Is every tint and shade a warm color? Is every tone and hue a cool color?
These are common questions among the Dressing Your Truth community. But you don’t have to wonder anymore, because in this video, Carol explains how it all works. You’ll discover how Dressing Your Truth differs from other color theory systems, and how every color is an expression of energy—just like you.
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Enjoy these other videos about each Energy Type’s colors:
Speaking of color, you look gorgeous in the color you are wearing in this video, Carol!
That is so kind. Thank you!
Carol, this is really helpful. Thank you! It sounds like warm vs cool in DYT is more about how a color feels than how a color looks. Is that correct? Also, I wonder if it’s possible to combine the systems, as I resonate with both approaches. I believe I’m a T1 but I also know that I’m someone who looks best in cool colors. Could I put those things together, choosing the colors that look cooler but still feel warm because they’re tints, or does that over-complicate what DYT is intended to do?
As I explained it’s the energy the color expresses that matches the expression of your Energy Type. I do not recommend mixing systems, as they are not based on the same theories. Also seems like it would be heavier and more complicated for a Type 1, which takes the fun out of it.
Love your hair Carol! It looks great with the additional highlights. You rock it!!
Thanks!
That was a great explanation! This will help many of us when we are trying to share and explain to others the difference between Dressing Your Truth and Color systems that they may be familiar with.
Carol, this is the best explanation I’ve heard yet on this subject. I remember learning in art class many years ago that red, yellow and orange are warm colors and blue, green and purple are cool. Thanks for showing how tinting, toning, etc. can affect a color and cause a red to appear “cool” and a blue to appear “warm.” It’s always very confusing, for example, when those morning show makeovers or beauty magazines will show something blue and say it “cools down” someone’s red hair or skin tone, as if any old blue would do, when clearly the blue they’re showing is a bright T1 or rich T3 and what it’s really doing is harmonizing with the T1 or T3 model’s energy type, red hair or not. It’s all “warm” energy that’s in harmony in its brightness or richness and not really “cooled.”
I used to think I could wear any kind of pink because blonds are supposed to be able to wear pink. But after a while I began to see that wasn’t true for me. Once I found DYT, I understood why. It confirmed my “beauty sixth sense” that some pinks overwhelmed me or made me look like I was coming apart. It’s because they were a bold hue or a bright tint. I called them “bunny pinks” because they made me look pale and bleary-eyed, like a frightened rabbit retreating into its hole. Now I know I can wear some pinks — as long as they’re soft, muted T2 tones that create a blended effect. And I’m really having fun wearing other colors I never in a million years would have pulled off the rack, like inky blues and grayish taupes and soft yellows, all T2 tones!
Thanks Karen.
This is brilliant- thanks Carol! I am a T1 and ONLY look good in tints, which I have viewed as warm. Type 2, 3, 4 colors cast shadows on my face and I don’t wear them anymore. It is interesting to learn more in this video about the DYT system of warm and cool energy with color. You have explained it before, but ongoing videos like this are a tremendous help. BTW, I LOVE the colormania videos so much. I hope you guys do more of those videos. Thanks!!!
GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!! Thanks for the clear explanation!
Thank you Carol – this was much needed! The conversations that include color theory are overwhelming and confusing. I love this system for its clarity – probably because I am a T3. The best improvement I have noticed is the ability to go into my closet and grab any shirt/pant/skirt color combination that is true to my energy (shaded) and it looks awesome and most importantly – feels awesome! Thank you!
Thanks, Carol! Great explanation!
Thanks for all of the positive feedback, I want to acknowledge Anne, as she was the inspiration around doing this video and asked me to teach it. Thanks Anne!
Thank you! Just looking out for my DYT peeps. I’ve always got an ear out on what content would be supportive. I’m so happy it came together so well.
Thank you Anne. Very much appreciate you looking out for us DYT peeps. 🙂
Thanks, Anne!!
This is fantastic! As someone who “had my colors done” in 1980, on my 18th Birthday (a gift from my mom ;), this is really helpful. I was locked into my “Winter” mindset for many years. Thank you for this video! Very informative and I like how you laid out all four types on the color wheel. 🙂
Thank you for doing this video! This was confusing to me before but much clearer now…
Thank you for finally posting a video about this! I personally have not had issues knowing that any type can wear warm or cool colors but how it works for each type is the ENERGY of color. A lot of other folks always seem so confused though. I believe this video will help!
Thank you, Carol!! The way you explain “warm” and “cool” values as expressions of energy and movement (rather than a reflection of color theory) is so helpful. This even holds true when we look at temperature on the atomic level: cooler temperatures make atoms move less (or not at all), and warmer temperatures make atoms move more quickly! Movement and energy are linked! IT’S ALL RELATED! ::mind blown::
Great observation, Vada!
