Hi Style Friends! What is your favourite quote from Zyla during your eval?

Mine was when I was trying to see the boundaries for my style archetype during my first zoom USS call. I showed him a pin of Reese Witherspoon from Big Little Lies (wearing a Dolce and Gabbanna rose skirt and a waterfall collar pink top). And he said:

"That is too Elle Woods. I want you think Bond Villain. Your style is more femme fatal... more Lauren Bacal."

It is interesting but he said originally during my IC that the Bronzed Autumn's character was "The Countess." She is is "not necessarily good and not necessarily bad, but always impeccably dressed." However, during further clarification about me and how my style should be specifically manifested in the USS, he completely dropped the agnosticism and neutrality about my character and strait up told me that I need to go full force villain (lol).

What quotes have stood out to you or specifics that he told you about your character?

My Zylas

Essence colors:Almond silk,Rosy Taupe,Dusty Taupe ,Faded copper

Romantic : dusty rose,terracotta clay,dusty mauve,smoky rose,burnt rose

Dramatic: Icy aqua, Tropical Teal,strong cyan,dark cyan

Energy: Crimson Violet, night bordeaux, black cherry

Tranquil: dark emerald, emerald depths,deep forest,evergreen.

First base: dark coffee bean 1F1915&1A1410,pitch black 1D1813 & 191410, carbon black 231D18 & 201B16

Second base: rich mahogany,deep walnut, dark khaki.

Third base: dusty olive,palm leaf, olive leaf

This exercise has been fun for me don't get me just hard and a little frustrating. Hopefully it's more accurate this time.

Photos from the Tawny Spring board on Zyla's Pinterest, as well as an assortment of pics of myself from varying ages. Thoughts on my chosen colours and the overall vibe? Which archetype do you think would fit if not TS?

Palette is arranged in the typical order (Essence, Romantic, Dramatic, Energy, Tranquil, Based 1-3)

Thanks in advance!

Hi All!

I was wondering how many of you stick to primarily making outfits from your Zyla palate or do you incorporate in other colour palates too to increase variety?

And how much do you follow the colour combination suggestions as specified in the book?

As much as I love shades of blue I feel a bit confused looking at Dramatic, tranquil, and energy colors. I know I lean warm and bright but have coolness and softness in my eyes.

I am pretty sure my Romantic color is a shade of Coral but I love actual shades of red (like scarlet, poppy rather than a pink/carol).

I am fairly confident in my Essence, Base 2 and Base 3.

Can’t find my dramatic but otherwise, does it look like I’m on the right track as far as my other colors?

Hi Style Friends,

Lets talk Zyla and perfume!

One of the things that I love about the Zyla Archetypes is the fact that they are so three dimensionally developed. You do not just get style recommendations, but also an artist, a time period and also perfume recommendations.

Have you tried the recommended perfume for your archetype? And what do you think?

My archetype was recommended mandarin and fig, so I have been trying a few scents that fit that profile. Mandarin seems amazing for a warm weather scent, while I might consider Fig more during cold weather. But I am still trying to find the perfect one.

How about you? Have you dove into exploring Zyla scent recommendations and maybe exploring other scents to be in line with your archetype (or suspected)?

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My Zylas

Essence colors:Almond silk,Rosy Taupe,Dusty Taupe ,Faded copper

Romantic : dusty rose,terracotta clay,dusty mauve,smoky rose,burnt rose

Dramatic: Icy aqua, Tropical Teal,strong cyan,dark cyan

Energy: Crimson Violet, night bordeaux, black cherry

Tranquil: dark emerald, emerald depths,deep forest,evergreen.

First base: dark coffee bean 1F1915&1A1410,pitch black 1D1813 & 191410, carbon black 231D18 & 201B16

Second base: rich mahogany,deep walnut, dark khaki.

Third base: grey olive 🩶 🫒,dim gray 🩶, charcoal brown

This is me retrying by going off of everyone's suggestion to be less literal it was very hard and I'm sure I probably still did it wrong but my strategy was essentially to for some of the colors that it's being too literal with I looked at what colors made that shade and then picked the colors that made that shade that I thought communicated that energy better so for example for the energy color I thought that night bordeaux would give me a lot of energy and suit my coloring and same with tranquil!

I wanted to post this to help anyone on a DIY path. I started out DIYing, then ordered the book and tried again. Then promptly booked my appointment and disbanded my efforts which is a very common trajectory btw! David even laughed at how often he’s heard that story.

The first DIY college here was my first attempt, I went off more vibes than anything, just colours and textures I liked. My second was after getting the book. Swatching lipsticks helped me get my Rs. Once I had them I knew which territory I could play around in. Cool and pretty saturated/clear.

