’s fabric, cuts and patterns to take into account during the session too!

style & image consultation

Enjoy the journey

A consultation on colour or style may feel a little indulgent, but it WILL save you money in the long run because you’ll learn what suits you.

Just because you’ve had a session, doesn’t mean your journey is over – it’s simply the beginning. You’ve got lots to learn and apply and whilst it may take time, do enjoy it!

My help and support doesn’t end with your session. My follow up notes continue to come, plus my newsletter with blogs like this, videos and tips to try! Ongoing support is available with help on what to buy each season and how to style it to make it work for you. Every April and October I update the material and you can join my online workshops. Plus, I’m happy to come out to help you shop for any specific items you need or go through your wardrobe with you if you’re struggling.

Remember, it’s about understanding what suits you. That shouldn’t mean getting rid of everything and starting again but understanding how you can make them work better for you.

READY TO START YOUR JOURNEY?

Get in touch now! toni.carver@tlcstyleandcolour.co.uk

does my colouring type change

DOES MY COLOURING TYPE CHANGE WHEN I GET OLDER?

Posted on by Toni Carver

In one word – yes!

In a lot of words….It depends upon the type of colour analysis consultation you had, how long ago it was and if any of your features have changed. I often find people get in touch years later feel different in what they wear. Sometimes, this could be because of changes in your physical appearance (eg. your hair colour), a change in career or retirement or simply big changes in your life. Feel free to get in touch for a chat if this sounds like you. Read on for a recent client scenario.

Let me share this recent example

Debbie came to see me as she was feeling that things had changed. She’d had her colours analysed around 15 years ago and now approaching her 50th birthday, wanted to check if her colours really had changed as she suspected.

At the time, she was analysed as a soft, warm and light colouring type with the Colour me beautiful system. (I’ve talked about previous colour analysis types here and the differing colouring types here if you want to read more.)

After reviewing her features and different shade of colour during a colour review session, Debbie’s colouring had in fact changed.

This time, she was a warm, soft and deep colouring type.

What changed?

Mainly, it was Debbie’s hair colour.

She’d been blonder and lighter during her initial colour analysis. Now, her hair was more golden with auburn tones which impacted her overall features that her dominant colouring type had shifted. Now, the golden, warmer, yellow based tones were much more lifting against her hair rather than the dusty and muted tones of her original dominant palette.

I asked Debbie if she’d found herself not feeling or looking ‘right’ in any of the colours in her swatches. Debbie agreed that some of the cooler, bluer tones of the soft palette didn’t look as flattering as her warmer, yellow tones. They often felt too ‘cool’ for her and she didn’t feel that they were in balance when she saw her reflection.

This is always a tell-tale sign. Whilst you may not be able to identify exactly why, the human eye is always looking for harmony and balance. So, if you’re finding something looks off, you’re probably right! A colour analysis will always help you to identify why and how to wear your best shades of colour.

This dominant colouring type change also impacted the sub-dominant types for Debbie too. She now has a total new set of fabric colour swatches and a much more complimentary palette of colours.

Here’s a comparison of Debbie’s previous swatches versus her new ones:

swatches

Debbie sent me this message when she got home.

Thank you so much for today.

It was lovely to meet you and to gain your experience and knowledge on everything about colour, body shape and style personality.

Amy loved observing and we talked about it all, on the drive back to Bury.

Thank you for updating my colour swatches, as part of the colour review. It was really interesting to see the change after all these years since having ‘my colours done’ previously.

As soon as I got back home, I lifted clothes out of my wardrobe that no longer fit the new dominant warm and have put these to one side to pass on to someone else, who will suit them better or will fit with their style personality.

The information about body shape and style personality is great and I am sure once I’ve read the book, I’ll have tons more questions about this too.

Knowing your colours really is life-changing!

To find out, book a colour analysis consultation.

Click here