Color Your Style, David Zyla’s Color System
Today I’m talking about color again. Have you heard of David Zyla’s color system? He is one of the top global color and style experts. He charges almost $1k for a custom color palette, but he has written a book, Color Your Style (affiliate link), and today I’m going to share three top takeaways from his system. In this article, I am talking about how one of the masters in the color and style space does it and how you can do it too! (Prefer to watch a video? Here’s the same content on YouTube: Three Top Takeaways from David Zyla’s Color and Style System.)
When I first encountered the artistic and scientific principles of style, finding your color palette on your body was a whole new concept for me.
I’m Rebecca Mielke. As your Visual Identity Consultant, I take you on a journey of self-discovery, so you can align your inner and outer self, show up confidently, and contribute your gifts to the world. I first read David Zyla’s book (affiliate link) just before I began training as a personal stylist, LONG before I learned to do custom color palettes virtually.
Top Takeaways from David Zyla’s Color System
- (This is a quick and easy one.) When you are shopping, it is easier to see whether a color will look good on you by holding your hand up to the garment rather than holding the garment up to your face. In David Zyla’s color system, each of your colors is taken from your body: your hair, skin, or eyes. So when a client told me that she just holds her hand up next to clothes to see if the color will work for her, I thought “that’s brilliant”! All the hues that are in your skin tone are in your hand. And it really works!
- When people read the book, which is written to allow people to DIY their own palette, certain things are unclear. Like how literal and how limited are these colors? I’ve seen many photos of palettes he has done, so in the next section I’m going to go through the color categories and tell you what I am seeing. They are not always literal. When you do a DIY palette, allow yourself some freedom.
- The final thing I want to bring up is the fact that David Zyla identifies his clients’ season by energy and then builds their custom palette from scratch. Although his product is different from mine, he uses paint chips and I build you a digital palette you can take with you on your phone, the approach is similar.
Color Categories Within David Zyla’s Color System
- First, is an essence color. The book suggests this is a color closely related to your skin color that harmonizes all the colors in your palm. What I have observed is that he often gives two: one that is more of a neutral and one that has a little more pink or peach. And it’s not just a single color, but more of a gradient or a range. Like several related colors on a paint fan strip. He calls it your personal white, but I’m thinking it’s more like a nude.
- Next is what he calls your romantic color, a version of red. By red he means pinks to reds to oranges to burgundies; whatever comes off as red on you. Find this color by pinching your fingertip or looking at your flushed ears. And there can be more than one. I recommend looking at your lips too, and on me those are def two different colors, and Carla Mathis recommends looking at your gums.
- Third is your dramatic color. This is taken from your veins. In the book, he recommends finding your main one and then finding some others for options. Carla and I will also often give someone the compliment, that is the color across the color wheel, of their skintone.
- Next is your Energy color, taken from the darkest color in your iris. I want to say here that brown eyes can be tricky. I have seen many Zyla palettes where a person with brown eyes had a green energy color. (I’m probably going to need an entire podcast episode on brown eyes.) This color should make you feel both nurtured and nurturing.
- The fifth color, he calls it tranquil, is also taken from your eye, but from the lightest part. This color expresses your spa energy.
- Also from your eye is the color David Zyla recommends as your black substitute or most formal neutral. Find it in the limbic ring around your iris. This, I think, is one of the most useful concepts in his system. If you don’t decide to ditch black in favor of this color, I urge you to at least add it to your wardrobe and to be aware that it is probably going to look formal on you. The hero’s was a soft blue and when he wore a soft blue plain t-shirt with khakis, he looked kinda fancy.
- Your brown substitute may actually be brown or not, it’s the deepest tone in the underneath of your hair. This is a good, basic neutral.
- Finally, your khaki is found in the light color of your hair. This is your informal neutral.
These eight colors, in David Zyla’s color system, are your palette.
Your homework is to start identifying your inherent colors.
Or you can have me do it. Buy your Signature Color Palette Guide; I will find your inherent colors AND build you a harmonious custom palette including personality colors drawn from what you love visually.