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.

There have been more mentions of it recently because people on a few threads have mentioned getting AI to do it for them. So you’re not going mad OP. I am not really clear why people need it, but maybe that’s because I’m a very pale redhead. We learn what colours we can wear by the age of about 4……

Mumsnet is absolutely not obsessed with this topic so why are you saying this?

Ooh, spooky coincidence - I was watching the first Bridget Jones film last night and it made me wonder how "getting your colours done" had become a thing again! I guess by the time Helen Fielding was poking fun at it, aspirational ladies of a certain age had moved on and were now obsessed with feng shui or suchlike.

My late great aunt (a cross between Hyacinth and Dame Edna) got me the Colour Me Beautiful book when I was a kid in the 80s and l pored over it endlessly. I probably would get my colours done if it were cheap and not likely to result in being upsold crazy expensive granny clothes in John Lewis!

I just googled "mumsnet colours done" and it's come up with page after page of threads on the subject. Apparently its having a resurgence.
A few years ago I bought a Colour Me Beautiful book secondhand for a few quid and if nothing else it's made me finally accept that I don't suit sludgy colours or warm yellowy tones (citrus/lemon yellow is ok though), I need to lose my prejudice against pink, and black is too harsh now I've gone grey.
So next time khaki combat gear comes back into fashion, as it will, I know to keep to a blue and grey version of it.

Honest it makes a huge difference to how you look. I am a winter so can wear black and white and jewel tones. If I wear my colours I look healthy and well, if I wear the ‘wrong’ colours such as beige and brown I look like a corpse.
Who doesn’t want to look as good as possible?

Gosh, I remember ‘colours’ first time around! I worked in a creative industry with a lot of women, and there was a big emphasis on ‘looking attractive ‘ and being ‘smartly dressed ‘ ( maybe it was sexist, but you should have seen the pressure the men were under re facial hair and suits…’).

My boss had hers done and she was delighted, she was very clever but a bit lacking in style, it definitely gave her confidence a boost. I think it went through the building, as someone’s ‘friend’ was doing it as a part time earner whilst raising DC.

I didn’t have it done then, but I was just thinking about it a few days ago as I have noticed that the colours I used to wear don’t suit me as well as some which I have avoided until now…..age has transformed me ( and not for the better). I think I would quite enjoy it now ( though no longer really care).

I don't wear colours that are in fashion. I wear colours that suit me.

I am the exact opposite.

If I could only wear colours that suit me (which I suspect are bright, rich colours), I’d never leave the house. 😂

But didn’t mirrors and changing rooms teach you that you don’t look good in beige? I’m not trying to be rude, I just don’t get it as my eyes tell me I look like the undead in beige.

I’ve rarely seen the topic in active conversations. I’m a true spring and it’s been revolutionary having my colours done. I looked so drab all the time as I favoured black and grey.

My friend had it done about 20 years ago and I sat in to have a nose at the process. Honestly, there were colours that literally made her face come alive they suited her so much. Others made her look washed out. Not saying it’s all correct with all the autumn jewels etc but it makes a good deal more sense to me buying colours that suit you than buying all the current shitty floral monstrosities that are allegedly in fashion.

But you carry on taking the piss OP, you clearly know much better than us fuddy duddies.

I had mine done about a decade ago, but I've gone very grey now so should perhaps do it again. Never wrote a post about it though

It's not silly at all. I agree that some of the stylists take it too literally and it can look dated to dress head to toe in your colours. And that there are some incredibly obsessed Facebook groups.

For me, it helped me feel 'not invisible', I get tonnes of compliments - people telling me X colour is amazing, compliments on fairly cheap items of clothing, people coming up to me at events and complimenting me etc., more confidence in meetings.

Not to mention environmental benefits - I buy less, everything goes together.

Also - it saves an enormous amount of time! I don't need to try 75% of the shop on, I'm only looking for 25% of the colours. I can be done in 10 minutes in a shop, I can spot something I like in 5 minutes. I don't have time to spend whole days shopping.

I don’t understand why it’s “baffling”? Is it sad, old fashioned and gauche to think that some colours may suit you better than others?

I haven’t had my colours done, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the colours I think suit me are found in a particular “season”. You come across as very unpleasant.

My friend was a HoC consultant Before she moved on I had mine done, and took Dds who really enjoyed it. It’s great and has saved us all a fortune. There’s science behind it. It’s great getting dressed almost without thinking because everything suits us and goes together.

it's just telling you what colour palette suits your skin tone the best.
You can probably tell by yourself if you look good in pastel colours, or if bright read makes you glow, but that kind of thing.

I have never seen any thread about it on MN, so I am guessing the OP is not so subtly trying to advertise something.

Well yes you are right. But it also shows you which tones you can wear. Eg you might think I would look ghastly in yellow but there are some shades I can wear.

I know perfectly well that autumn colours wash me out as do pastels and beige, but I never wore emerald green until I discovered that it was one of my star colours, and when I do wear it everyone says how great I look.

It is all to do with tone as well and applies to make up as well as clothes.
Scarlet red suits me but brick red doesn't, for example.

I found it really interesting when I had mine done. I'd always feel a bit washed out when I wore pale grey and lilac and now I'm a warm autumn I understand why. It just makes shopping easier.

Been here 14 years, mn definitely not obsessed with that

I think it deoends what kind of topics and threads you click on to read.

My take on mumsnet is that most women have enormous boobs, most women want another baby and their partners don't, most posters hate summer, most posters find it incredulous that people want the heating on when it is cold and most posters have very bright sporty children who achieve all 9s at GCSE and A* at A level.

😁

Its on S&B at lot to be fair

This. The people I know IRL who’ve had it done wear frankly bonkers coloured clothing - weird ochres and tan and stuff . It might suit their colouring but they look mental.

‘Getting your colours done’ comes up occasionally on Style and Beauty. There are several different systems, which can be confusing. At the end of the day, it’s subjective. There’s no test or algorithm that says you’re in the ‘ right’ colours, it’s a judgement call.

I had a horrible experience in a changing room when I realised that a colour I wore a lot made me look really washed out and ill. I followed the Colour me Beautiful principles after that and for years, I got lots of compliments on my colours and felt I knew the colours that suited me. ‘Your’ colours will compliment your skin tone, which people aren’t always aware of. I often see people wearing colours that don’t flatter them.

Now I’m getting older and lately, I don’t feel I look as good in my usual colours, but I don’t have a clear picture of what will work. So I’m definitely in the market for some guidance.

I loathe those colours and they don't suit me. They suit DD and I don't think she looks mental.

My sil bought me a makeup palette based on my colouring (not the same as having your colours done, I know) and it’s been my favourite ever present. It really works for me. I’m all for people wearing/using colours that suit them.