Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Michelson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born a small Quaker child on the East Coast.
Ha! Seriously though, it’s been quite a twisty road, from the austere wooden benches of a Quaker Meeting House in New Jersey to the fashion runways of New York and red carpet of Hollywood.
I am a personal style and color consultant. I create custom color palettes for people. I’ve spent the past thirty years as an award-winning couture wedding gown designer with a global brand frequently featured in fashion publications and on national television. My A-list celebrity clientele includes Sandra Bullock, Kim Basinger, Halle Berry and Selma Hayek to name but a few.
I recently stopped gown manufacturing. The wholesale business can just wear a girl out! Now instead of clothing, it is my honor and delight to design “couture color palettes” for my clients.
What is a “color palette?”
We identify your inherent colors and “seasonal essence.” We choose over eighty color swatches that are uniquely yours, to complement your skin tone, eye and hair color. We create a color fan for you.
Wearing the “wrong” colors makes you look tired and unattractive. In your “right” colors, you look gorgeous and magnetic.
Something magical happens when you are congruent with your natural colors. You become more beautiful and at ease. People want to look at you, be with you, they trust you, want to buy whatever you are selling.
How I became passionate about Personal Color Analysis:
At the market week in New York, I would wear mostly black or because I could order clothes wholesale, I would buy whatever designers offered. A lot of the “chic” colors were beautiful but looked terrible on me. But I didn’t know better and would wear them because they were “in fashion.” Grape, grey, mauve, burgundy. Yuck.
THEN…I got my personal color palette done 20 something years ago. I learned about Seasonal essence and color analysis. I learned to incorporate the psychology of personal color into my work. It changed my life!
What is “Seasonal Color Analysis?
Seasonal Color analysis links personality essence and personal coloring to colors in nature, using the seasons as a frame of reference.
I learned my seasonal essence is “Spring.” My essence is light, playful, buoyant. My colors are clear and bright. It rang so true. I could finally own my true nature as a strength and BE myself in the world and my business.
I learned there is a purpose to each color in my palette.
For example:
My power color: I learned to wear my power color when selling my collection, doing public speaking or being interviewed on camera so people would be drawn to me.
My eye color: I learned to wear my eye color in meetings so people would trust me and want to do business with me.
My red tone/emotional color: I learned to wear my red tone to inspire others and raise money for LOVE IS THE CURE, a Bridal charity I founded to help women with breast cancer.
I used my personal essence and colors for all branding, messaging, advertising, web design- all reflected my colors and essence. Dressing my essence was my ultimate personal and business branding tool. It gave me confidence and an edge. I became famous, sold my collection worldwide, appeared on TV and dressed celebrities in their colors.
It was so helpful and life-changing I took intensive training so I could create personal color palettes for people.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Learning to create custom color palettes was very different than designing a bridal gown. It required learning a whole new system and training my eye in a new way. I had to be a beginner again. Most importantly, I had to be willing to make mistakes.
So I practiced incessantly on my friends and family. I did my sister’s color palette three times to get it right. I did a friend’s fan as a very subdued “Summer” only to have my mentor tell me she was a bright “Spring.” I had to call her and do the session over again. I was so embarrassed. I’m a perfectionist. Being wrong is terrifying to me, especially when people are coming to me as the “expert.”
Now I know it’s only because I care so deeply about making my clients look and feel beautiful. And truly, from every mistake comes great learning.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am known for my couture design sensibility. And fun, love and beauty. I fall deeply in love with the essence of my clients. I see their beauty. I honor it.
Anything I do is guaranteed to be loving and joyful. I give talks about seasonal essence and colors, teach how to “Dress your Essence” at workshops, organizations and house parties. With experiential games and posters of movie stars, I invite the participants to discover their “Seasonal celebrity tribe.”
We try on colors and learn serious information while having a great deal of fun.
What were you like growing up?
My parents were serious, intellectual, political activists. All I wanted to do was make clothes for my Barbie doll.
My mother was a feminist and didn’t approve of Barbie.
Watch out what you tell your kids not to do! The rest is history 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: amymichelson.com
- Email: [email protected]
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