Beyond Color Analysis: A More Personal Approach to Style

My path into personal styling has been a long-awaited journey. While my love of fashion runs deep, my background actually began in the art world. I spent years teaching art in the mental health space, where I saw firsthand how creativity could be a powerful tool for connection and healing. When I was ready for a change, I knew personal styling would be the perfect fit—though I had no idea back then how far it would take me.

Early on in my styling career, I worked as an assistant personal stylist and was trained in color analysis. The other stylists I worked with offered it as the first step in their client process, and soon, I did too. But even then, I had several reservations. Something about it didn’t sit right with me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at the time. Nevertheless, I went along with it despite what my gut was telling me.

The Emotional Side of Color

As someone who taught art in a therapeutic setting, I often saw people connect with color on a deeply emotional level. I’d ask my students why they were drawn to certain shades, and their responses were rarely logical. Often, their color choices tied back to a memory, a mood, or a personal story, something that couldn’t be quantified or categorized.

Now, as a personal stylist who leads with intuition, I see color not just as a visual tool, but as something that reflects identity. Certain colors can feel soothing or energizing. Comforting or abrasive. Joyful or flat, depending on someone’s life experience. Colors can evoke powerful emotional responses, both positive and negative, often rooted in memory or personal meaning. These are the nuances the seasonal color analysis system tends to overlook.

Why I Don’t Offer Color Analysis

Since starting my own business, I’ve had countless conversations about why I don’t offer color analysis. Especially lately, as it’s grown more popular, people have told me it would be a smart service to add. And while I understand the appeal, my answer is still the same: it just doesn’t align with the way I work.

Color analysis can absolutely be fun, and for some, it can spark a new level of interest in personal style. But more often than not, it’s treated as a quick fix. People come in hoping a defined palette will solve all their style challenges. But in my experience, it barely scratches the surface.

Color is a huge part of personal style, but it’s layered, emotional, and more complex than one chart or seasonal category can capture. Without a broader understanding of shape, fit, lifestyle, and creative expression, a color analysis on its own can feel limiting rather than empowering.

I’ve seen people stop reaching for colors they once loved simply because they were told they weren’t “right” for them. It can create unnecessary rules around something that should feel expressive and free.

That’s why I believe we are more than skin tone and eye color.

We Are More Than Skin Tone & Eye Color

Traditional seasonal color analysis focuses on external features such as your skin undertone, hair color, and eye color. And while those things are often helpful, they shouldn't be the sole determining factor in how you engage with color.

In my work, I take those physical traits into consideration, but I go deeper. I ask: What colors are you naturally drawn to? What memories do you associate with certain shades? What makes you feel like yourself? These are the kinds of questions that shape a client’s palette in my styling sessions. It’s not about rules, it’s about resonance.

How I Approach Color With Clients

When we work together in my signature service, we create a custom color palette that feels aligned with who you are. It’s intuitive, personal, and rooted in storytelling.

Instead of telling you what to wear based on a formula, I guide you to notice what lights you up. We focus on remembering, not restricting. Noticing, not categorizing.

It’s a more fluid, reflective process. One that honors your past and where you're headed next.

Color analysis isn’t inherently bad. It can be a playful entry point into style exploration. And for some, it might offer a helpful foundation. But for me, it’s not the whole picture.

If you’re interested in exploring color, I encourage a more intuitive, experimental approach. One that honors your personal story, not just how you look on paper.

Style is personal. Color should be, too.

If this resonates with you, let’s connect. I’d love to support you in exploring color in a way that feels aligned and authentic.

Xx

Hannah