How long does it take?

How long does it take to grow into your Colour Tone (Season)?

This blog article was inspired by James Clear. If you do know about him, I bet you're wondering what he has to do with Personal Colour Analysis. If you don't know about him, check out his website HERE. And subscribe to his newsletter while you're at it. I promise it'll be earning its place in your inbox.

Atomic Habits and your Season

I subscribe to The 3-2-1 newsletter and I've read his book "Atomic Habits". And in one of his recent newsletters I came across this:

And I'd like to add "This can also include growing into your colour analysis Season".

Because once you have determined your Season, you don't magically assimilate it and start using it as an expert. You need time to get used to the essence of you Season, the lightness or darkness of it, get to know the contrast level, finding clothes in colours that have the right saturation. You need time to practice using your colour fan to harmonise items in your closet and when shopping.

I thought about this for a while. Five years of slow progress! That's a long time. But slow progress is the best progress when it comes to achieving a "deeply satisfying accomplishment". And what can be a more deeply satisfying accomplishment than having a curated wardrobe consisting of only items that make you look seven years younger, smarter than the average style blogger and makes you able to get dressed with joy, in a matter of minutes, without second-guessing what items to wear together?

I usually say to my clients to expect two years of living with your Season before you can expect to be fully into it. Perhaps it's time to increase that expectation to five years. Thinking back, my understanding and implementation of my own Season took perhaps that long. Let's break it down:

Year 1: Getting used to looking great in your colours and using the colour fan to evaluate your existing wardrobe, putting some things away (for now). Investing in a few items in your Season's colours, using them with what you have from before, but you actually had a lot if items that harmonise well with your Season, so you didn't have to go out and buy all that much. And because you're now left with items that go well together, you're actually happier with fewer items than you were with that stuffed closet.

Year 2: Looking at the things you put aside, realising that you didn't miss them at all, and discovering that you really don't like them anymore now that you've started filling your wardrobe with items in your best colours. You know exactly how to answer snide remarks from your aunt Gladys who is wondering why you don't wear that sweater she knit for you six years ago.

Year 3: Slowly replacing accessories like shoes and bags as they get worn and as you discover that the once you had from before don't do you any favours. Now that the clothes are perfectly harmonised with your skin, you can better evaluate the colours of your shoes and other acccessories. You feel confident about switching to other neutral colours, ones from your palette, and even one or two items in your statement colours. Aunt Gladys has stopped with her snide remarks, and is now knitting you a sweater in colours that you have picked out yourself.

Year 4: Daring to purchase that expensive winter coat in one of your best colours, because you now have the confidence to spend that kind of money on an item, because you K N O W that the colour will go with everything you have from before, now that you've lived with your Season for three years already. Aunt Gladys complements you on how you look wearing the coat.

Year 5: Having donated all the items that don't vibe with your Season (aunt Gladys often wears the sweater you gave back to her, because everyone agrees it looks much better on her), you are happy with your slowly evolving small wardrobe and you don't have the same need for having an abundance of clothes to choose from, because the items that you own make you happy when you wear them. You discover that your shopping now consists of replacing items that are worn, not desperately running around shopping for this year's must-have according to the fashion magazines. You dress in your favourite clothes every day, and once in a while you find an item in one of your Season's colours that you haven't yet explored, and invest in it with the best feeling ever.

So James Clear has a point. I can get behind the five-year-plan of growing into your season.

What about you? How long do you feel you need in order to fully absorb and use your Season? Let me know in the comments.