To ask why Mumsnet is obsessed with “having your colours done”?

[Wiltingasparagusfern]

One of those Mumsnet things that makes me feel like I’ve wondered into Hyacinth Bucket’s house:
what’s with the getting your colours done stuff? This is not 1982.

Helen Fielding was taking the piss out of it 20 years ago. Surely no one under 40 does this anymore? I feel, like savoury jelly, china ladies, and serving hatches, it belongs in a different era (“Another mini gherkin, Bridget?”).

Or am I wrong? Should every woman have her colours done? Are those of you that have seen the light (gone to John Lewis…is that where this happens?!) looking at women in the street and going tsk, she is clearly a jewel autumn or whateverthefuck?

I am baffled, please enlighten me.

I haven’t seen it on MN for years but it is ALL over TikTok and Insta. It does make a difference if you have an idea of the colours which particularly suit you.

i remember my mum and her friends doing this 40 years ago. Ive never had it done because I know ill be a season that means I should wear warm colours, which I hate and not the black and cool colours which I much prefer. I'd have loved to have been an ice cool tall Scandinavian pale skinned blue-eye blond, instead of a short, squat, olive skinned brunette with warm brown eyes.

I really don’t get it. If I was told I was a ‘spring’ or whatever, there’s no way I’d start wearing blue, yellow or green if that’s what ‘spring’ entails.

My friend had it done (it was SO expensive) and she sticks slavishly to a (frankly alarming) colour palette.

Nothing could persuade me into anything other than black, grey or white. I don’t care what colours someone holds up against my face and tells me to wear. Not interested.

Chuckling at this, got AI to do my colours on the back of several Mumsnet posts talking about it. AI basically told me to wear really dreary colours ie dress like Lynn from Alan Partridge. Will be ignoring.

It's just that sometimes when seeing people in colours which supposedly do/ don't suit them, it really seems to make a difference.

You say drip with contempt, I say: gentle piss-taking. But do by all means get your colours done - that’ll show me! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Do you read a lot in style and beauty? Maybe it's all in there?

Ok, so yes, it was really big in the 1980s (I was a young teen but remember my mum having it done),

But - the principles are valid. Some colours do suit some people a lot more. I don’t stick to it completely - e.g. I am a spring but I do wear black even though it’s not supposed to be one of my colour. However, I find it really helpful to know what suits me. E.g. khaki looks ok on me but teal looks terrible.

@Wiltingasparagusfern if I could go back in time I’d have just taken her out for a nice meal. The only time it’s actually made me rage was when we were shopping for her dress for my wedding, I contemplated pulling the fire alarm so we could leave.

Yeah I think you’re probably right. I wasn’t suggesting that it’s site-wide, like acolytes appearing on threads where someone has just found out her husband is cheating and responding with “Maybe it’s because you’re an autumn but you’re wearing only spring.”

Not that I’d put anything past this place

Some people know innately what colours suit them.

Others don't.

Anyway, Chat GPT will do it for free. Load a photo of your face in daylight. Ask it what colour season you are, and... 🎰🪄🎩

Even if you looked much better in the other colours? 🤔
Maybe black etc suit you anyway, you probably know. I just look grey and pasty in grey and cream. I love white but have to up my make up and bronzer to wear it so probably not my colour but I won't be changing it!

Nightmare. This is why I think it’s a cult. A fairly benevolent one but a cult nonetheless

If I remember rightly, olive skin looks golden, but actually has a blue undertone. You might well be a Winter who suits cool, strong colours.

Carole Jackson also wrote that there are far more Winters than any other seasonal type and they come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. I found her Colour me Beautiful book very interesting.

I’ve seen multiple threads on the theme over the years, but almost always on the Style and Beauty board (unsurprisingly). Those who’ve had it done tend to have the zeal of religious converts, which is always worrying.
I wouldn’t spend any money in it because it will either confirm the colours I like and buy already (in which case it’s nice to know but improves nothing) or suggest colours I utterly despise like peach or chocolate brown (and then I wouldn’t change what I have already but would feel less confident about wearing my clothes). So it’s pointless either way.

I've had mine done.
I wouldn't have paid for it myself tbh but my auntie did it for me, my sister and cousin and it was quite fun to go together and do it.

It was quite informative actually, I'm not particularly fashionable but I think I manage to look fairly well dressed by knowing what suits me. I'm a warm, soft autumn, so jewel / earthy tones look good.

There were some surprises, like mustard yellow, which I'd never worn much of but actually look really good in! Dark green, purple and maroon look great on me which is good as I wear a lot of them anyway.

I was told never to wear black but instead wear aubergine, which I thought was hilarious as I play/sing in lots of ensemble concerts etc and the uniform is always black... can just imagine saying "oh no sorry I can't wear black like everyone else, I'll have to wear aubergine!" 😂

It's really just part of figuring out what suits you (which isn't always obvious to the individual themselves, hence the professional consultants). I probably wouldn't go to get mine done or get too obsessed with which specific subtype I supposedly am, but I'm definitely cool toned and prefer a high contrast but not super bright look, and have felt better about myself since buying clothes that conform to that. It's popular on Tiktok, along with Kibbe, so not an old person thing.

You don’t need to spend money on getting it done. It’s very easy to work out for yourself and there are lots of explanations on SM. I’m a light spring because I’m neutral / cool but I don’t stick slavishly to it - I wear gold jewellery rather than silver and I still wear black, although I might not if I’m feeling tired or under the weather as it will make me look drained. I wear very little colour and I do look better in grey or navy.

I've never had my colours done, I know I suit reds (which is good as I like red)
I can tell that you have never had your colours done! I tried to google how many shades of red there are: of course nobody knows but plenty of sites say more than 100.
Do they all suit you?

Me either but now I’m intrigued! 😄

I've never seen it mentioned before on MN.

My mum paid for me to have it done in the 1990s after she had it done herself. It was actually very helpful and after a while I just gravitated to the right colours instinctively, in a way I didn't previously. On the rare occasions I get tempted to deviate, I usually end up regretting it. It also means most of my clothes go with each other (as well as going with me!).

Yes, I suit "cool" blue-toned reds or very pure reds. I do not suit orangey reds at all, which is annoying as it is often all I can find.

Oooh - can you send me a link to these threads on MN? I'm intrigued 🤔

Same. First time I have seen mention of it.

I had mine done last year (was too embarrassed to tell anyone) and it was actually great. I came away enthusiastic about colours I had always assumed I couldn't wear but it's all about the shades not just necessarily "no orange" for example - it's just that some of us suit a more coral one, others more yellow, etc. Black is basically the exception that only certain people suit it but it's been freeing for me to officially give up thinking that I should have black clothes.

For me the proof has been in the pudding that I have since bought a couple of dresses in colours I wouldn't have previously worn and both strangers and colleagues have commented how much those colours suit me. (Not my husband though. He remains entirely oblivious.)

Just to add - I have not paid anyone to “do” my colours - I just worked it out myself.