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

391 replies

TattyDevine · 28/06/2011 21:22

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? Hmm Confused

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? Confused

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IfYoureHappyAndYouKnowIt · 14/08/2011 00:25

Am outing myself.

Blue spring

A while back but a natural classic I think (princess di)

Thought they said gold jewellry but are you saying gold or silver both work?

Have found colour and style both very useful. Always wear my colors. Tend to rely heavily on blues although pinks and purples are great too. Grey and lemon were my worst colors I think. Have made lots of use of scarves and jewelry since being done.

CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 08:28

kristina it's all stuff which is sooo me Smile, it's natural fabrics and hair-style, loose/flowing, comfortable, often with but with an 'ethnic' Hmm look (eg i love chinese-looking fabrics) coupled with pretty details such as buttons, beads, trim and embroidery and small print.

i think i was starting to arrive there naturally anyway as my last two purchases were spot-on style-wise (one's a long, flowing grecian type dress with lots of beads around the neck from Phase 8 and the other a cotton dress with with lots of embroidery and a vaguely oriental look) but a bit off colour-wise (both navy but too dark) but having the clarity now means i can actively look for this style rather than just getting lucky with it occasionally.

welcome out of the closet happy! i'm surprised that any spring could wear silver tbh. what are you doing make-up-wise?

katem there are 1 or 2 autumns who have popped up on here or other threads i believe. why not try starting a thread and see who turns up? i've found this spring thread so helpful

CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 08:40

on the subject of naturals:

confession.... it came up yday about me wearing yoga pants/cotton pj bottoms (pretty ones and i don;t wear them to bed) with a vest top and fake uggs round the house. i then change when i leave the house. i change back again when i come back in.

initially the consultant was slightly horrified and couldn't understand it and i couldn't properly explain why i do this, i put it down to not wanting to ruin my clothes whilst cleaning up after or playing with the children etc. then i realised i did it way before having children Blush

once i came out as a natural-ingenue (i'm 50/50 between them btw), the consultant said it made sense as i want to be really comfortable/practical/unrestricted at home and also don't want my nice clothes to get dirty/spoilt (the ingenue in me). fwiw, I would never go out wearing yoga/tracksuit bottoms, uggs etc (again the ingenue side)

sorry bit of a waffle but any suggestions as to how i could do my 'house-look' but a bit more stylishly/attractively please?

twooter · 14/08/2011 08:57

I SO get what you mean about not having to be grown up, cake.

I now know that I am MEANT to look slightly disheveled.

Kate - I'm an autumn, and I just hijack this thread.

IfYoureHappyAndYouKnowIt · 14/08/2011 09:29

Hmm, house look. Not sure on that one. As a natural classic I'm supposed to be doing a Ralph Lauren thing so no relaxing stuff for me.

To answer the make up question, I tried the bright lipstick thing but found it just too much for me. And I found the hoc lipsticks very thick, but then this was a while back so they may be better now.

Mostly I wear a light foundation with highlighter, always wear a charcoal eyeliner with mascara and mostly wear an eyelid primer that lightens my top lid.

TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 09:42

"confession.... it came up yday about me wearing yoga pants/cotton pj bottoms (pretty ones and i don;t wear them to bed) with a vest top and fake uggs round the house. i then change when i leave the house. i change back again when i come back in"

Oh. My. God. This is EXACTLY what I do!!!

Granted, I started doing this when I had children, initially it was a desire to be comfortable and be able to sort of flit back and forth between bed and not bed during the day as you may do when you have one newborn, but I would always change to go out. After a month or so of being embarrased at being "caught" by the postman or a neighbour knocking at 1pm in your dressing gown (such a new-mum cliche) I discovered "luxury loungewear" for want of a better word. That winter after my son was born I must have spent hundreds of pounds at Hush, who do the most lovely PJ's and loungewear, including the cardigown, which gets mixed reviews depending on which year and which collection due to their tendency to shed and pill a bit (they have since improved their wool mix combo, now less angora and more merino). I live in Uggs, they don't have to be "real" ones in terms of brand but they do have to be 100% sheepskin. So in those early baby days I spent far far more on "homewear" than I did on street clothes, and I felt far better for it.

