Nat Laurel

This is an overview of the Seasonal Types Color Analysis Method (SCA) as taught by Suzanne Caygill. This nuanced approach allows everyone find their personal style and create an organic wardrobe without over-consuming. This is the first text in the series. The articles that will follow will address challenging and not so obvious cases.

The Caygill method separates people into two large groups based on their skin-pigments. There are two non-hemoglobin skin-tone types known as Winter and Spring. Their skin composition does not allow the color of their hemoglobin show through. They tend to look best in clear colors. The same principle applies to Caucasians, Asians, Blacks, and other races.

The hemoglobin-based skin-tone group has two sub-groups known as Summer and Autumn. These two types’ hemoglobin shows through their epidermis. This affects the colors they wear best. Colors tend to have mauve additives in Summer clothing and brown additives in Autumn, presumably reflecting their hemoglobin and/or their connective tissue composition. Some of the dermatology research papers I have found correspond with the SCA principles. In real life, mauve additives translate as cooler colors and brown additives as warmer colors.

The Caygill method also groups people based on their bone structure. This corresponds with some of the methods I have found in textbooks on forensics. Basically, Autumn and Winter types tend to have a more robust bone structure. Summer types have the lowest bone rugosity, and Spring types swing both ways.

None of these were mentioned in the popular book Color Me Beautiful (1989) by Carole Jackson, which introduced SCA to the masses. It had watered the concept down to two things:

Winter and Summer wear cool, blue-based colors. Autumn and Spring wear warm, yellow-based colors.

Winters and Autumns wear darker colors. Summers and Springs wear lighter colors.

While this is a correct interpretation of the system, it is a very simplified way to look at the SCA. Seasonal Color Analysis is an intricate combination of scientific and artistic methods. With these series of texts I aim to restore the legacy of the Seasonal Color Analysis and its founding mother Suzanne Caygill.

Color temperature plays a role in the Seasonal Color Analysis; however it is one of several important factors that define the type.

Springs and Autumns have a predominantly warm palette.

Summers and Winters have a predominantly cool palette.

Using color temperature as the only guidance will give you poor results and give the impression that the SCA method does not work. Half of people have a neutral skin-tone and they will still be able to build their personal style based on one of these four types.

If color temperature is not a good a benchmark, as was proposed by Carole Jackson, then what can serve as a benchmark between the types? Suzanne Caygill formulated key messages for every type. She took into consideration the following parameters: skin-tone, facial features (bone structure), voice, and somatics. All together these translate into prints, patterns, textures, and colors that reflect the demeanor and aesthetic of the person. Together they form a key message.

This complex approach is harder to sell to the masses, therefore it was abandoned in the 1980s when Seasonal Analysis enjoyed a brief commercial success.

Of all the parameters, it’s the skin pigments and bone structure that can become a subject of the scientific study. Can we see skin-tone  and skin pigments on the pictures? We absolutely can not. All we can do is make an educated guess based on consistent reaction the face has to particular colors and prints.  Before I place celebrities as examples,  either I or my colleagues study them meticulously through numerous pictures, videos and interviews, hoping to see some consistency.  It may take up to four hours of footage before an educated guess morphs.  In some challenging cases we make mistakes. I will talk specifically about those and I  invite you to check this website often and sign up for the updates (bottom of the page), if this is topic  interests you.

The pictures of celebrities I place in my articles is an invitation to watch movies and interviews with them to understand why they fall into one or another category. Hopefully one day we will generate enough interest in the Yan-inspired academic community to apply some of the scientific methods to this study. I have an article about Why Seasons Do Not Show Up in the Data here.  For now we will stick with the Yin-inspired system of the Key Messages.

Season Key Messages

Spring – Clarity

Winter – Contrast

Summer – Softness

Autumn – Tonality

Right now, these four are mere abstractions, but as we move to challenging cases, these definitions will become handy.

• Clarity
• Lit by sun
• Low to medium contrast
• Cute and perky shapes
• Predominantly yellow-based colors
• Crisp fabrics
• Buoyant and bubbly motifs
• Simple Geometric forms
• Symmetry
• Smaller scale design, nothing extreme

Non-Hemoglobin Skin-Tone Aesthetic

Spring type people look very relatable and friendly. Smiling seems naturally to them. Their image brings up simple pleasures such as sweets, champagne, cute pets, and garden flowers. They gravitate towards sunlit interiors and will most likely find themselves in some Scandinavian design. These people seem to arrive from the bright green meadows of the Alps and the blue lakes of Scandinavia.

Typical representatives: Mariana Eliseeva IG and TV Personality, Cameron Diaz, Yulia Vysotskaya, Brigitte Bardot. These are the most typical representatives of the types. The following articles will cover the subtypes that are less obvious to identify, yet which follow the same principles of style.

Non-Hemoglobin Skin-Tone Celebs

The non-hemoglobin high carotene skin-tone Spring type can be found in any race and follows the same principles style-wise. Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling, Rainie Yang, and Oprah all fit into the Spring type profile.

