A civil engineer, an AI startup executive, a marketer, a journalist and a nurse practitioner — all strangers — gathered Tuesday night inside a sunlit studio in the Marina to learn which colors look best on them. Each wondered: Were they a winter, autumn, spring or summer?
“Please don’t tell me that gold isn’t my color,” said Rahaf Ebbini, a 29-year-old account executive at Sanas, an AI startup. Her necklace, rings, six earrings and seven bangles were all yellow gold. Ebbini thought the metal looked good on her, but she wasn’t 100% sure. So she signed up for stylist Lili Henry’s color analysis party, an event that promised to reveal clients’ “best colors” and make “putting together different outfits a dream.”
Michelle McNamara, 33, a marketing executive from Pacific Heights, looked confident dressed in a hot-pink T-shirt. “I’ve assumed that I’m a winter for a long, long time,” she said, gripping her pink notebook. “I wear a lot of bright colors.” (It turns out, she is a true summer.)
Welcome to the Tiktok-trending world of professional color analysis, where experts scrutinize skin, eye and hair color, before categorizing a client as one of the four seasons, then subcategorize according to undertones and overtones, determining whether there’s more blue (cool) or yellow (warm) in the person’s complexion. Henry diagnosed me as a light summer; you may be a deep spring or a true autumn.
Once you know your type, you’re matched with a personalized palette, for a go-to guide to outfit planning and future purchases, along with a better understanding of what shades and hues accentuate your features.
This is a second go-around for the color analysis trend, which was massive in the 1980s, thanks to “Color Me Beautiful” — a faddish book by Carole Jackson that suggested that you, too, could have the perfect job or boyfriend if you just improved your color know-how. “Our work is more than a job. It is a calling,” wrote Jackson. The trend soon went the way of shoulder pads and perms, but it has resurged over the last year thanks to floating-head TikTok filters and ChatGPT’s Colorbot.
While the filters and AI-bots are entertaining, they’re not especially accurate; hence, IRL experts like Henry, a certified image consultant from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Henry grew up in France and made her way to San Francisco in 2015. While color analysis has always been a key part of her personal styling work, she launched her parties in 2023. “I had so many inquiries, and I thought, why not?” she said.
Henry hosts events like the studio party in the Marina about six times a month, charging $150 per person and capping attendance at six. “When people say an item isn’t working, they often think it’s the fit, but it’s usually the color,” she said. “It can either overpower you or wash you out.”
‘The results are life-changing’
After a brief presentation on color theory, Henry began with McNamara. She pulled her hair back, draped a white piece of cloth across her chest and angled a large mirror so the client could view the process. Step one was figuring out her undertone. Henry held cardboard swatches adorned with ribbons next to McNamara’s face, flicking them back and forth. “You’re definitely cool,” she said. “See how there’s more harmony with your face?”
Next came the most Instagrammable step: the draping. Covering McNamara like a candy wrapper, Henry layered her with fabrics dyed in rainbow hues to provide before-and-after comparisons. First, a light-pink fabric square was laid across McNamara, then a darker, warmer pink swatch atop that. Henry peeled them back and forth, flip-book style. “What do you think?”
McNamara looked torn. She preferred the darker shade, she said — it was similar to her top — but maybe the lighter one looked better on her?
The other guests nodded in agreement.
“The darker shade is overpowering,” confirmed Henry. “It’s wearing you.”
“My face gets clearer with the lighter pink,” agreed McNamara. “It’s crazy.”
Henry enjoys hosting group events, she said, because clients are less resistant to her suggestions after they impartially observe her color-matching someone else. In color as in other realms of fashion, it’s easier to see what does and doesn’t look good on another person.
There’s a huge demand for color analysis in Silicon Valley, said Kerry Jones, founder of the consultancy Indigo Tones, who identifies as a light summer. Jones charges $375 for a two-hour private session and $325 for groups of three. Around 30% of her Bay Area clients are men hoping for a professional and dating boost. “They come to me because they want to look more put-together,” she said.
Techies are inherently data-driven, she said, and enjoy learning the science behind the process; she follows Munsell’s color theory system, which zeroes in on value and hue, combined with impressionistic complementary color theory.
But even if you’re 100% committed to your palette, fashion doesn’t always oblige. “I’ve had trouble finding ‘my’ purples for years,” said Jones. “Now it’s in style again, I’ve bought a purple blouse, a purple skirt. It’s wonderful.”
Companies have been reaching out for team-building exercises; Jones has color-analyzed Googlers at their San Francisco office, placing each techie in front of her full-spectrum light kit (good lighting is essential for color analysis). “When you wear colors that harmonize with your natural skin tone, hair color and eyes, the results are life-changing,” she said.
At Abby Young Styling in Los Altos Hills, clients include entrepreneurs, C-suite execs and stay-at-home moms, each paying $290 to $575 for a color analysis session. For some, it’s their second time on the color train. “As we age, our skin loses pigment, and we recommend testing your colors every 10 years,” said Young.
But why can’t people figure out their colors on their own?
It’s really hard, explained Nicole Ng, a 26-year-old data scientist from Hayes Valley. A former competitive ballroom dancer, Ng had trouble identifying flattering performance makeup; cool purples looked bad, and warm-toned foundation “made me look too yellow.”
So during Covid lockdowns, Ng trained in the Korean personal color system, which classifies colors by hue, value and chroma, and aligns them with the four seasons. “It’s more inclusive, since hair and eye colors can be similar within ethnic groups,” she said. Ng leveraged her expertise into a startup, Colors of Hue, which will open for bookings in September, priced at $200 for a private session and $150 for a color party. Many Gen Zers have already inquired, she said — they’re anxious to hit the right “tone” in their wardrobes.
When your hues don’t feel like you
After 90 minutes, every person at Henry’s party was color-matched and had received a two-sided handout detailing their palettes. Tiny colorful squares adorned one side; the other featured advice on hair colors, makeup and jewelry to suit their personal season. “I can refer you to a hairdresser that knows my system,” Henry informed the group.
The session had its share of surprises. Ebbini, now officially a deep winter, was relieved that gold and silver jewelry both work for her season. So, thankfully, does her beloved black — “It’s like half my wardrobe,” she said. But she was conflicted over the hair recommendations, which ruled out red, a color she regularly returns to.
Emily Gray, a 29-year-old nurse practitioner and a soft autumn, was disappointed to learn that lavender, one of her favorite colors, isn’t good for her complexion. Still, she felt validated that “many of the scrubs I already wear are in my color palette, so it makes sense why I gravitate to them.”
McNamara, on the other hand, was headed straight to Sephora to stock up on lipsticks and eyeshadows in her new palette. As for her hot-pink tee … it won’t be going to Goodwill just yet.
That’s totally fine, said Henry. Color analysis is a fun addition to personal style, she noted, but “at the end of the day, you also want to wear what makes you happy.”