Yes, ‘getting your coloured’ is making a comeback

Do you know what your colors are? The ’80s fashion trend is back thanks to a social media wave, so Seven Sharp tasked their ‘low-end fashion’ reporter Lucas de Jong to give it a try.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not into fashion. My wife helps or tries to help when I’m in the mood to let her help.

I inherited most of my wardrobe from a fashionable cousin from Wellington who moved to London early last year.

He knew colors. I don’t care. But people do care – people like Sophia Au of AEGI.

“Getting your color ready is really about finding the right colors for you and feeling confident wearing them,” she said.

Her Sydney-based consultancy has been brought to New Zealand to help launch Specsavers’ new eyewear range.

As I sat in a studio in Newmarket, with one of those ring lights screaming, ‘This is for social media,’ I felt like I was about to waste everyone’s time. However, Au made it very clear: everyone has colors.

The concept is simple: which colors, whether in clothing, hair or accessories, suit you best.

“We go through fabrics for clothing colors,” Au said. “We go over makeup and hair recommendations, and we throw in some theory as well.”

If you succeed, the promised rewards are monumental. You can look younger, get rid of imperfections and even change the way your face is perceived with stronger jawlines or lighter under eyes.

After a quick scan of my face, Au pointed out that I’m probably a “summer.”

You would think there are four seasons. You’d be wrong. There are twelve of them, so being a summer is just the first phase.

As Au flipped through the different color swatches on my chest, it was easy to see why she was a pro. Although I could see colors that might ‘suit’ me, for her it was all about the details.

“Don’t look at the color, just look at the effect on your face. It makes your skin look shiny, as if it is glowing from within. But when I turned it to the next one, it became more boring.”

One color accentuated my under eyes. Another framed my face well. Some just made me look flushed.

But Au was a master at saying insulting things about my image that didn’t seem offensive.

“Never wear this color,” was often said.

After twenty minutes of nodding and smiling while pretending I knew what she was talking about, I started to believe it.

It turns out that I am a “light summer.” Pastel pink, blue and green tones with bright white suit me best.

And without sounding too confident, I think so. I could see an improvement.

Au has given me an electronic tag that I can scan to remind me which colors work the next time I’m cruising the high street, which, if you ask my wife, should happen soon. We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.

I have since texted my cousin and told him that I am learning and taking my first step towards being “fashionable.”

I also asked that he only buy “light summer colors” from now on, because I’m looking forward to shopping in his wardrobe again.