Like many things in life, the colors we wore when we were younger may not work for us as we grow older. How do you know if one of the color staples in your wardrobe still works well for you?

When it comes to color, are you more of a summer or autumn color type? Are you tired of opening your closet and finding nothing but black, white, and grey because you can’t decide on other colors?

Today, Margaret Manning speaks with author and fashion blogger Andrea Pflaumer about how to discover your color type and how you can use color to turn your wardrobe from so-so to striking!

First, Do an Assessment

Andrea shows you how to do a full assessment in her book, Shopping for the Real You, but she says women should remember it’s a rare person who falls into a single-color type. Most women are combinations, perhaps finding that autumn colors suit you best, for example, but that certain shades or tones in a summer color can also be a flattering choice.

In general, autumn colors are browns, deep purple, and heathered tones. Summer is often soft pastels, such as peach and teal. If you are a spring color type, you can wear bright tones including sky blue and bright pink, while winter types can go with strong, bold, deep colors, such as burgundy and navy blue.

Three Key Points to Remember

“Color is important in that it’s the first thing that registers to the eye when you see someone,” Andrea says. With that in mind, she suggests that you always follow these three key points when choosing your color scheme:

Trust Your Gut

If your color type says you are summer but yellow only seems to make your skin look pasty and, well, yellow, then don’t wear it!

Train Your Eye

Look and learn what makes you look your best, so you don’t spend time (and money) wondering if a certain color works for you or not.

Don’t Obsess

Fashion should be fun and make you feel good about yourself. If you like the color you are wearing but you aren’t sure about it, don’t spend hours trying to decide if you should or shouldn’t wear it, just go with it!

How Our Color Choices Change

Most mature women find that their hair color becomes lighter as they age. Whether we choose to go grey, silver, or more of a blonde shade, most women will find our lighter colored hair will probably change our wardrobe color choices.

Women who had brown hair when they were younger, for example, and found that yellow worked well with their brown hair, might find that yellow doesn’t work so well with their new platinum blonde hair color.

Color Has a Psychological Affect

Andrea says if you want to appear more romantic, then red automatically makes people think warm, soft and gentle thoughts. Blue and green, however, are colors that give off a sense of power and control.

Wearing any color that matches the color of your iris will instantly make you appear more approachable and friendly. Depending on the image that you want to project, ladies, you would be wise to consider choosing the appropriate color for the occasion!

Shopping for the Real You

Once you know your color type and what your style preference is, you won’t waste time any longer wondering if a specific color is right for you. Shopping becomes a breeze when you know what works!

Andrea and Margaret have other shopping suggestions, tips, and are having so much fun, you will want to watch this video more than once!

What colors work best for you? Do you avoid certain colors and if so, why? Are there certain colors you believe mature women should never wear? Let’s have a conversation!