Growing up, Kyla Brown watched her mother and grandmother, two women who loved fashion and color, lose their spark as they went through abusive relationships. They became women Brown no longer recognized, and with that also came a shift in their personal style. Fashion, which was once a tool of self-expression for them, was left behind as they focused on surviving instead of thriving.

Now her grandmother, who is 88 and is suffering with Alzheimer's, may not always remember names or faces, but she has not forgotten how to put an outfit together.

“It's so innate,” Brown said. “She won't always remember my name, but she will always say ‘let me see your outfit, what are you wearing,’ and it just brings her joy.”

Brown's mother is now rediscovering herself after her divorce, reconnecting with her personal style and the freedom to wear whatever she wants. As an accountant, she’s now showing up to work sparkling in sequined outfits.

“She's showing up to work, and people are getting to know who she really is,” Brown said. “She's making new friends. I love it.”

Brown has been surrounded by fashionistas, who use color to express themselves, her whole life, which is why understanding color and fashion has become her passion. She now works as a style coach and a color analyst based in New York, and has seen how color can transform someone’s life for the better.

She said that a seasonal color analysis allows people to wear colors that allow them to express themselves to the world.

“I think it's really powerful when you learn how to signal things about yourself before you even speak,” Brown said. “I’m going to talk to people, I love people, but I love that I can walk through a room, and people can get an idea of who I am.”

Seasonal color analysis or “getting your colors done” has gotten a lot of attention recently because of social media. Last year, Jisoo of the South Korean girl group BLACKPINK, uploaded a video of her color analysis consultation at Color Place in Seoul, South Korea, which gained over 3.1 million views. Since then people have shared on social media videos documenting their trips to South Korea where they get a color analysis done at the same place Jisoo did.

Claire Choi, owner of Colorbrity in Los Angeles, which opened in August, is a certified color analyst from South Korea. She said that color analysis is a very common practice in South Korea and she is glad that it is getting attention in the United States.

Colorbrity opened in August 2024 in Koreatown, Los Angeles. / Photo by Samira Felix

“I'm so proud of it, and I really want to spread it out more,” Choi said.

This trend has only grown and people are continuing to share videos of their color analysis consultations in South Korea and in the United States, using filters to determine their season and a lot of color analysts have also gone to social media to share their expertise. But, while color analysis has gained a lot of attention lately, it is not new.

Johannes Itten, a color theorist in the 20th century, was one of the first to link emotions to colors and explore the impact of colors on an individual's mood. He also divided colors into two categories: warm and cool, which is now used in color analysis.

The concept is detailed in Color Me Beautiful by Carol Jackson published in 1973. She divides, seasonal color analysis into four seasons: winter, summer, autumn and spring, as a guide for clothing and makeup.

“You can wear almost every color; it's the shade and intensity that count,” Jackson said in her book.

What is Color Analysis

A color analysis is most accurately done under natural daylight or white light because it provides the most balanced representation of colors on a person's skin tone, the most important factor in determining someone's colors.

The tone of your skin is determined by three pigments, melanin (brown), carotene (yellow) and hemoglobin (red). Melanin levels determine how light or dark your skin is, while the balance of these pigments influences your overall undertone.

To determine someone's undertones color analysts use the draping technique which is holding colored fabrics against the face to see how the colors look with a person's skin tone. Warm undertones look best in colors like yellow, orange or red. Cool undertones look best in colors like blue, purple and green. Neutral undertones are a mix of both warm and cool tones.

The draping station at Colorbrity is next to natural light, an important step in this process. / Photo by Samira Felix

In addition to undertones hue, value, chroma, and contrast also play an important role in color analysis. Hue refers to the actual color name. Value signifies the lightness or darkness of a color. Chroma is the intensity or purity of a color. A high chroma color is vibrant and saturated, while a low chrome color is muted and dull. Contrast is the difference between two colors. High contrast means that two colors are very different, while low contrast colors are similar.

“My color, your color, another woman's coloring, it's going to be different, honestly the same way we have fingerprints, it can be that unique, but we all fall into 12 categories,” Brown said.

