GLENDALE, Calif. — Should you wear a green leather jacket or a camel trench coat? A silver necklace or gold? Dressing for any season can be complicated. The holidays just add an extra layer of stress.
But a new pop-up color analysis experience could make it easier. This week, the Amazon Style store at the Americana at Brand mall in Glendale is offering shoppers a free color consultation with The Outfit Curator’s Mariana Marques. Using a system of colored scarves that help determine whether someone looks better in a winter, fall, summer or spring palette, Marques spends 20 minutes assessing an individual’s complexion and matching it with the most flattering hues.
“We can see which color brightens your skin more and which ones show the blemishes less based on the different colors that I put next to your face,” Marques said at the Color Me Curated pop-up inside Amazon Style.
Set up to mimic a small dressing room with comfortable chairs, a large mirror and clothing racks, individuals who sign up for a Color Me Curated session will be draped with a succession of colored scarves to see which ones look best.
Marques says she is looking at four things to make her recommendation. After determining the level of contrast in a person’s complexion, she compares light and dark colors, then muted shades versus bright. Finally, she looks at the undertone of a person’s skin to determine if it is cool or warm.
Each seasonal color palette can then be fine-tuned with three types of colors: light, medium or dark. Marques’s final step is figuring out single colors that are most complimentary, as well as which metallic look best for accessories: silver, gold or rose gold.
With their best colors in hand, people can then shop a curated selection of looks based on those colors. Amazon collaborated with celebrity stylist Karla Welch on four collections for men and women that work for winter, fall, summer or spring palettes. Welch, whose clients include Justin Bieber, Olivia Wilde and Tracee Ellis Ross, says must-have pieces this winter are a great turtleneck, faux leather pants and a jean jacket.
“I have a real theme of classics that I like wearing, so this rack is very indicative of my own personal style and a thread of how I style,” Welch said. “If someone was looking at my clients, you’ll see some commonalities of pieces I’ve picked here that I would be using on them as well.”
Welch also helped curate a selection of accessories, including gold hoop earrings, initial necklaces and Casio watches. Scanning the QR codes for each item will offer a selection of related items, similar to how Amazon works online.
Available Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Color Me Curated reservations can be made online or in person at Amazon Style. The first brick-and-mortar fashion store from the giant e-retailer opened in May and offers a hybrid shopping experience for customers to see, touch, try and buy clothes.
Unlike traditional fashion retailers, Amazon Style displays only one of each item. Customers who want to try it on in their size scan the item’s QR code with their phone, choose their size and color, and tap the item to add it to their dressing room. A sales associate then retrieves the item and delivers it to the fitting room in the store.