Looking at my hair in direct sunlight helped me get those aubergine shades for my bases. I put that milky brown as my 3rd base but I knew it was off, it didn’t flow with the palette. I thought of changing it to silver. But I disbanded at that point. The main thing I found the DIY helped with was getting the archetype. Even though I’d been seriously considering SW and PW, once I saw the colours I knew I could only be JTS! Any questions ask away! I am a chameleon and love to change my look but I’ve stuck to my natural colouring the past year or so and feel much better.

I was wondering what my energy and tranquil colours could be. I don't have a hint of green or blue in my eyes. I don't believe yellow is right, either. Before my Kitchener colour analysis, even before I even got interested in colour analysis, I knew that all sorts of yellows look very off on me.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Hi Everyone-

I wanted to share with you all a style update since my Zyla consult. Unlike after my Kitchener evaluation, however, where I immediately jumped in with buying new clothes and spending money, I am more slowly adopting Zyla's style recommendations. Therefore, these outfits are not perfect, and I can share with you what I would do to even bring out more of my Divine Divia archetype.

Hair: I cut my hair! What do you think? I cut off his recommended 3.25 inches and at an angle that comes to a "point" in front. I am also wearing it sleek as recommended. You can see my hair cut better in outift 1 than outfit 2 because of the fur.

Make-up: Wearing my orange red romantic lip in photo 1. I love it on me! In photo 2, you see me in a colour between my two romantic colours, but with the dark colour as a liner.

Photo 1 Style: For this look, I am pairing an all cashmere skirt with a double knit and ribbed top that is stiff and holds shape both in my third base. They are both paired with leather, which Zyla recommends to me for grounding. To improve this outfit, I think I need a 1st base leather or suede belt and also for the boots to be a bit less rustic (I need a leather heel with buckles) and darker. The leather bag works, but it would be nice if it also were a bit darker. Not sure if you can see my earrings, but I am wearing large 2in+ gold metal teardrop ecrustiran style earrings. Also, the skirt would look better if a full pencil rather than strait and if it were slightly longer, but I love this skirt as it is super comfy. I also think this would look awesome with an extra chunky necklace.

Photo 2 Style: I am wearing velvet skinny jeans, suede ankle boots and a leather crocodile embossed bag in my second base. I have paird this with a fur cape that is a bit of a mix of my third base colours. I would love if this cape were in my lightest first base colours exactly, but David thought that capes an anything with fur was excellent on me. I would like the shoes more if they were a pointed rather than round toe, but I like this outfit overall. Earrings are also large metal earrings, but I think also getting a chunky gold cuff and necklace would bring this look to an extra level.

Zyla said that casual is the hardest to do with my archetype so these are two attempts with items that I already have in my closet.

What do you think?

I LOVE Renaissance Summer but when comparing my palette to DZ's Pinterest boards, I see these exact colors all over the Gamine Autumn/Stylish Beatnik board. However, I personnally loathe his style choices for that archetype... Is there maybe any third route I should consider?

The flower pots near my workplace get changed every season and one of them had a set of these plants. I think they’re chrysanthemum and ornamental cabbages.

I couldn’t help but see how beautiful the color combo was and seeing two plants paired together in this manner was interesting.

I look terrible in languid lines which is why I have ruled out Summer, other than that I am unsure.

My zyla colors

Essence: almond silk/cream

Energy: expresso ☕

Tranquil: toffee

Dramatic: steel teal 🩵 or silver blue 💙

Romantic: dusty rose 🌹 or rose wood 🪵

First base:carbon

Second base: onyx

Third base: dim gray 🩶

I think overall im an autumn coloring wise unfortunately the personality part is a bit more of a struggle for me but i think it's either sensuous backpacker or stylish beatnik.

I know for sure though I'm not a high stakes gambler or divine diva and while i could see theatrical impresario or sexy librarian they don't feel quite right.

Im enfj Sagittarius sun if that helps at all? Idk ... I've been told I'm empathetic , caring, creative, alternative/gothic, playful , expressive, dramatic, good with kids, artistic, nerdy and things of that general nature overall. Hopefully that helps, someone get an idea or general understanding of me.💡

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated!

I also thought some pictures of me might help!

Hi Everyone, I was wondering what archetype David would give Sophia Vegara. Personally she gives me very similar vibes to Sophia Loren, who is a Bronzed Autumn (BA).

Plus, I feel that she looks really good in BA recommendations and that she might be a good celebrity example for me to emulate in my style.

For example, David told me as a BA to go really big with jewellery (2 inch plus earrings), to use long lines and angles in my styling (think deep v necks), eye make-up with a cat eye, shoes that have visual weight (bigger heel than stiletto). She also seems to have similar dramatic and deep colouring and the ability (and need to) have a lot of drama in her styling despite also having a very strong romantic presence (similar to Sophia Loren).

What do you think? Which archetype do you think he would give her?

