How to Create Your Spring Color Story

Show Notes

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Podcast Transcript

Sarai
I'm Sarai.

Haley
And I'm Haley.

Sarai
And this is Seamwork Radio.

Welcome back to Seamwork Radio, where we share practical ideas for building a creative process so you can sew with intention and joy.

And today we're talking about how to create your spring color story. So we're going to cover a five step process for creating a seasonal color palette that integrates with your current wardrobe.

All right, so our icebreaker for today, Haley, is there a color that you will absolutely not wear?

Haley
A color that I do not feel very good in—I think other people look great in this color—but it's like a true purple. I call it laker purple.

Sarai
I call it wizard purple.

Haley
Yeah, I love that. There's no offense meant towards Lakers fans or wizards out there that are listening to the day.

Sarai
Some of my best friends are wizards.

Haley
But it’s a color that I just feel really obvious in. I don't know how to describe it other than that. Also, I feel like it wears me. I'm comfortable in other shades of purple, like, I like a lilac or something like that, but wizard purple doesn't do it for me.

What about you? What's your no-go color?

Sarai
I think I'll wear most colors. There aren't a lot of colors that I really try and stay away from. I think maybe, like, a yellow tone that is too close to my skin color doesn't make me feel great, makes me feel a little bit sickly.

Maybe like an acid green, like a bright neon color like, that is probably not something I would wear. Even other neon colors I might actually wear, but maybe like an acid green or, like a highlighter yellow, I probably would not feel great in.

Haley
A funny story about yellow. One time I made a yellow Georgia dress for a sewalong that we were filming, and so it was Sienna and I in the office filming this, so then I sewed the whole thing. We filmed all of it, and then at the end of this day, I put on the dress so we can get some B-roll shots of it. And when I put it on and came out, she was like, “oh.”

I looked in the mirror. I was like, yeah, I've never seen a color so bad on me. It was like a true yellow color. I was like, I guess I don't think lipstick is going to fix this.

Sarai
Yellow is a tricky one.

Haley
I think it's hard for a lot of people, if I'm being honest. I think a lot of people with pale complexions can struggle with that one.

Sarai
Yeah, it can be a challenging color to wear, but some people look amazing in it.

Haley
Yeah. It either loves you or it hates you.

Sarai
Yeah. I feel like, I feel fine in most other colors. Yellow, it has to be the right shade or it doesn't work for me.

Well, give us your icebreaker for a future episode. You can leave it at seamwork.com/go/icebreakers. If you're a Seamwork member, that'll take you to a thread in our community where you can leave your icebreaker for us and we will use it on a future episode.

All right, so let's get into our topic for today. So when a new season arises, you can often feel this urge to kind of reinvent yourself and to refresh everything in your closet. I definitely feel this way when spring starts. I'm so eager for spring to start, usually every year, that I just cannot wait to wear those spring clothes. And I just want to redo everything, everything in my closet, everything in my life. It's a time of refreshing, and I think a lot of people feel that way about spring, but I think doing an overhaul like that every single time there's a new season can really lead to a lot of decision fatigue and a lot of confusion and maybe even planning too much.

Either planning too much to sew or buying too much stuff. It can just lead to a lot of problems if you do this every single time a new season rolls around, obviously.

So how do you capture this inspiration while also grounding it in your current personal style, in your current wardrobe? So that's what we're going to be talking about today. And if you're listening to this in the Southern Hemisphere, you can either bookmark this episode for spring or use the tips for your current seasons palette. I think the tips will be universal no matter what season you're starting right now.

All right, well, let's talk about spring. Do you have a spring palette or any favorite colors that you really like to wear in the spring?

Haley
I think that the colors I lean into the most in the spring—this is probably true for summer as well, are blues, and whites are probably my tried and true for spring, especially because we here in the Pacific Northwest, it's still, like, pretty gloomy. I still am wearing a lot of denim, but I try to brighten it up by wearing less black and switching to a lot more white, like wearing a white linen button up with my jeans, things like that. But white and blue are always in there.

