Does Black Color Suit You?

According to the theory of the four seasons, the dark shade is far from flattering all skin tones. Here’s why.

What if black was a false friend? It is commonly believed that this color, which is not a color, is a safe bet. Even more, it is considered a stylistic no-fault. A reputation that we owe to the revered masters of good taste such as Coco Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent, who have constantly promoted it. To the point of metamorphosing the color of mourning of Western culture in the color of universal elegance. This belief is actually not unanimous.

The radical tone does not suit everyone, quite the contrary, if we believe the precepts of colorimetry. Born in the early twentieth century, theorized by Johannes Itten, professor at the Bauhaus art school, this science of color is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity among some image consultants, and on TikTok. A discipline that challenges the authority of black

Four seasons

Applied to beauty, colorimetry is based on skin tone, hair color and eye color to give each person a rewarding chromatic palette. One of the leading personalities in this field, the American Suzanne Caygill, has synthesized these color correspondences in the form of the theory of the four seasons. In her work The Essence of you in 1980, she distinguishes the people "spring" to which correspond fresh colors, the "summer" to the soft tones, the "autumn" to the more flamboyant palette and finally, the type "winter" to the pale and contrasted tonalities. It emerges that black is not universal: muted and deep, it is only recommended for the winter category, to which it brings intensity and character.

However, Suzanne Caygill admits some exceptions. Indeed, the four seasons can be declined in twelve more precise profiles, some of which can wear black without risk. In the pages of The Essence of you, we learn that when it is more lacquered and shiny, it can be used: "On the 'spring' when the hair is light and the skin is glossy; for the 'summer', when the skin is pale and the lines used are soft; for the 'autumn', when the skin is very light coffee color." Outside of these special cases, black is to be avoided because it hardens or dulls the features. What to think twice before giving in to the gothic look like Wednesday Addams.