Hi Carol,
This video doesn’t quite do justice to the colour theory systems I’ve encountered, all of which say every colour can be warm or cool toned. It’s the undertone that counts, like how there are cool yellows, and warm blues (like the type 3 skirt you displayed). I’m not sure this really affects the outcome or answer you give in the video, but it could be helpful for those who like me understand the ‘undertone’ element – for example I find as a ‘cool’ (colour-theory) based Type 1, I’m choosing cool tints more than warm, but because they are tinted they still have the T1 warmth to them. Anyway, just wanted to point out that in case others were thining the same thing. There’s still a solution for all types if they want to mix both colour tone and energy systems, I believe.
Thanks Lillybeth, I understand what you are explaining, yet I do not see that it is necessary for people to mix systems, it can be very confusing for people. The beauty of Dressing Your Truth is how holistic and intuitive it is due to the fact it is based on energy and natural movement. But, thank you for sharing.
I agree that it doesn’t do the systems justice. The 70s/80s Seasonal Color Systems put people down as warm or cool-toned but they weren’t telling people they could only wear Red, Orange, Yellow or Green, Blue, Purple. Autumns could still wear the right green, Summers some pinks and yellows. It was the range within the color.
And in the more modern 12-color systems they’ve moved beyond just warm or cool to “the most important thing” because low or high saturation or light or dark colors (which aligns pretty well with tones, hues, tints, and shades).
But I appreciate how Carol explains the color making of her system, which works as well most color systems, and that trying to add in others’ color theory over complicates things. For some people, probably not for Type 4s 😉
Thank you so much for your clear and precise explanation. Thank you for redefining words we are used to using in a different way. It’s empowering to me to feel energy as cool or warm. I thought for years I couldn’t wear red and was hoping that I would be able to in the next life, but that’s too far off (I hope!) and I love, love, love wearing my t4 red now.
This was soooo helpful! I really was confusing myself with the other systems. I’m T1 and was trying to incorporate “soft autumn” but the muted colors aren’t reflecting my energy! My secondary is T2 .
How does the secondary energy affect colors that look best on us? If cool energy have a slower movement than warm, and for example 2/4s have a slower movement than 2/1s, wouldn’t that affect which colors that matches those energy types? Like 2/4s colors would have less grey added, to become closer to T4 pure hues, which would lower the movement, and 2/1s colors would have more grey and white added with that secondary 1, making the movement higher? I know all tones have grey added, but I would love to know how the tones are affected in the mixing of hues and grey.
Like this:
2/4 = hues + grey
2/1 = hue + grey + white (or just light grey?)
2/3 = hue + grey + black (or just dark grey?)
and for the other types, maybe something like this:
1/2 = hues + white + grey (greyish white?)
1/3 = hues + white + black (hmm this becomes grey I guess)
1/4 = hues + white
3/1 = hues + black + white (grey again?)
3/2 = hues + black + grey (greyed black?)
3/4 = hues + black
4/1 = hues + white (just not enough white to become tints)
4/2 = hues + grey (just not enough grey to become tones)
4/3 = hues + black (just not enough black to become shades)
Some of them make sense, while others don’t. Can you help explain this better Carol?
Sophie, the color is the one element that does not change when considering your secondary. There is no blending of colors to support your secondary type. Please write to support@liveyourtruth.com for more information on understanding how to use the style guide and supporting your secondary type. Thank you.
Does that mean that in the tint colors the more white is added the warmer the color is? Some of the colors just have a little bit of white added and some have lots of white added.
Talking of warm and cool here, wouldn’t it be better to speak of High and Low energies? And what if a woman has a combination of say Warm and High, warm and low, cool and high, cool and low energies?
One of your best and most clarifying videos. Thank you!
I found that I’m a type 3 and NEVER considered yellow a color I could ever wear. But- I often wear golden browns. I guess I have some closet clean-out to do when my color card gets here…. Right now my closet is quite full, but I have the feeling it’s going to narrow down quite a bit. Which is ok as I’ve been planning to do a purge. At least this way I am keeping what works for me and not finding out that I took something to the consignment shop that was what I needed to keep.
I have a question, I relate almost equally with type 1 and type 4. Depending on the situation I am in my energy and reactions change. I don’t know what my truth is entirely. I place myself a little more closely with a 1, but my true energy changes depending on the situation. How do I dress my truth when my personality and energy can range so drastically? I’m quite confused.