I always know when something’s not working when I stop shopping. It’s been especially noticeable this fall, since it’s the time of year when Dark Autumn colors are easy to find, and I think this year has been especially kind to Autumns.
But something wasn’t clicking for me. While there were a lot of things in-store that looked like they should fit the idea of Dark Autumn-Flamboyant Gamine-Gamine Autumn I’d created for myself, I just didn’t feel particularly motivated to buy anything. Something was off.
I love my DA palette. I love being Flamboyant Gamine. It was the Zyla archetype that was off. It was limiting me in ways that gave me the same feeling as trying out Soft Natural and Soft Gamine did. It wasn’t really appealing to my personal aesthetic and it felt too boho.
As it turns out, I think my Zyla designation was only partially correct. I got the season right, but not the archetype.
When I realized I was experiencing Zyla confusion, I first wondered if I could be a Spring in Zyla (but still keeping the same color palette). My DIY palette seemed to be on the brighter side. In real life, I also come across as very young. Maybe I was missing some fun in my wardrobe. Tawny Spring seemed almost right, but a little too rounded for me. And could my colors really be translated into a Spring archetype?
I made collages and a video, and posted them in a Zyla group on Facebook. I’d never done an essence video before, as I don’t think they’re really effective for Kibbe because people tend to concentrate on personality when they see a video. But Zyla does rely more heavily on things like personality and voice quality. I thought people would see me as relatively scattered and ineloquent on video. But to my surprise, people still saw Autumn. More specifically, people saw Mellow Autumn.
Here’s the thing with Zyla, and what makes it so complicated to do by yourself. Each person not only gets a unique palette, but they get unique style recommendations. I’ve seen some Mellow Autumn Pinterests, but nothing connected with me. Then I read the Mellow Autumn recommendations of a woman who also identifies with Flamboyant Gamine in Kibbe, and hers were very edgy, and very in line with the clothes I wear already.
…But I’d definitely wear this:
(Source: Zyla’s MA Pinterest board)
I also refined my DIY palette a bit, fixing my color settings in Photoshop so that the colors were truer to the palette and adding some secondary color choices:
I hope that keeping Mellow Autumn in mind–I think of it as sophisticated, yet edgy and avant-garde–can help get me back into the style groove. Maybe I’ll actually buy some clothes soon.
Mel
November 5, 2015 at 8:47 pmMy take away on Tawny Spring is the motto: “I Am My Own Trendsetter”. Of all the mottos for Zyla’s style types, this is the only one I really identify with.
stylesyntax
November 6, 2015 at 1:53 pmI’m not sure if I identify with any of them, to be honest, which is why I had such an issue with finding myself within the types when I read the book. For Mellow Autumn, I think the intellectual aspect applies to me, but not the “Girl Scout” part so much. Reading people’s personal Zyla recommendations and what he says about a type during sessions is what really enabled me to explore Zyla.
Sara
November 30, 2017 at 1:03 pmI’m trying to figure out how important personality is to all this. I’m a True Autumn and either Autumn and Spring according to the romantic color test, I can’t tell. I could see myself in Tawny Spring (being all over the place yet organized and very observant) but my best colors aren’t bright and Tawny Spring’s style is too quirky for me. I feel like I can see myself in every one of the Autumn archetypes and none of them all at once. I’d like to be them.
Someone told me I had a Spring’s energy once and I can’t that out of my head. I’m worried people see this flighty and giggly person when they meet me, and that I could likely have a Spring voice, but my colors are rich and warm. I don’t know if I should just ignore essence/personality when it comes to Zyla because he certainly doesn’t.
stylesyntax
November 30, 2017 at 6:33 pmVoice and presence count, personality not so much. Zyla knows your archetype as soon as he sees you.