Non-Hemoglobin Skin-Tone Celebs

• High contrast
• Striking shapes and forms
• Oversize
• Primary colors
• High-definition line
• Simple geometry
• Symmetry
• The lines of design move fast or are very still

Non-Hemoglobin Skin-Tone Aesthetic

Winters are often perceived as experts and leaders. They are easily spotted in the crowd and people imagine them as someone in power position or as a femme fatale. Ironically, often they are aloof and highly introverted people. High contrast and oversize forms do not overpower them. On the contrary, all things oversized and dramatic seem natural on them and bring them forward. It’s the smaller, cluttered shapes and accessories that make them look clumsy.

Their typical interior is minimalistic with hidden handles and switches or one large button for all. Glossy and shiny finishes. Lots of glass and polished surfaces. Bold objects. These people seem to emerge from the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern landscapes.

Typical representatives: Amal Clooney, Queen Letizia, Ksenia Solovieva (Editor in Chief of Tatler Russia), Jennifer Connelly.

These are the most typical representatives of the type. The following articles will cover the subtypes that are less obvious to identify, yet which follow the same principles of style.

Non-Hemoglobin Skin-Tone Celebs

The non-hemoglobin skin-tone Winter type can be found in any race and follows the same principles style-wise. Kamala Harris, Sandra Oh, Gong Li, and Naomi Campbell all fit into the Winter type profile.

Non-Hemoglobin Skin-Tone Celebs

• Softness
• Heathered, misty colors
• Low contrast
• Nothing oversized
• Mauve undertones
• Low-definition lines
• Sfumato effect
• Non-geometric lines
• Asymmetric design
• The lines are relaxed and tender, like flowers shying away from the sun

Hemoglobin-Based Skin-Tone Aesthetic

Summers grow on you. In a fast-paced environment it is very easy to miss a Summer beauty. Many young girls of the Summer type consider themselves indistinct. Very few brands reflect the Summer aesthetic. Brunello Cucinelli is a true ambassador of the Summer style, but this is not enough to help these women find themselves, so most Summer youth feels lost and dissatisfied with their looks. Prominent Summers are usually forced into either Spring or Winter aesthetic and rarely dress their essence.

Summers look romantic and poetic, belonging to bygone era, cherishing nostalgic and antique-looking images. A Summer home will most likely have some type of artistic chaos and they might even like to have curtains inside. Their garden won’t be perfectly manicured. Summers thrive in the environment of an English garden with a bit of a Sleeping Beauty overgrown shrub around it. These people seem to belong to the English and French countryside and the landscapes of Northwest Russia.

Typical representatives. Practically NEVER dressed in peace with their personal aesthetic: Natalia Vodianova, Lola Kirke, Billie Eilish, Charlotte Casiraghi.

These are the most typical representatives of the type. The following articles will cover the subtypes that are less obvious to identify, yet which follow the same principles of style.

Hemoglobin-Based Skin-Tone Molded Bone Structure Celebs

The hemoglobin based skin-tone Summer type can be found in any race and follows the same principles style-wise. Because Summer type people are scarcely represented in the media, I haven’t yet encountered celebrities of color of the Summer type, though I have had clients and friends of this type of other races, so they are certainly out there. 

• Earthy colors
• Low contrast
• Tonality
• Intense dynamic designs
• Predominantly warm colors
• Low-definition contours
• Sfumato effect
• Geometric design
• Asymmetric design
• Sharp, swift, diagonal lines with thrusting movement

Hemoglobin Based Skin-Tone Aesthetic

Autumns look intense. They often have a low, husky voice and hearty laugh. Physically they are the strongest people. You can easily imagine an Autumn in a wild environment next to a predator or opposing one. They are combative people. You cannot call Autumn women cute or pretty. They are captivating, providing they dress their essence. This can be difficult because, like Summers, Autumns are heavily under-represented in both mainstream and social media.

An Autumn home may either have an exposed brick wall or raw wooden furniture. They tend to not care much about a lot of light and feel very comfortable when the house is a bit cave-like. An American interior design brand, Restoration Hardware, channels the Autumn spirit beautifully. Autumns seem to fit the wild nature and exotic landscapes of Utah, Amazonia, Africa, and Siberia.

Typical representatives: Sophia Loren, Ashley Graham, Melania Trump, Hilary Swank.

These are the most typical representatives of the type. The following articles will cover the subtypes that are less obvious to identify, yet which follow the same principles of style.

Hemoglobin-Based Skin Tone Angular Bone Structure Celebs

The hemoglobin-based skin-tone Autumn type can be found in any race and follows the same principles style-wise.  Eva Mendez, Tina Turner, Celia Cruz and Grace Jones fit the Autumn type profile.

Hemoglobin-Based Skin Tone Angular Bone Structure Celebs

This was an overview of the Seasonal Color Analysis (SCA) based on the Caygill method. More texts with help and information will follow.

Susan Caygill (1911-1994) was a pioneer Seasonal Color Analyst who worked with Oscar-receiving costume designers Irene and Edith Head during the Hollywood Golden Era.

Caygill had developed a highly nuanced, boutique method that she taught to a handful of color enthusiasts. It never received wide recognition, however most successful style and design projects show adherence to her principles. It can be also be traced in world art masterpieces and in nature. I learned her method in 2008 directly from her students, the late Sharon Chrisman and Coralyn Lundell in their Menlo Park studio in California. This came after the art training I received during my school years in St. Petersburg, Russia.

I am a Silicon Valley based image consultant working with clients online and in-person since 2008.