To cringe when i see people wearing the 'wrong' colours..?

[Scarletohello]

Ok it all started a few years ago when I had my colours done, was told I was an Autumn, after hiding in black for years and although I was initially v unhappy with the diagnosis, I eventually accepted it and over time changed my clothes and ditched the black.

I now have a fantastic wardrobe of beautiful colours that really suit my colouring and all match. I often get compliments on what I'm wearing and I know it's just cos I'm wearing the right colours for me.

However, it's meant that I have become a bit of a colour fascist! I have 2 friends with similar colouring to me, pale, freckles, blue/ green eyes and reddish tints in their hair and for ages I have been trying to get them to ditch their black and wear warmer colours to the extent that they call me the fashion police and worry about what they are wearing when they are with me ( in a tongue in cheek way, obviously...)

Also when I see women wearing colours that really don't suit them, I have an overwhelming desire to go up to them and tell them ( obviously I don't, as I don't want a mouthful of abuse and its none of my business..)

But it bugs me! Yesterday I saw a woman with dark hair wearing a black and white jacket, a lime green jumper and cerise lipstick. It was just all wrong!! I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does....What to do??

So she diagnosed me as a "Romantic Ingenu", which I have interpreted as a medieval Elizabeth Taylor, so wear long floaty things ( and the odd corset too...

oh god, now I KNOW that what you think suits people & you want to tell them so is far far away from any sense of style that I recognise.

I really think you need to get a hobby. And some good taste.

I'm just in awe of anyone who has that much time to get worked up about clothes. My wardrobe selection process for the day pretty much goes:

1. Is it clean? Put it on
2. If it's not exactly clean, is there any identifying odour/stain? Put it on
3. Running late again? Put ANYTHING on.

I'm wearing a dressing gown right now so I don't think I'm cut out for this fashion lark...

Is Professor Brian Cox's new series going to be an in depth examination of the science of colour analysis?

I can't wait!

squitten Good process.

'So she diagnosed me as a "Romantic Ingenu", which I have interpreted as a medieval Elizabeth Taylor, so wear long floaty things ( and the odd corset too...'

She told you to dress like a Hollywood princess and it made you happy?
She sounds like an excellent Carnie, read you and told you what you'd really like to hear.
I'm pleased that it makes you happy, but like being an Evangelical anything, it's much better to keep it to yourself. Or only flock with birds of a similar feather to keep your joy intact.
I avoid close relationships, or talking, with huge swathes of the population and it has increased my daily joyandpeaceandinnercalm beyond measure.

OP - have you discovered the science of homeopathy? Think you're going to love it.

Today I shall be mainly wearing black leggings and an Iron Maiden t-shirt over my very ample bum.

Later I may drape myself on the sofa in a very chic purple dressing gown.

Today, I am wearing a 1950s summer dress I bought off a market stall in Camden in 1985, and an M&S man's cardigan I bought from M&S (ie it was new when I bought it) in 1984. The cardigan is black, the dress is a print. I look fabulous. I will, later on, be wearing running kit. The running kit will be clean. It may be black or white. Depends what I lay my hands on first.

You didn't happen to notice your "shaman" throwing any cats about?

She sounds a lot like a Simpsons charatcer to me..

Today I am wearing jeans and an unit ironed t-shirt. I'm off to a work lunch and then a volunteering project. I think this appropriate.

The clothes are largely blue as I like to wear blue- it's practical and when it wears out I can wear it to guide camp.

*unironed. I'm not sure what unit ironed is!

Who cares as long as the person wearing likes it? I think it is incredibly rude to point out that you think someone is wearing the wrong clothes. And why do you need someone else to tell you what colour to wear?

Nobody looks good in lime green with cerise lipstick surely

Speak for yourself. I completely rock that look.

"So she diagnosed me as a "Romantic Ingenu", which I have interpreted as a medieval Elizabeth Taylor, so wear long floaty things"

Really, she diagnosed you as a Romantic? Why, I would have gone for Mathematician (not)

I know a woman who is about size 16 and wears colourful, long floaty things. She looks like a tropical jelly fish.

Greythorne

She puts the "Sham" into "Shamen".

@ tropical jellyfish

I see people the same size/shape/height/colouring as me wearing stuff that they look great in but that I would look awful in. The reason I would look awful is because I would not feel comfortable. There is no worse look than someone constantly tugging at clothes and looking self-conscious.

Can black people get their colours done, or do they just all get told to wear chocolate brown?

If I got mine done, I'd get told to wear bright red, I bet. People are always saying that to me. But I hate red. It buzzes in my peripheral vision and makes me cross. Besides, some people actively don't want to do the conventional thing, and this strikes me as utterly conventional. In a suburban way.

Eldritch Not suburban. Provincial.

Ha ha ha ha!

Suburban..? Not sure why people think that, seems like common sense to me. When u r young and have great skin yeah you can pretty much get away with anything but as you get older you need a bit more help.

One day when you are scratching your head about what to wear and having to chuck out some ill advised clothes purchases, you'll think to yourself, oh I wish I'd listened to that mad lady on MN and got my colours done! ( or not..)

It was a reference to a joke earlier on in the thread.

Anyone who goes off to have her colours done is leaving the land of Chic far far behind...

Scarlet, I have to admire your tenacity.

You're all winding me up, right?

Nobody except Bridget Jones' mum gets their 'colours done'. FFS.

This thread has made my day. Skynet taking over people's i-phone autocorrect. "I'm nuclear winter". Memorizing Beethoven while dressed in crisp-crumbed leggings. A wardrobe of t-shirts, climbing trousers and rock shoes. (Pianodoodle and Quote, will you be my BFFs?). It is the funniest thing ever.

May I introduce the following example of sartorial elegance? (For the full picture, bear in mind that this was a ski trip with a boyfriend who was vain as a peacock and had agonised about whether his new waterproof coat would go with his salopettes). On the rare occasions I used to go skiing, I would use my winter climbing kit. This had been purchased piece meal from bargain bins during my hard-up student days. Any two items randomly selected clashed. Cherry red gaiters, air-force blue salopettes, lilac fleece, muddy green jacket, ridiculous blue and red hat with tassels. And the piece de resistance - my mittens. I have a pair of oiled-wool dachsteins. In order to get them big enough to go over thermal inners, I'd bought an XL pair, trimmed them to the right length and sewed them up in blanket stitch, then sewed elastic idiot strings on them to go round my elbows (trust me, you do not want to drop your outer gloves while placing an ice screw half way up an ice route).

End result - boyfriend of the time looked like he'd stepped out of the St. Moritz scene of a Bond film. I looked like a bag lady who'd just stepped out of a skip. Needless to say, we were not compatible in the long run.