Portfolio Continued
Below find a excerpts from style and color advice prepared for Kigo Color & Style clients
This Dark Autumn client is an attorney with a serious, formal dress code. He is young and ambitious—and always wants to come across as competent without being tryhard.
I recommended suits and separates in murky, warmed navy as well as black olive. These tones read as professional, but their underlying warmth and earthiness will not create harsh or unforgiving contrast with his skin. When possible, I encouraged him to utilize earthy textiles such as tweed, wool, and cashmere, as the Dark Autumn palette’s beauty is fully realized in these textures.
Although his dress code limits his ability to experiment with fashion, there are a few safer areas to play with: portable “accessories” such as water bottles and headphones, as well as hidden elements like socks, which are only visible sporadically, but serve to harmonize a complete look.
Ties are another excellent place for professional men to dabble with fun color. My client selected a few burnt coral, garnet, and forest green options which drew attention to his eyes, cementing his trustworthy and grounded appearance.
This Light Summer client is a graduate student who wants to combine her love of the outdoors and playful nature with a more serious and mature element suited to her academic surroundings.
Her particular mix of activities—everything from leading recitations to studying in the library to rock-climbing and camping—begs for a closet mixing high and low elements. We envisioned a wardrobe that could be mix-and-matched effortlessly—so she could wear knitwear and tees with trousers to meet with her advisor, then swap the pants out for jeans or sweats later in the day.
She is also building a selection of outerwear in some of her light, bright power colors—aqua, coral pink, and pale yellow—as a jacket can instantly elevate a jeans-and-tee look.
Naturalistic jewelry, with rough-hewn and semiprecious stones, is a great touch to pull together simple outfits. My client had formerly thought of jewelry as a “special occasions only” element, but she realized that adding a little shine to her daily outfits gave them polish without compromising her comfort.
This Bright Spring client is an artist with a bold and sometimes chaotic personal energy. While the wardrobe advice I gave her celebrated her intense charisma, I aimed to distill what was most important to her: beautiful color combinations, showcasing her body, and connecting with her audience. By focusing up, we were able to channel her energy while making it legible to even the most judgmental of critics.
The artist had a long, sinewy physicality that I felt was best showcased using dramatic angles with some softness. She looked powerful when we emphasized her length—so I recommended many pairs of full length pants and sleeves. However, because she enjoyed showing skin, we played with peekaboo elements, off-the-shoulder styles, and cropped tops.
Because of her raw and powerful essence, my client had sometimes avoided jewelry and makeup, for fear of looking “girlish.” I showed her that long jewelry—drop earrings and lariat necklaces for example—could enhance what she loved about her style, adding another layer of excitement. As for makeup, she was delighted to see that Bright Springs wear a bold, editorial matte lip with an otherwise fresh face. This kind of makeup appealed to her love of playing with color, without being fussy.
This True Summer client works in a government office and wishes to dress for her body type (sharp, long) without looking too formal. I focused on finding outfits for her that preserved her long vertical line, while using angular, dramatic accessories to set off her bone structure and play into her personality.
She had often felt criticized for looking “boring,” but we found that her True Summer palette, with its easeful and cool harmony suited her just right. In the past, she had defaulted to exclusively navy and blue, so I showed her how to explore the medium blue and teal tones, as well as a host of rosy taupes and faded chocolates, to look less monotone. I also encouraged her to incorporate sharp, modern jewelry pieces for a touch of metallic zing to every outfit.
She feels comfortable wearing makeup—though not too much—so I showed her the best way to utilize tea rose and soft fuchsia tones in the lips and cheeks, along with optional ashy brown eye makeup when she has a little more time to get ready in the mornings.
From now on, she will not hide under oversized sweaters or relaxed silhouettes—and she will not feel pressured to mix in colors that do not jibe with her palette or her tastes.
This Dark Winter client is an educator with a very petite frame. One of her main concerns is that she is easily mistaken for her students! I advised her to shop exclusively from the Petites department. Even if a garment from non-Petites technically covers her body, her slim 4’11” frame needs overall compact cuts which celebrate her.
The details I recommended for my client were subtle ruching to emphasize her slender hourglass figure, skinny belts, and small geometrics in patterns and jewelry. Although the Dark Winter palette can have an antique, bohemian flair, this client prefers midcentury elegance. So we channeled the more ladylike, city-fied influences of the palette and embraced refined shades of pewter, garnet, navy, and plum.
One of the easiest ways to appear grown-up with a small stature is to always dress a half-step above your dress code. I advised her to avoid jeans in the workplace and replace them with slim-fit cropped pants. When selecting sweaters, rather than soft, loose shapes, she will wear clingy, smooth turtlenecks. Her best skirt and dress shapes draw attention to her small waist, and do not obscure the shape of her hips. Even something as “casual” as a jean jacket to wear on her commute should be a sharp bomber shape, not a boxy menswear-influenced one. Womanly shapes need not be oversized, draped, or flowy. Feminine details like ankle or wrist bands, small buttons, and small collars all emphasize a more grown-up appearance.
This Soft Summer client works in the justice system and needs comfortable clothing for her active days, as well as more streamlined classic looks for court days. At the same time, she has amoody, experimental flair to her style which I wanted to honor. Her palette is well-suited to this intersection of professionalism and edge. She already could identify some of her best blue and soft black shades in the wild, but after her Personal Color Analysis, discovered mauve, rose, light and deep greens, and metallics which could complement those basic shades.
Due to her petite stature, I recommended some twisty asymmetric styles which would not drown her in excess fabric. Flowing, transparent scarves can be looped and draped in unusual ways while allowing the shape of her body to be seen. Her uniform for active days is a blazer, tee, and jeans, so I showed her how to combine a variety of tones to make a basic outfit formula more dynamic and personal.
Jewelry looks mystical and slightly raw—either due to geometric shapes or earthy elements. Moonstones, labradorite, and Baroque pearls suit her cool sunset palette and look a little gothic.
For professional and night-out looks, I recommended a range of figure-hugging sheaths with asymmetric draping to accentuate her hips and her funky, festival-inspired personal style. Splashy, acid-dye inspired or watercolor prints in neutral hues read mature but edgy.
