Our sewing guild brought her in for a day-long seminar in 2005. She was excellent! About 30 attended and it was still small enough where everyone got individual attention. She had a slew of topics to cover, such as body shapes (which guides clothing styles), face shapes (which guides hairstyle and necklines), hair/eye color (to chose clothing colors), and more. For each section, she would pull up someone from the audience and make an example out of them. At one point she got the whole group in a semi-circle, with the light hair/light complexion folks on one end and the skin/hair color getting progressively darker until the darkest person was on the other end. Through these activities, you learned from other people's coloring (i.e., you do the opposite of what someone with opposite coloring is instructed to do) and had a chance to get custom advice when you were in the front of the group. Also, during breaks, you could ask questions or get her advice in selecting scarves.
I learned so much. For example, she said that not many people look great in black and white, except for people with black hair and fairer skin (or something to that effect). Yet everyone is told to buy a white shirt and black suit to look professional and crisp. It makes many people look tired and older. So, she said that if you have to wear this ensemble or you feel comfortable in it, wear a soft color scarf that goes with your hair and skin tone. She also said that your face and body shape help determine what shape of clothes look good on you. For example, if you have an angular face (high cheek bones and/or square jaw), you look best in hairstyles that are a little more angular (i.e., not soft and curly). Think of Maria Shriver. She has an angular straight hairstyle and she would look subtly strange with soft, bouncy curls. The same is true for clothing. She would not look her best in ruffle-y dresses and really soft, feminine flowy fabrics.
Anyway, if you have a chance to check her out, either for an hour seminar or a daylong event, do it! The funny thing is, I was doing many, but not all, of the things she recommended. I think people naturally gravitate toward what looks good on them. Now I finally know why I look good in certain colors. But the tips I learned were worth the price of admission. She also offers a color session where she does your colors in about 15 minutes and then later sends you a keychain with many swatches of the exact colors that look good on you. You can take that swatch set shopping with you and shopping is a breeze. And to think I didn't really want to go to this event. I only did it to support my guild. But I learned more than I ever thought I would.