Sarai
Yeah. My spring palette, which is right here behind us here, has a lot of blue in it. I love blue. I love blue year round.

For me, I have sort of a baseline throughout the whole year. I wear a lot of black, a lot of white, and cream, and I also wear a lot of blue throughout the year in a lot of denim. And then for spring specifically, I'll lean a little bit more towards the whites and creams. I will definitely wear a lot of blue. I also love pink, and I love the way pink and blue look together, so I always end up wearing a lot of pink in the spring also.

And then other colors I will kind of mix in more on a one-off basis, but I feel like those are really my tried and true spring colors for sure. But I love a light blue in the spring. I just think it's so pretty, and it really makes you think of the sky and look forward to those clear days that are few and far between in reality, here in the Northwest.

Haley
Yeah, I like light blue. I think I tend to lean towards more of, like, a mid-denim blue, but I definitely have a few light blue pieces that I love to wear, especially when I’m mixing denims, which is always my fave to do.

Sarai
I'm really inspired by all the flowers that bloom in the spring, so those colors really appeal to me.

Haley
Sarai, do you adhere to any color theories?

Sarai
Like color seasons and things like that?

Haley
I don't know if there's other color theories you're into.

Sarai
No. We've talked about this on other episodes. I've never really explored them in any depth, so I've looked at them a little bit, and I think they're really interesting, but I don't really know enough about them to really adhere to any of them. I tend to more base my color choices on the colors that have worked for me in the past and kind of have my own individual color palette that I like, but I by no means stick to wholeheartedly.

What about you?

Haley
I'm kind of the same. I'm like color-theory curious, but I just know what I look good in and what I feel good in. Although one of my friends is really into color theory and color seasons and things, and when I was over at her apartment last month, she was trying to figure out what I was because I have a fairly neutral skin tone, so she was draping fabrics over my chest and having me stand in front of her window so she could figure out if I was warm or cool toned.

And I think that she landed on me being pretty neutral but cool leaning.

And I would say that naturally, those are kinds of the colors that I'm drawn to. I don't shy away from warm colors. But the warm colors I do integrate tend to be softer warm colors, soft colors in general. In the fall and winter, it's, like, soft, moody. In the spring. Summer, it's, like, soft and light, I would say.

I don't wear a lot of true colors. You won't see me in tons of primary colors or the secondary colors. I like things that are a little muddy.

That's just like my Haley color theory. I do adhere to actual color theory of what looks good together.

Sarai
Yeah.

Haley
And I like playing with the color wheel, playing with complementary colors or more monochromatic looks. I think that the color wheel and the color theory I learned in design school is fun to play with.

Sarai
Yeah, I like those muddy colors, too. But I also like some true colors, like true red. And I think part of that is because I have more high contrast between my hair and my skin, like, darker hair and fairly light skin. Not super light skin, but fairly light. And I think that can look pretty good with a brighter color. But I am drawn towards more muted colors. Again, it's about what you like and what feels comfortable for you a lot of times, and not necessarily what other people say you should or shouldn't be wearing.

Haley
Totally. That is one thing I do subscribe to, though, is, like, paying attention to value and how high contrast you are and dressing kind of accordingly. I'm more of a mid contrast person, so I feel like when I'm in something very high contrast or graphic, it really wears me, and that's something I try to generally avoid.

I like to be on equal, playing ground with my clothing. I'm the boss.

Is there, like, a particular seasonal palette that you tend to gravitate towards the most?

Sarai
Well, I think what you were saying about white and blue, I think that is probably for spring. That's kind of my baseline, blue and white. I feel like in the fall, it's kind of similar, but maybe with a little bit more browns and camels in it. So I feel like I kind of rotate between those throughout the year.

Haley
Do you feel like you favor, like, spring over fall or winter over? You have, like, a favorite season?

Sarai
No, I like them all. I love fall. I love spring. I love summer winters. It can be a little tricky just because of the weather, but even that, I'm kind of getting into. So, yeah, I don't really have a favorite. I try to appreciate each one for what it is.