In the seasonal color analysis system, each season includes three subcategories:

The Impact of a Color Analysis

Sierra Foley, a digital creator and actress, recently got a color analysis in Los Angeles because she was not getting any call backs and she thought it could be because of her headshots, which to her did not make her stand out at all.

“I kind of just started researching a little bit more about it, and decided that I was extremely interested, and went down a rabbit hole of just like watching so many videos about it,” Foley said.

Before going into the appointment Foley believed she was cool toned because she is very light skinned. She knew that lighter colors did not look great on her because they washed her out. With this knowledge she had naturally begun transitioning her closet to warmer tones.

“I'm very pale, so things wash me out really easily," Foley said. "I just started, figuring out from people telling me also my own eye of this just looks better on me (warmer colors), I feel more glowy, I don't feel like, my bags are popping as much, and I felt more confident in those colors. So I slowly started changing my wardrobe to match that.”

The consultation confirmed that she was on the right track with warm tones. Ultimately she was told that she has warm undertones and her seasonal palette is muted autumn. During the consultation the color analyst did a hair analysis, which helps determine which hair colors look best. Foley, who has blonde hair, was told that brunette, which is her natural hair color, looks better on her. A few weeks later she got her hair dyed to a sandy brunette.

“Now that I know my palette, I can take that first step and just like finding the cute little things that make me feel confident and pretty and feminine,” Foley said.

The Psychology of Colors

Colors are more than just a visual stimulus, it can affect people's moods and behaviors. Colors can be linked to certain emotions, which can influence our mood. According to Mental Health America, bright warm colors like red, orange and yellow can stimulate energy and happiness, while cool, subdued colors like blue, green and purple are soothing and calming.

Many colors are associated with different moods. Michelle Lewis, a color psychologist and owner of Color Cure said that understanding color analysis helps you diagnose your day and decide what colors to wear.

“Maybe you need a little jolt of energy so you're going to pick red, or you need to stay calm in a stressful business meeting, you're going to choose a teal or a blue,” Lewis said.

She added that color analysis does limit people, but instead they can choose the shades of colors that fit them best.

The Evolving Nature of Color Analysis

Color analysts like Choi offer in-person consultations that provide a comprehensive analysis of a client's unique coloring. By draping clients in various fabrics, Choi can accurately determine their skin undertones, eye color, and hair color.

Claire Choi offers a presentation explaining how color analysis works before draping begins. / Photo by Samira Felix

She does not offer virtual sessions because to her it is not just about skin tone, but also about makeup, eye color, hair color and skin tone under natural light. She added that undertones can not easily be determined by the color of one’s veins.

Other analysts like Brown and Lewis offer virtual consultations as well as in-person consultations.

Brown added that if someone follows the directions of standing in front of a window with neutral light and a neutral background and no makeup they can still do a virtual color analysis.

Lewis said virtual consultations are possible as long as the analyst has the tools necessary to analyze their customers' photos. Having a color calibrated screen is an important step in doing virtual consultations to Lewis.

Overall the decision whether to have a virtual or in-person consultation lies on each person's decisions of the type of experience they want from a color analysis.

The Skepticism Around Color Analysis

Although many people love their results and gain confidence knowing their palette, others do not understand the concept of color analysis. The videos that people share on social media regarding their analysis often have comments like “There is no truth to it,” “I hate this trend,” “I don't see a difference” or “Wear whatever you want.”

While no scientific research definitively proves the effectiveness of color analysis, Lewis said color analysis is one of the most powerful tools for helping people see how color can change their lives.

"I find that people really, really love it, whether it's coming on and using some of my Tiktok filters, or doing an in-person session,” Lewis said. “They love knowing what's going to work best for them, and it's so exciting seeing them get excited about it, and then seeing their wardrobe gradually change over the next six months to a year.”

And color analysis is just a guide, not a rule book, Brown said.

“You don't have to stick to it,” Brown said. “You don't have to run your life with it.