Padma Lakshmi

Reader QQ requested Padma Lakshmi and I said ohlehdoit.

Padma is a Winter. I think she knows it too, as the majority of the pictures I found with her had her in cooler colors. The photos in the top row of her in champagne and gold fade her out to all that be damned. In the bottom row, the warm purple and soft yellow wash her out and do nothing for her.

Alternatively look how fresh she looks in black, holds her own in bright blue and turquoise, glows in pale pearly pink, and sets off silver and white. Mm-hmm. Work, Padma. Ain’t nobody mad.

Requests:

Christina from Houston (reader)
Alek Wek

Katarzyna

I received a request from a reader to basically confirm a previous analysis that she is an Autumn. Here is her comment:

Dear Gem

It was a pleasure to read your blog. I wonder if you could verify my season.
I was catergorised by Lora Aleksander as a warm autumn ( I am biracial – father Sudanese m mother Polish ).I have made several pictures in the colours from my swatches and in white,black and burgundy, which are not my colours. I believe that Lora is rigt in her judgement, I just cannot see anything that these colours give to my appearance.
I need an objective opinion.

Best regards

Katarzyna

Let’s take a look at the photos she sent in:

Almost immediately, I can confirm her previous analysis. Katarzyna is indeed an Autumn. The black washes her out completely. The coral gives her a sparkling glow, a healthy deep tan appears in her skin. The red is flattering on her as well, as it is not a true, bright, fire-engine red but a more muted red. Katarzyna, I recommend you include some nice golden yellows, medium-to-deep browns, deep burnt oranges, and some muted greens in your wardrobe to really bring out your lovely skin. Thank you for reading and writing to me!

Requests Coming Up:

Christina from Houston (reader)
Padma Lakshmi
Alek Wek

Summer 2011

Today is the first official day of summer in the US. White is definitely summer’s all-star color (or lack of color, or all colors combined, whatever). Summer and Winter women shine in white; particularly Summer women (makes sense). I hit up Google Images and snatched up the first 10 women I saw in white:

4 out of these 10 ladies have cool skin undertones and thus, look good in white. Can you pick them out?

Anyhoo, as far as summer fashion is concerned, if you are a Summer or a Winter, you can wear whatever the hell you want in white and stunt. For the rest of us, try a cream or an ivory to get that same feel but warmer. If you insist on white, stick to cardigans, shorts/skirts with a warmer color top, and accessories.

In the home, bring white in your bedding, bath towels, curtains, and even cut/potted flowers and get breezy on hoes.

Summer special events are also a nice way to bring in white for decor (especially if it’s not too hot to host something outside).

Enjoy your summer!

Gong Li

I got a request from a reader a while back to cover some Asian ladies, so today we’ll look at actress Gong Li. Let’s jump right in!

Gong Li is a Winter. The top row of photos gives it away almost immediately. She is washed out in every color except the black. She looks so fresh-faced in the black. Some of you may be confused, thinking the first and third photos where she wears aubergine and burgundy, are Winter colors. Though these are not “warm” colors, they do flatter “warm” skintones, thus fall under Autumn. These colors are actually too dark and muted to be true Winter colors. If she were wearing a true primary purple, or fuschia, you’d be able to see the difference.

In the second row, all of the photos are Gong Li wearing Winter colors except the leopard print and the navy blue. She actually doesn’t look bad in the navy blue, but it is not working as hard for her as a royal blue would. Another strong clue she is a Winter is the way she is holding it down for all her homies in the red. A true, strong, pure red is the calling card of a Winter. If it was any other red but a true red, or a slightly-off garnet, she would be washed out.

Upcoming Requests:
Reader: Katarzyna from South Africa
Reader: Christina from Houston, Texas
Padma Lakshmi
Alek Wek