Haley
That's so zen of you. I don't. It's not that I dislike any of the seasons. I feel like I favor fall and spring the most. I like those kind of transitional seasons. I think that there's something very precious to me about the shift in energy that happens those times of year. In summer, we're kind of, like, settled into our aliveness, the buzzing activity. In winter, we get really settled into retreating, and that's when I get a little antsy. But also, I just like fall and spring color palettes. I think that those are really fun, and I'm always excited to play with them when that time of year rolls around.

Sarai
Yeah, it definitely feels like the times of year when there is the most change, and you're kind of more focused on the transition between seasons, so it definitely feels that way.

Haley
And when we get there, I'm like, I'm too busy. I'm too busy in my garden in the summer to be in it.

Sarai
What I love about summer clothing is that it's so easy because I'm not wearing a ton of stuff. So it's usually, like, throw on a pair of shorts, throw on a shirt, throw on sandals, I'm done. Or throw on a dress and sandals, and I'm done.

Haley
It's, like, less laundry, too.

Sarai
Yeah, it's easy, and it's just all about comfort.

Haley
Yeah, that's so true.

Okay, let's get into some of these tips on creating your own spring color palette.

I will kick us off with tip number one, and that is to identify your constants. And so this can really bethe colors that you're going to, for some people, that you're going to wear regardless of season. Or you can even look at your closet and pull out the things that you know are your tried and true spring basics.

One exercise that can be really helpful to do is pull out all of the garments that you know you're going to wear a lot in spring. Just there's no way around it. The existing things in your wardrobe, lay them out on your bed and take a picture, and you can use, like, the eyedropper tool to grab the colors off of them. I think sometimes our idea of what we actually wear and the idea of what we do wear can be a little bit different, and you'll have a little bit more accurate representation of those colors to play with once you start trying to mix some new things in.

So that can be a really fun exercise to do.

Sarai
Yeah, it's been really helpful to me, too. And then once you've done that, the next step is to figure out where those fit into the categories of neutrals, basics, and statement colors.

So neutrals, basics, and statement colors are a way to kind of divide up the palette in your wardrobe to make sure that you have a balance that's versatile enough for you while still making whatever kind of statement that you want to make with your palette and with your wardrobe that season. So you've got neutrals, which could be things like black, white, cream, those kinds of real basic neutral colors.

And then basics are those things that have more color to them, but they still mix with a lot of other colors. So things like camel or navy are considered kind of those classic basics.

And then statement colors are those colors that you add in to add a little bit more pizzazz and personality into your wardrobe. And they don't necessarily have to be bright colors. They could be more soft colors, but they're the ones that are the easiest to kind of swap in and out for each season.

So for me personally, I found it really helpful to have certain neutrals that I pretty much stick to and then swap in and out the statement colors.

And then sometimes even the basics colors can change with the seasons. So that's a really helpful way of framing it. And for most people, you'll end up more heavy on the neutrals or the basics than you will on the statement colors.

The reason for that is that your wardrobe is going to be a lot more versatile if you have a lot more of those mix and match colors than the statement colors, which are things that might not go with everything. And then defining what is a basic color versus a statement color, that can be a little bit tricky.

So it's really for you. What are the colors that you feel comfortable mixing with a lot of other colors? So, for example, navy mixes well with a lot of other colors. That, for me, would be a basic for some people, like a really pale pink could be a basic because you feel like it goes with almost everything else in your closet. So defining that is really up to you as well.

Haley
Yeah, totally. I think it's so relative to what your personal style is when you're defining neutrals, basics, and statements for yourself.

So once you've done the work of identifying what you currently are working with and then dividing that into your neutrals, basics, and statements, you could find where you have more blanks. And this is where you can really have more fun to experiment with adding new colors to your wardrobe, whether that just be a color that you are attracted to that maybe works really well with your existing palette, or it could be a color trend that you're excited about exploring.

Sarai
And then once you've got that, what colors should you explore? So this is step four.

