So, should I be panic-buying loads of coral coloured stuff or what?

[TattyDevine]

Right so I got my colours done on the weekend (!) and I'm a bright/clear spring and to cut a long story short one of my really good colours is that pinky orange/coral that is about a lot at the moment, or flamingo pink, or a peachy pink. Coral, basically, is what it tends to be called.

Since then I've seen shedloads of coral coloured stuff about, much of it in the sale or about to be. Its possibly passed me by before now but I suspect it has been one of the season's "fashionable" colours - or is it always about of a summertime?

Anyways. I've never been attracted to it on the hanger particularly but it does make me look 10 years younger and light up my face and make my eyes pop out in a good way and generally make me look like there's life in the old girl yet. Obviously there are lots of other colours that also looked good but none of them quite made the lady draping me and her other victim client's jaws drop to the floor quite so much

So is it a temporary thing, will this colour dissapear for approximately a decade till it comes back in again, or is it always about a bit in the summertime? If not, I guess I should buy a few key pieces in the size I ought to be my size?

If you can afford it, buy what you like in the colours that suit you. Having had my colours done I know from bitter experience that one season there will be a glut of your colours, nad then nothing for a year or 2. I tend to buy stuff when I see it, and if it fits well and I love it I may get it in 2 of my colours, or even a second exactly the same (especially if on sale) to replace the first one when it starts to look past its best.

Bloody hell I better get spending!!!

To be fair there are several good colours really that I can wear, I suspect coral is one of the better "high summer" ones though. Hmmm.

It is one of my colours too and I've picked up a few bits in the last couple of years. Like you, I'm not sure whether or not it's always around because I never looked at it before.

It would be worth investing in a good quality scarf to wear near your face. It looks good with navy or brown.

oh, also, spend your money on clothes that are near your face, so tops, scarves, necklaces etc, that is what makes the difference!

Yes I tend to agree with the near your face thing.

I think I might treat myself to (if I see the right one) a really nice coral coloured summer dress of the posh barbecue/out to dinner on holiday type (i.e not too formal but a little bit nice) and one really nice silk top or something and leave it at that, so as not to go too mad but to have a couple of niceies...

I love coral and peachy pink and nude sorts of colours, been wearing them for years, I don't think classic colours like that will go out of fashion, a nice colour is always a nice colour. Its not like we are takling about lime green or neon .

You could always buy things from somewhere like Zara or HM if you don't want to invest too much.

meant to say neon yellow.

sounds good to me! Also, if you find at the right price just a t-shirt or 2 in your good colours, it will amaze you how much better you feel abpout yourself - I spend a lot of time in t-shirt and jeans, and having a couple of t-shirts in the right colours cheers you up.

Oh Jo Whiley was wearing a fab coral coloured silk top when she introduced beyonce at Glastonbury - would look fab on you I'm sure but no idea where its from [helpful]

I love coral and it does tend to be around quite a bit most spring/summers I think.

You're probably right MrsCampbellBlack. Its a bit of a summer cliche colour really (in a good way I suppose). I do like it. Now I know what it does for me!

Its funny, I always sort of avoided it thinking it was for tanned people but its kind of the opposite, it makes me look "good pale" if that makes sense...

I do think its a fab colour.

For bikinis/kaftan type stuff - Heidi Klein has quite a bit in this colour. Am sure jigsaw also had some nice stuff in this colour.

Am now obsessed with Jo Whiley's top.

I wondered the same thing!!!

However, the Pantone colour trend thingamajig (technical term I belive) for Fall 2011 has several colours particularly "emberglow" (which looks suspiciously like coral to me) and this one they're calling "beeswax" which I think would work for those of us of various springy ilks. here it is.

Saw linked on the 12 Blueprints FB wall . . . thinking of joining . . . .

Ah the 12 blueprints ladies. They are a bit of a special bunch are they not.

Bless. Lots of info to be gleaned though, great makeup tips particularly.

I suspect one shouldn't take the colours thing too seriously but for head to toe or near face colours which are apparently a really really good one for you, it seems a shame not to pick up a few bits and bobs.

That's settled then

Will check out your links in a tick Mitten my sweet.

Not take colours too seriously?!?!?!?

My new friends in WINC may have something to say about that.

There is a flamingo cardi in the boden sale.

I'm just sayin.

Don't worry Mitten...I'm guaranteed to be redecorating my entire house to ensure the colour scheme doesn't cast an ashy glow on me sometime within the next year 6 months no doubt.

Tatty - unless you are a good deal better off than me it will take some time to get your wardrobe fully in your colours. I too am a bright spring and would never in a million years have bought an item of coral clothing. I had mine done 5 years ago and now have a lovely Oasis top (bought in sale), a Next blouse for work, a top-shop vest top, a next tank top among other things in that particular colour. I agree that if you see something you like you should buy it if you can, but this colour does appear at least a bit every year (funnily enough in the spring/early summer!) so you'll get there in the end. It's funny though I still have one black cardi that I just can't seem to part with even though I have a perfectly nice navy one that probably looks better ........

Where did you go to have your colours done, and how much does it tend to cost? I need to put some life into my boring wardrobe of greys, blues and blacks, but being pale skinned and ginger haired with not much confidence when it comes to fashion I'm not sure where to start.

Just wearing a different colour makes your eyes pop out?

This colour thing sounds dangerous! :o

mummy2 - I had mine done by House of Colour - it was about £100 for a full day (including lunch) and includes make-up colours as well. You should have seen my face when she showed me the colour of lipstick I should be wearing! But, to be honest I do feel and look better when I'm wearing it and do get compliments, so there must be something in it.
www.houseofcolour.co.uk

Thanks Birdybedtime.

You know, there is a lot to it . . . thinking back, I went from being all, "Bleurgh, colours, middle aged lady in jaunty scarf" to studying my swatch book obsessively in the space of a few weeks. But having seen the HUGE difference in how I looked in my former soft summer-type colours (mixed with large doses of black) to my actual true spring colours made a convert out of me. So I say to anyone contemplating it, go for it.

That said I am now flouncing off because nobody watched that A Mighty Wind with Jane Lynch.

I'm a Spring too. You will find Coral in the shops most Spring and Summer seasons. One point to bear in mind is that you will be wearing your Spring colours all year round so I'm always looking for stuff that I can wear in winter months, e.g. cashmere cardis and jumpers, anything with longer sleeves etc. There is much more for us in the shops during the Summer months; Winter seems to bring a sea of dark, dark, dark. Also, it is good in the long run to develop a wardrobe that includes as many of your colours as possible as it gives you more options for mix & match; so try not to binge on one particular colour.

Dorothy, that's what I'm mulling . . . a gradual accumulation of year-round clothing, but based mainly on the neutrals of the palette. Have not actually bought anything since my draping except a couple of lipsticks!

Do you stick with one or two main neutrals, though? (this may be a silly question but in my case I would conservatively estimate that 60% of my wardrobe is black and required a lot less thought to buy.)

To be honest I find our neutrals quite hard to find (light navy, warm greys - yeh, right). My best colours are the brighter ones and they also suit my Gamine/Ingenue clothing personality best too. I use a lot of red and violet instead. I just go for it and ignore all that camel & beige stuff. It just takes time to build it up but eventually you open your wardrobe one day and it looks like large versions pf your fabric swatches all hanging there!