The "dominant trait" method of personal color analysis.

When you read about personal color analysis, you'll often come across the term dominant trait.

We know - hopefully we know! - that color has three dimensions, and any given color can be described as being high or low in each of the three dimensions.  So a color can be

 - warm or cool in hue
 - light or dark in value
 - high or low in chroma (bright or soft) 

The palettes of each of the 12 seasons are harmonious within themselves. Any given palette can be said to show a dominant trait in its colors.

The Dark Winter and Dark Autumn palettes, for example, are predominantly dark, or low in value. The Bright Spring and Bright Winter palettes are predominantly bright, or high in chroma.

Now, some writers will suggest that you can identify a person's season by identifying the dominant (and secondary) traits of that person's coloring. You see this a lot online. I call it the "dominant trait" method of color analysis. 

The thinking goes like this: you can look at a person's skin, hair and eyes, and judge whether her personal coloring is mainly dark, light, soft, bright, cool or warm. Once you figure this out, you immediately have her narrowed down to two seasons. 

Unfortunately, personal color analysis doesn't work this way. If only it did!

Departure from this idea is part of what separates the followers of Kathryn Kalisz's teachings from other thinkers in the world of color analysis.

Season can't reliably be determined by identifying the "dominant trait" in someone's appearance. It can only be determined by identifying the traits that characterize the best colors for that person.

A Bright is not always obviously bright in personal coloring. A Dark is not always obviously dark. A Soft is not always obviously Soft. And so on.

A great example: Lupita Nyong'o.

Lupita Nyong'o. Try the "dominant trait" method of color analysis on her: what dominant trait do you see?

If you're using the "dominant trait" method to determine Ms. Nyong'o's season, you will likely think something like this:  
"Her skin tone is quite dark. Her eyes are very dark. Her hair is very dark. 'Dark' must be her dominant trait; she must be a Dark Autumn or Dark Winter."

But that's not right! 

Lupita Nyong'o: Not awesome in Dark Winter's dark, saturated blue...

...nor is Nyong'o fantastic in Dark Autum's dark, rich orange.

Her best colors are not dark and rich. Instead, she's most fantastic in super-bright hues.

The dominant trait of Ms. Nyong'o's best colors is brightness. 

Would you have looked at her face, hair, and eyes and called "brightness" the dominant trait of her personal coloring? Probably not easily. 

(This is one big problem with the "dominant trait" method of determining season:  it often results in women of color getting automatically, inaccurately slotted into Dark Autumn and Dark Winter.)

Avoid the "dominant trait" method of determining your own season. It may well lead you astray. Instead, focus on figuring out your best colors. You can do it.  :-)



First published in March 2014.