So this really depends on what you want to achieve. So how do you like to wear colors? Maybe think about that. Do you like to dress head to toe in one color, like a crayon, or wear adjacent color wheel colors? Do you prefer high contrast or do you prefer low contrast?

By asking these kinds of questions, you'll be able to narrow down your color choices and make decisions that really reflect who you are and how you like to dress.

Haley
So hopefully, after you go through that process, you'll end up with a handful of options for colors that you can then audition for your wardrobe. Ultimately, when you're incorporating a new color, I think it's most important to just lean into the colors that you like the most that you're really attracted to. But you can also take into consideration what actually feels good on you when you look in the mirror. So if you're deciding between shades of, like, olive green or lilac or navy, make sure that you're just picking the one that feels good on you.

If you're having a little trouble determining that, you can try auditioning those colors. I like to grab some fabric, or you can. I mean, honestly, most fabric stores have a mirror. Go to the fabric store, one with good lighting, hopefully, and grab a couple of bolts and then audition them. You can go stand in front of a mirror. You can go stand in front of a window and take a couple of selfies, and you can kind of mull it over.

Pictures are great because then you can take that home and put it with your existing color palette that is in progress. Or you can even take that with you. But it's going to be just a little bit of auditioning and process of elimination from there.

Sarai
Yeah. So we've gone over a five step process for helping you to develop your color palette.

And this comes from Design Your Wardrobe, which is our program that helps you to design and build a seasonal wardrobe. So if that's something that you're interested in, then you might want to check that out. You can find that on our website at seamwork.com, if you didn't have a chance to go through it with us this season, you can still do it on your own.

We have a self-guided program as well, and that's available to you year round, but we also do these group programs throughout the year.

So just to recap, the five step process is to one, identify your constants, which are the colors that you wear regardless of the season.

Wwo, to figure out where those fit into your neutrals, basics and statement colors.

Three, find out where you have the most blanks, and that's where you can experiment with color trends.
Four, decide what colors you should explore depending on what you want to achieve.

And then five is to lean into what you like the most. So those are the steps.

So what's your big takeaway from today's episode, Haley?

Haley
I think that my big takeaway is I was just as we're talking about this, reflecting on what I wore all last spring, and it's very one note, I just really do wear a lot of white and blue, and I think that makes me curious about, I'm happy with that. Happy enough. But what could be some fun additions to that to shake it up a little bit this upcoming spring?

What about you? What's your takeaway?

Sarai
I think my takeaway is that over time, I've really kind of honed in on what works for me and what I actually enjoy wearing, and that if I stick to that and stick to the things that—it’s kind of almost the opposite of your takeaway. If I stick to what I feel like is tried and true for me, I'm a lot happier and have to make fewer decisions, which in turn seems to make me happier.

I think just having a way to kind of think strategically about what I actually wear and what I want to make has been really, really helpful in that process.

So if this is something that might be interesting to you and you want to dig a little bit more into your own personal style, then you might want to check out our Style Workshop as well. So our Style Workshop is a hands-on workshop that walks you through exercises to help you identify your core style. And it's also a great process to go through before tackling any other wardrobe planning, like Design Your Wardrobe.

It's free for Seamwork members, but if you aren't a member, it's only $10.

And if you liked this episode, you can leave us a review. We would really, really appreciate it. Today we have a review from Gemma's Grammy. I love that Gemma's Grammy says, “I absolutely love this podcast anchored by two knowledgeable and professional sewing women. There's just enough fun to keep it light. I love the way you structured each podcast with an icebreaker, then kind of an outline for the info you're going to share. Thank you."

Oh, thank you so much. That's really nice to read. And we really, really appreciate your reviews, guys. So if you have something that you want to tell us, we would love to see a five star review from you. Whether it's on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever podcast platform you like to listen to us on, we really, really appreciate it. It makes our day all right. That does it for us this week. I'm Sarai.

Haley
And I'm Haley.

Sarai
And this is Seamwork Radio.