The problem now of course is colour. The colourway of all that hush stuff I bought is probably more Autumn and quite muted colours, dusky plums and pinks etc, and is a bit wrong for me. That said, a lot of it is ready for the recycling bag now after being hammered for 4 years so I will definitely be treating myself to new "loungewear" this Winter but I suspect it will be difficult finding it in the correct colours.

I did buy a cardigown last winter or was it the one before in a colour they called "denim", which is pretty much Oxford blue (I compared it to my swatch) though being wool is a little muted in saturation, but its fine.

"sorry bit of a waffle but any suggestions as to how i could do my 'house-look' but a bit more stylishly/attractively please?"

Well, I figure chesnut Uggs, which are somewhere near colour 7 and 8, layering basics from Kettlewell if you can't find them on the high street, a yoga pant in an acceptable neutral I have these which are a match for Colour number 4 in the swatch wallet - probably nobody's ** colour and certainly not mine but at least it tones with the rest of the pallette - and they look a lot, lot better than in the picture by the way, the colour is different, less "grey marl", they are longer, and a more elegant shape than on that model, and if that doesn't convince you then check out the price! - and then some cardi's to throw over the top when the weather turns bad, and a pashmina or 2, and you will look as good as you can do bogging around the house!

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CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 10:28

that's really helpful tatty (nearly used your real name there!) i think that's what i need to do - embrace my love of loungewear and just up the quality/colour of them.

will check out those bottoms. greys are good on me - most of my **s are actually neutrals. i have to brighten them up with other colours to get proper springish impact

oh and i asked my consultant yday about the 12 blueprints ones and it seems i would equate to a bright spring which is what i thought

latherrinserepeat · 14/08/2011 10:44

Ah - just lost long post - am so new to this!

Went by White Stuff the other day (I know not everyone's cup of tea) but they had a perfect coral pink scarf in the window for under £20. Was not a natural fabric but quite light so good for summer and really lit up my skin. Can't find it on website tho.

I am a blue spring and when my consultant held up bunches of jewellery against my * drapes in gold/warm tones and silver/cool tones both looked good. This was not the case at all for the other lady in my session who was an autumn and all of the silver tones jarred horribly with her particular *'s. I did get almost all of the blues in mine though and although I have some gold toned jewellery it is more bronzey than the rich color of high karat yellow gold and that suits me very well.

Lots of lovely info on the personality styles. How would I join the facebook group to see the links please? I had wondered about some of the lace edged kettlewell vests to go with yoga pants and cardigans/scoop necked tops for around the house - to help get in the contrasting colour thing.

Does anyone have any experience of whether Kettlewell run true to size? And are their tops long or short in the body?

latherrinserepeat · 14/08/2011 10:45

Oops - you can tell I am new at all this - sorry about the bold bits. Thought I was just typing ** !

TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 11:09

You'll have to add either me or cakes as a friend as its a "secret" group, so PM one of us your facebook profile and we will send a friend request, accept it and we will add you to the group! If you don't want a random person you don't actually "know" cluttering your news feed, just hide us once you are friends. It does mean you have to give away your identity but that's why the group is secret, and none of us will blab who you are on mumsnet, if that makes sense...

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CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 11:13

that's interesting lather re suiting gold and silver. i REALLY suit gold, it literally transforms me when i have it near my face (necklace, sunglasses or earrings) but i only realised this about a year ago.

i think whitestuff do have some nice stuff esp if you've got 'natural' in your style personality. they do lovely scarves - my beloved pink one is from there. i think it's just trying to avoid that stereotypical 'middle-class mother who shops at whitestuff and lives in floral tunics, wooden beads, leggings look' that's the thing.

have just pmd you re group

CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 11:14

ah tatty had just said what i was about to pm you

CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 11:21

these are my two and one stars at 100%:

2 beige (1)
3 dove grey (2)
5 bright navy (2)
7 tan (1)
8 cinnamon (2)
19 terracotta (2 fricking stars too) Angry
26 kerry green (2)
32 bright blue (2)
35 turquoise (1)

see what i mean about neutrals being my highest rated colours?

TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 11:25

I need to go and find my book. I hid it from my daughter, I think. In fact, this morning I found my swatch wallet on the floor slightly scrunched up. I managed to smooth out the page she mangled but I have never got so close to comitting homicide!!! Angry Grin

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CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 11:42

i don;t blame you at all tatty. i've snatched mine away from the grip of my baby a couple of times and felt sheer horror at her pawing my sacred swatches Grin

oooh i forgot to say - my consultant admired my new spring makeup and said i've done really well with it (she's an ex-boots manager and is really into make-up and she said it's the thing she notices most on people. hers is perfect). she didn't try to sell me any Hoc stuff at all. so i'm feeling very smug about that.

now i know my style personality i totally get why their lipsticks were too grown-up and unnatural for me. sticking to my stain and gloss from now on!

moragbellingham · 14/08/2011 12:02

And there was I thinking I was turning into my mother by buying clothes for the houseGrin, trying to rebel against it, and now finding it's completely normal! Yay!

I looked at those "joggers" yesterday Tatty before deciding on the navy velour ones - they are a bit Dorian, but no one would notice round here. My Sweatty Betty roll top yoga pants saw me through pre/post pregnancy and never got binned afterwards and from there it started.

Dorothyredboots · 14/08/2011 12:53

Re the gold/silver debate.
All Springs can wear gold, but Blue Springs can also wear silver - for best effect this should be with their aqua/blue/grey colours. I have both and tend to see what looks best on the day! Consultant suggested mixing but it's a bit messy that way for my gamine tendencies but if you are natural you might like it like that!

TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 13:13

Arghrrrrr I still can't find my book!

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TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 13:37

Whew I've found it Grin

My 2 star colours at 100% are:

Oxford blue
Coral
Geranium
Poppy
Geranium pink
Flamingo pink
Leaf Green
Kerry Green
Bright Blue
Turqouise
Aquamarine

Not a single neutral!
And my 1 star at 100% are

Chocolate
Bright Navy
Terracotta
Hyacinth
Aqua

So my neutral's are Chocolate, and that's about it, if chocolate is even a neutral? This is what makes the chunky knitwear I love difficult, I fear. Chocolate is my best bet. But then I do have various 2 star at 75% and 50% so Oatmeal is one of those. But that's about as neutral as I'm supposed to go - and Dove Grey is only below the waist! Tan is a jacket, not next to face. Cream is 1 star at 50% so cream jumper would be fine. Chunky Aaron knit maybe? Particularly if I am natural as part of my style...

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CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 13:44

< Offers tatty a slug of brandy to calm nerves after near-loss of precious book >

Am so jealous! How can you have so many 1 and 2 stars at 100pc? is that typical do you know?

Couldn't you pair a low-star neutral knit with a two star top underneath?

TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 13:46

Well, there is a lot of Terracotta about, or burnt orangey red...go with it! Bet it ends up being a bit of a fave...

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CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 13:49

You think navy won't work for a chunky knit either? I wear it loads but more for summer cardis and dresses. Thankfully last years winter coat is bright navy.

TattyDevine · 14/08/2011 14:01

It would I suppose, but not with jeans unless you want to be navy-woman, I suppose, and I tend to wear chunky knits with jeans and uggs for slobbing around in the midwinter...

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CakeandRoses · 14/08/2011 17:05

Have just bought up half of monsoon. Will do some links once I'm back home. Have totally ignored consultant's advice to plan my wardrobe etc but I felt like I don't have any tops or bottoms at all.

RipMacWinkle · 14/08/2011 17:20

I'm so glad to read you had such a good time at the Style day CakeandRoses, so many positive stories is really making me think more about it.

This thread has truly revitalised my thoughts on the whole colour thing. I tried to do a spash of colour today but I think i just did it all wrong and look like a weirdo.

I'm no help on the indoor clothes thing - i love to do it too except all my yoga bottoms/hoodies etc are grey and black. Sshhhh don't tell HOC.

I had my book sitting here by the pc so had a quick look at my 1 and 2 ** colours - I'm more like Tatty....

** colours at 100%

Oxford Blue
Coral
Geranium
Flamingo Pink
Leaf Green
Corn Yellow
Violet
Hyacinth
Turquoise

  • at 100%

Bright Navy
Tangerine
Salmon
Poppy
Geranium Pink
Apple Green
Bright Blue
Aqua
Aquamarine

Looks like a long list but no neutrals.... v difficult to work it out.

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