Colour co-ordinator

IT'S not an easy colour to wear, but somehow ultra-bright cerise looks pretty good on Louise Morton. She wears a blouse in just this shade and with her glossy, near-black hair and skin of palest creamy white, it gives a contrast that's arresting and yet flattering as well. It's no surprise that she looks good - Louise is quite the colour expert. And she says she's always known how vital it can be.

"As far as colour is concerned, I've always had an interest and I've always known the right colours for myself, but doing a course gave me the ability to help other people," says the 37-year-old, who lives in Darlington. "I learned colour analysis from another image consultant who's based in Chester-le-Street and the course was practical, although you can go on and take the Federation of Image Consultants' assessment, which I haven't done yet, and that's recognised by City & Guilds. I'm also hoping to do a style course, which would enable me to do wardrobe assessments and wardrobe tidies."

All this is very far removed from what Louise did until recently. She'd worked quite happily in a bank - but then felt ready for a change. "I've worked in a bank for just over 20 years, part time for the last seven, and I just felt I wanted to do something a bit different, so I'm actually taking a career break for a year,"

she says. "I've run a Slimming World group for the last seven years and although it's not directly related to what I'm doing now, I suppose making people feel better about themselves comes through in both."

Her fledgling company, called Premier Image, is aimed at anyone who feels they'd like to know which colours suit them. Louise prefers to go to clients, as she believes they are more comfortable at home, but she is equally prepared for them to visit her. She takes them through a detailed process which lasts approximately two hours.

"Obviously we sit and have a bit of a chat first and I see what they want to get out of it," she says. "I ask them whether they wear contact lenses and whether they have their eyelashes tinted, just so I am aware if they've made any changes to what Mother Nature has given them.

Then I ask them to take off their makeup and they are draped in a white cape and have their hair tied back in a white scarf."

The actual colour analysis part involves a range of different swatches.

Louise begins with shades of pink, with each being placed beside the face to see how flattering it is, then she moves on to other colours. She aims to classify each client by such terms as warm' and cool', and sets priorities for colours based on clarity and depth. "It's a very logical process and I suppose it's a process of elimination," she says. "I'm actually a bright cool but my sister is a cool bright, so even within the same family and similar colourings you can still have a slightly different main characteristic.

I do neutrals, pastels and metallics, and that's for jewellery."

From what she's noticed among clients, some do have natural good instincts when it comes to choosing colour - while others need a bit more guidance.

She says that wearing your best shades can really boost your whole appearance.

"There are an awful lot of people who wear the wrong colours and just changing things ever so slightly makes a massive difference, not just to how they look, but to how they feel," says Louise.

"I think that some people are led by fashion and while fashion is great, you need to be a bit choosy about what you're wearing. I would normally make up a personal swatch for people and if it's done properly and you've got your swatch of colours, it's pretty much for life."

While everyone's different, there are some rules that most people should follow.

A key one is avoiding black. "I think black is probably best avoided unless you're wearing it with one of your best colours," says Louise. "You can get away with trousers and skirts, though, because they're not right up to your face."

And then the moment of truth arrives.

I take my place beside the swatches as I am covered up with white and soon Louise is placing colours on my chest. I have an inkling that I'm warm and this is proven very quickly - the warmer colours suit my skin while cooler shades just seem to clash. I'm also classified as muted', as brights appear to overpower me, and I'm surprised to find that green sets off my features very well.

Throughout the colour matching process, Louise explains what's going on. She asks me if I see the differences between the various shades and says that being warm in skin tone, I should look for hints of yellow in the colours that I choose. At last she tests me for metallics and having listened to her feedback, it's pretty clear which one I'll be. Louise puts silver, gold and dark gold scraps of fabric on my chest and it's immediately apparent that the dark gold suits me best - which means the jewellery I should go for should ideally be this shade.

I'm not surprised by what I'm told but overall, I do learn new things - my midblue eyes, as I discover, mean blue is definitely my colour. I vow to use my newfound knowledge to be much bolder in my choices which, being a typical safe' dresser, can only prove a positive thing.

■ Premier Image, 01325-368245 or 07980-468615, email jlmmorton@homedarlington.

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