From Sarah: You’ve probably seen it on the gram at this point in time.  The colors.  The drapes.  The seasons.  This isn’t a new concept of course but as with most things, new versions come into the picture.  Kimberly was the one who discovered House of Colour when she found out that our friend, Brooke, was working toward training to become a color consultant.  The most I really knew about colors at that point was references to a season my mom or her friends may have made back in the 90’s, so to see this concept coming to life again in a whole new way was intriguing.  

I feel like color came into my life at just the right time.  My kids were no longer small, my style had evolved, and I longed to work on refreshing my wardrobe a bit but found myself in a place of not feeling confident in my shopping.  My budget for personal clothing purchases is not large so I wanted every purchase to count but I kept falling back on the same “safe” options because I felt like I was hearing all of the “sensible voices” in my head from old advice, instagram stylists and bits and pieces we pick up over the years.  This did not lend to confidently picking out clothing to say the least so when Kimberly chatted with me about getting our colors done together with Brooke it was such an easy yes! 

If you are totally unfamiliar with colors, or House of Colour, it’s truly fascinating!  Go follow our friend Brooke on IG and you will quickly get a feel for what it’s all about.  Kimberly and I decided to have some fun and booked our appointments together.  We highly recommend doing this with a mom or a sister or a friend.  It was so fun!  We both studied the HOC accounts for weeks leading up to our appointment in great anticipation and we both had a guess for what season we might be.  I had a deep feeling mine was not what I had been told it was growing up 😂(which was winter).  At our appointment Brooke used the HOC color drapes to first discern if we were on the warm end of the spectrum or the cool end of the color spectrum.  This alone was fascinating to see how our eyes, and facial features changed, what softened and brightened and what made us look dead or alive.  After I was discovered to be on the warm end of the spectrum we zeroed in on determining if I was a Spring or an Autumn.  Brooke draped me up and then removed the drapes one by one and we all observed how various features change in my face with each drape.  Now, what’s interesting is that throughout time, I had noticed elements of this, without being aware.  I would put on the “classic white T” that stylists tell us we all need, and never liked the way I looked in white.  It washed me out and quite frankly made me look dead, haha.  But the stylists told us it was a wardrobe staple so I tried to follow the rules, ha!  Going through the draping process made me go “aha!” over and over and it clicked in my mind as to why I had never felt comfortable in the “closet staples” of black and white, when I was able to observe how the colors influenced my features so much.  In the end we determined that I was an Autumn (which I had suspected at that point) which I was thrilled about.  

Armed with my new set of knowledge (and my HOC color deck!) I was surprised to find that many of the colors I naturally gravitated to were in my season (and no wonder I always felt funny about gray) and much of my closet fell into the Autumn color palette.  One of the things that I really appreciate about Brooke and all HOC consultants is that they stress to you that getting your colors done is not telling you what you“should and should not” wear.  It simply shows you the colors that look the best on you and make you come alive.  Of course in the end, we all want to look our very best and once you see which colors complement your natural coloring the most, you will desire to wear those colors.  Knowing the best colors for me has made shopping SO MUCH easier, and faster and even makes my closet work together in harmony.  I truly cannot recommend the experience enough especially if you feel like you need some direction in your shopping!  

From Kimberly: It all started with meeting my sweet neighbor Brooke. We had children of similar ages and lived around the corner from each other. They had moved back to town and we were new-ish to town but finally discovered each other in the neighborhood. We became friends and shared similar motherhood wins and woes. She was feeling called to “do” something due to her youngest daughter getting older and soon to be in school. I had introduced her to a podcast that I listen to called Don’t Mom Alone. One day we were visiting and she looked me in the eye and said, “I have found my calling, I want to be a House of Colour Consultant.” I had missed that episode of the podcast and she started telling me all about it. I was highly intrigued because I was coming out of the pregnant stages of life and my wardrobe was lacking, and I may speak for several moms out there that my confidence in what to wear was not good. I had the staples i.e. the black, white, and gray t-shirts. I vividly remember buying a black and white “nice” t-shirt and would get so frustrated every time I wore them because something just didn’t seem right. I would change my clothes several times before walking out the door and finally noticing that those two t-shirts rarely were ever worn. As Sarah mentioned, we began following several IG accounts from HOC. The transformations were truly remarkable! I was completely fascinated by the whole process and told Brooke I would be her first client when she was officially trained. Well, we weren’t exactly her first clients, but nonetheless she knew I was coming as soon as I could. Sarah described our experience above and I fully agree with everything. I cannot tell you what the HOC means to me. My colors have been a major confidence boost for easy getting ready out the door, even on days when I am in comfy clothes. My favorite item to buy now that I know my colors is colored pants or shorts that compliment a neutral top. I found some really fun spring navy blue velvet pants this winter and absolutely love them. I also made a purchase this winter of a nice wool coat in my Spring Leaf Green and received compliments every time I wore it 🙂 When you know your colors and what compliments you the best you can feel confident in purchases and not feel like you are throwing money away. I know people balk at the price tag, but I would do it 100 times over and I will always say it is worth the upfront cost.  Just think of how much money you waste on trying to buy things that you “think” will look good or fit your style just because you saw it advertised. Knowing your color palette lets you dress with confidence and everything in your closet will coordinate so you don’t waste your dollars. I am a Spring and absolutely love it. So, thank you Brooke for giving us all the confidence we need to dress for life.

XO,

Sarah and Kimberly