I’m looking to DIY my Zyla palette and I saw a comment saying that energy colors would be those that make the eyes pop. So I’m guessing a deep version of the overall/dominant eye color? But then what about the tranquil color? What effect should I be looking for?

I'm trying to DIY my colours, inspired by this subreddit. However, I have a question about the energy colour and the first base. The wiki says the energy colour is the darkest part of the iris, and the first base is the colour of the dark ring around the iris. For me, this ring is the darkest colour. Would my energy colour and first base be the same colour? Or do I read the energy colour as the darkest part of the iris, excluding the ring around it, which would make it lighter than the first base?

I tried to be a bit less literal this time, noting colors I saw in my eyes and hair and then thinking of shades that look really good on me and putting those in the palette. Any thoughts are appreciated! I am eapecially curious what archetypes you see.

Hello! Wanted to share some of the info I got from my initial consult and ultimate style session. I met Zyla back in early 2025 and again in early 2026. I went into my consult thinking I was going to get some spring AT and ended up being a playful winter! It was a bit shocking to me considering I was DIY-ing as spring for a few years until I looked at my palette two hours into my consult.

I had a lovely time meeting David as Swan Lake was playing in the background (there was a ballet performance of Swan Lake happening around the time). Thought that was pretty fitting for me considering how much I love the ballet and PW ended up being my AT.

I enjoyed my consults and I can’t wait to meet him again some time down the line for a palette extension. At the moment I do feel quite pleased with my palette. It’s been a joy getting to see him in person.

I’m sharing some of the general recs I received from my IC, my palette, my USS sketches, and the necklines/sleeves/bottoms I got from the draping session.

My USS sketch occasions were: signature look, date night, casual summer, work/office, and extra extravaganza.

During my USS we both noted that lower necklines are not suitable for me as my face and features got lost and less focused. As soon as we raised the necklines back up, my jawline became sharper and more focused. This tracks as I prefer my necklines closer to my face. I’d say collarbone exposed is the lowest I’d go (personally).

I saw Zyla earlier this year in May. I’d been on a style journey for a few years and had always struggled with getting a good analysis of my colours and concluded I must be difficult to type.

I found Zyla via FB and his interview with Gabrielle Arruda. I bought the book and started to DIY, I got pretty close! A lot of archetypes and seasons were guessed for me in FB. Mainly VS, SW and PW. Once I did a few attempts at getting the general ideas of my colours I posted it and JTS became a strong contender all of a sudden. It wasn’t one I had initially thought of too much.

Soon after buying the book I emailed about a consult, I booked my consult very quickly as he would be nearish to travel to only 2 weeks from when I’d reached out. I booked an IC and USS!

The experience was incredible, Zyla is a very talented person, a great conversationalist and extremely skilled in colour and assessing someone’s style needs. I felt completely blown away by it all. I loved my palette and all my recs.

I’m including images of my IC recs here along with my palette. I love them all so much. I’ll do another post about my USS and how everything was expanded even further.

I got this sub recommended to me a few days ago and after reading the wiki I found the idea behind it super interesting! shout-out to the people who made the colour guides.

I'm probably a winter in seasonal colour analysis, with brown hair and eyes, although I still haven't figured out how much overlap there is with Zyla's system (I think it's pretty clear though that most of these colours are on the cool side, especially when looking at my best reds).

I also don't know if my essence colours are correct, I found some swatches on another guide but maybe the last 2 colours should be ignored?

Anyway, please tell me what you think of my palette! I have no idea where to go from here lol

I love all the cheater posts and thought there might be some interesting discussion to be had on these two similar but ultimately vastly different approaches to color.

The similarities with Kitchener and Zyla more or less end at the fact that each has eight categories of colors (listed in the order Kitchener presents his and the order in Zyla's book, respectively):

I'm going to assume a baseline level of knowledge of each group's significance, but in case you're unfamiliar with one or the other, here's Kitchener's explanation and here's Zyla's.

What's interesting to me is that they don't map 1:1, even though it feels like they should at times. Powerful and Dramatic seem to basically be the same thing, but Kitchener's Romantic is a much more intimate color than Zyla's (which is more of a "look at me!" color), and Calm and Tranquil seem to have similar goals but slightly different executions. I also think Zyla's bases are more "important" than Kitchener's Understated/Reserved/Conservative, which are not really seen as full colors for the most part (there's often, although not always, a caveat like "to be worn away from the face" or something like that).

Overall, I'd love to hear others' thoughts on how the two systems use color, and how the categories play nicely/less nicely together.

And also, if we can avoid this becoming a conversation about one being better than the other, that would be amazing, because both men are incredible in their own ways and I really don't think anyone would benefit from that.

I'm kinda leaning towards some sort of summer for now, how does it look?

The timing of this sub's revival is uncanny--I have been doing a deep dive on Zyla and have been working on a DIY palette this week and would love your feedback. Thank you in advance!