My House of Color Style Analysis Experience
I had my style consultation done approximately 3 months after I did my color analysis, and boy am I glad I did it! Knowing your best colors is only one piece of the puzzle; also know what style (meaning fit, patterns, fabric, texture, etc) flatters your body is a game changer.
I feel like I still learning and growing into my style, partially because it takes time to really get to the point of having a closet that only has items that make you feel great. But, knowing both color and style has made shopping a lot easier — although that seems backwards, I can narrow down my search and focus on certain stores/brands and colors when I shop. I can easily walk into a store or scroll a website and do a quick scan for both color and style. At this point, I have certain brands I gravitate to that consistently carry items in both my color AND style.
My main take-away’s from my style class were:
Knowing my best rise of pants, dress/skirt shapes and necklines
Knowing why I DON’T love certain styles; this has allowed me to avoid wasting money on trends that look cute on others, but I know aren’t right for me. Things I now avoid are heavy soled shoes (I’m looking at you, lug sole trend), flowy/baggy/oversized dresses and tops, and large scale patterns in general.
Understanding why I prefer more simple jewelry. I love how statement jewelry looks at others, but I know that 9/10 times I will reach for gold jewelry over something with color. Now I am more willing to spend more on classic items (Kendra Scott is my favorite brand as a classic ingenue), and I don’t waste my money on large scale statement necklaces or earrings anymore.
Understanding what points of interest are and how they can quickly elevate a look without looking like “too much”. This is also where scale comes in. I feel and look most put together when I have 9 (yes, NINE!) points of interest, but they need to be classic and feminine. Simple things like belts, shoes, jewelry, headbands, handbags, jackets can all elevate my outfits that would otherwise be too boring for me.
My clothing personality is a classic ingenue, which means I like quality, structured items that are neat and feminine. While I can do some plain (classic) things, I feel best when I add something extra - like the points of interest I mentioned. I also prefer when my clothing has some sort of detail, like a ruffle, pleat, or pattern. However, those needs to be relatively small scale or I just look and feel messy or overwhelmed.
If you are prepping for an upcoming style session, here are a few tips from my perspective as a client:
Go into it with an open mind. You may have an idea of what style you would be based on what you like on others, but also consider that your body structure and proportions may differ from those people. Body architecture is a factor in determining your style.
Be really honest with yourself about the questionnaire portion of your session. You will answer questions about your lifestyle and how you want to be perceived.
Really think about the clothes that you love and feel your best in. Don’t limit yourself to clothing that is in your season. By that, I mean if you have a dress in your closet you feel like a million bucks in, bring it or show a photo of yourself in it.
Similar to #3, be really honest about what you have that you either try on but never leave the house or things you have worn but then felt uncomfortable or didn’t like how you looked in it. Being able to eliminate styles is just as helpful as defining your best style.
Here is a summary of what style analysis is and what to expect, directly from the HOC website
Still not sure if/what style is or how its helpful, here are a few frequently asked questions and my thoughts from a client viewpoint ~18 months post-style class.
FAQ
Q: How do they determine your style?
A: The House of Color method is a combination of three things. Your consultant will consider all of these factors when revealing your clothing personality.
1) Body Architecture: your body will be measured a number of different ways and your consultant will look at your overall shape. Things like how long your legs are compared to torso, how wide your hips are compared to your bust, etc. will factor in to your style.
2) Personality: during my session, we spend some time completing a quiz related to our personality. This helps your consultant understand where you fall in the yin vs yang scale.
3) Lifestyle: an assessment of your lifestyle and where you spend your time is also a factor. For me, I prioritized what my work related lifestyle is since most of my closet and time is spent in work clothes. Outside of work, I’m typically in athleisure.
Q: Did you have to do it in person like color analysis?
A: Unlike color analysis, style sessions can be done virtually. I personally did mine in person with Amy at HOC Des Moines and am glad I had that option. I did mine in a small group (there were 3 of us) and I didn’t know the others, but it was fun to learn about their styles too. The in person session took most of the day, but it was a day well spent!
Q: Do you have to have your colors done before doing your style?
A: Nope! They are completely different services with different outcomes. Knowing both is super helpful, but it doesn’t matter which one you do first. Your seasons also doesn’t impact your style. I do think the services are extremely complimentary, so if you are doing either for the purpose of streamlining your wardrobe or making shopping easier, I highly recommend doing both!
Let me know in the comments what questions you have about style analysis or if you’ve had it done what you found to be most helpful!
