Carole Jackson (b. 1942)[1] is a former color consultant who developed seasonal color analysis, a system of advising which colors a person should wear to look their most attractive based on their skin tone.[2][3]
Carole Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 (age 81–82) |
Color Me Beautiful
edit1970s
editJackson developed the system in the 1970s after studying with Gerry Pinkney in California. Gerry was teaching the Suzanne Caygill Method. color theory After this training she went home and wrote Color Me Beautiful (1980), which was a bestseller in the early 1980s.[4][5][3][6] By 1983 it was in its 31st printing; as of 2014 the book was still in print.[7][8] Jackson's system was based on the work of Johannes Itten,[9][10] [Suzanne Caygill],Belle Northrup, and Harriet Tilden McJimsey.[7]
She created a consulting business to advise people which colors to wear in Bedford, New York, then moved it to McLean, Virginia, and licensed the system to other consultants.[2] The concept became popular; it was not uncommon for people to ask one another, "Have you had your colors done?"[3][8] GQ likened knowing what 'your color' was in the 1980s to knowing your astrological sign.[11] According to the Washington Post, in 1982 the company grossed $2.5M.[8]
The color analysis system divides people into four seasonal groups based on their skin tones, with each group advised to wear a certain palette of colors. Winters and summers were those with skin undertones of blue, while springs and autumns had undertones of yellow.[2] Winters are advised to wear rich saturated colors such as black, white, true red, fuschia, and cobalt blue. Autumns are advised to wear brown, burnt orange, olive green, deep teal and maroon. Summers are advised to wear dusty rose, grey, cornflower blue, lavender and taupe. Springs are advised to wear coral, bright teal, gold, camel and lime green.[5][10] Jackson described herself as a winter.[3] Jackson further split people into style personalities, a concept from McJimsey's work, giving advice on dressing to enhance body type and facial shape.[7][6]
2020s
editThe concept of color analysis received new attention in the early 2020s, becoming a viral phenomenon on TikTok.[12][4][5][13]
Reception
editGQ in 2023 called Color Me Beautiful "seminal".[11]
Criticism of Jackson's work in the 80s included arguments that "Any woman can wear black".[14] Criticism in the 2020s includes that the book uses dated language surrounding gender and that the original book focussed mostly on white people and assigned all people of color to the winter category.[9][15]
Personal life
editJackson is the daughter of Jean Elizabeth Halliburton, a journalist, and Arnold Stevens.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Jackson, Carole, 1942- - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ a b c Brown, Betsy (17 July 1983). "The Search for One's Own True Colors". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Doonan, Simon (2001-01-08). "Bring Back Nancy Red!". Observer. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b Van Paris, Calin (2023-08-25). "How This Retro Beauty Theory Became the Latest TikTok Craze". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b c Gruber, Lauren (31 January 2023). "This Shopping Guide Will Help You Master TikTok's Color Analysis Trend". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Megan (2015-08-27). "A 'Color Me Beautiful' Life". Racked. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b c "Color Me Beautiful: 1980s Fashion Nightmare". Style Syntax. 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b c Krucoff, Carol (16 May 1983). "Coloring Themselves Terrific". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b DiFiore, Paige. "I spent $130 to get my colors professionally analyzed and learned I've been wearing the wrong shades my entire life". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b Burton, David (January 1984). "Applying Color". Art Journal. 37 (1): 40–43. doi:10.2307/3192794. JSTOR 3192794.
- ^ a b Hudson, Greg (2023-06-14). "I Tried Seasonal Color Analysis, the '80s Fashion Trend Taking Over TikTok". GQ. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Holtermann, Callie (5 April 2024). "Are You a 'Spring' or a 'Winter'? It Could Cost You $500 to Find Out". The New York Times.
- ^ Bans, Lauren (3 November 2023). "Are You a Soft Summer, Cool Summer, or Golden Spring?". Airmail News. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Back to Black". Chicago Tribune. 1985-10-23. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Judkis, Maura (28 August 2021). "What hue looks best on you? Color analysis is back to help us obsess over who we are". The Kansas City Star.
- ^ "Jean E. Halliburton". Dignity Memorial. 2011.