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Original poster

Am I too young?

46 replies

Gapants · 17/04/2012 10:46

Hello, right you will snort at my ridiculousness and vanity, but I am ready to take a bit of a pasting about this. I am also, very sorry if I offend...

Am I too young to get my colours done? I am 35.

I have 2 small children and am stuck in a rut with my clothing and feel like nothing works at the moment. I am one dress size bigger than I would like to be, and spend agaes thrashing about in my wardrobe trying to find something that I like. I never used to feel like this, but I all of a sudden am starting to feel ...muttony.

Would getting my colours done help?

I need Gok, but then I think his style is dreadful, so I need the anti Gok.

OP posts:
Ambrosius · 17/04/2012 10:50

What doe it mean? I keep seeing this phrase around and I don't know what it means! Please enlighten me Gapants Pretty please? :) Thanks

Original poster
Gapants · 17/04/2012 10:53

Basically you sit in a chair and someone drapes all different coloured fabrics around you. They look at your skin, eyes, hair colour and tone and from that they can deduce what colours you should wear, which ones to stay away from. It is a form of styling witchcraft.

OP posts:
BonnieBumble · 17/04/2012 11:07

I'm hoping to get mine done for my 40th birthday. I know what you mean about being too young, the photos on the website are a little dated and they go on about wearing scarves a lot which is great now because they are in fashion but not so great when they become out of date.

Tyniclogs · 17/04/2012 11:08

Sounds a lot of money to be told you suit mustard and peach, cullottes and waistcoats are right up your street and avoid neon. What do you like wearing? Maybe just tweak your current style....or start again and reinvent yourself. The charity shops are heaving with Trinny and Susannah books.

shelley72 · 17/04/2012 11:08

Well, I am a bit older than you, and I had mine done last month. I posted about it on here as I was pretty unimpressed at the time. However, I now take my little book everywhere with me. It has made shopping so much quicker as I can disregard whole rails of clothes. Has also made it less fun as I'm buying less! But of the new things I have bought since, they all ' go' iykwim.
I would def go for it!

Thumbwitch · 17/04/2012 11:09

I don't think you're ever too young, tbh. Might as well start out with the right colours and save yourself a load of money by making sure you buy the right clothes from the off.

Tyniclogs · 17/04/2012 11:10

...I'll get me my coat.

shelley72 · 17/04/2012 11:16

they also do a style consultation separately, which I think is more about your natural style and shape but I've not really looked into it more. Would be interesting to hear if that's worth the money or not..

Original poster
Gapants · 17/04/2012 11:21

hmm, ok. shellydid you find that you had a wardrobe full of crap and you had to go out and buy new stuff?

thumbwitch I totally get your logic, and that is where I am at the moment. I find myself buying a new top here and there, going off it quite quickly and not really feeling too confident about any of my choices.

I would like to see a personal shopper/stylist but am not really in funds so not able to restock my clothes.

Today I am wearing-
skinny cargo pants- topshop
grey long line vest-primark
white t with a big bow print- too look like a necklace on it- johnnie b boden
white converse
my hair is in a messy bun.

Today I feel like I have dressed OK, but usually I feel like a bit muttony or matronly.

OP posts:
shelley72 · 17/04/2012 11:31

Not really, cos I had suspected that I was a 'winter' and had been naturally drawn to the colours that suit anyway. Have had to clear wardrobe as clothes ni longer fit since having dc but that's another story! Have more of an issue with shoes/bags as mine are mostly brown or tan and they're not good colours for me. However I'm rebelling and still using them! I cant afford to replace everything simply cos colour isn't quite right, but I try with any new purchases and its slowly coming together

Hopefully · 17/04/2012 11:32

I am 29 and have had then done and an so impressed I am going to train as a colour consultant this year.

It really is a great tool, really can't rate it highly enough.

Hopefully · 17/04/2012 11:33

Shelley I found the style day even more enlightening than colour analysis!

shelley72 · 17/04/2012 11:34

Ps im sahm so doing everything on a budget too. Have def bought less mistakes lately, so things I buy I wear (rather than leave hanging in wardrobe unworn).

eurochick · 17/04/2012 11:35

Whenever I hear about someone getting their colours done, I always think of the mother in Bridget Jones...

bunnybing · 17/04/2012 11:38

Had two friends that had their colours done - one had dark hair/dark eyes and olive skin, the other had very pale skin and blue eyes. Both ended up with the same colours....Hmm

yummybunny · 17/04/2012 11:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

shelley72 · 17/04/2012 11:41

Ooh tell me more - she briefly showed me which celebs were gamine, romantic etc but would have no idea how you would start to categorise yourself?

kmdwestyorks · 17/04/2012 11:41

had mine done in my early 30's.

was absolutely great as i was utterly clueless, also had confirmation about shapes, styles etc, and a recommendation that i should not wear scarves.

it did change the way i shop and dress, made it much easier and quicker e.g I never look at certain styles and colours so i usually know that what i choose will look good.

Have to admit though as great as it was, i don't really have the money to follow through all the the time which is a bit frustrating.

My DSis did and it completely changed her look but then she has no kids to fund or chase after in the playgorund

Hopefully · 17/04/2012 11:52

Shelley you basically answer a whole load of questions about your lifestyle, how you want to be perceived, some personality questions (all very introspective and amazingly knackering, as you have to be v honest and sometimes it's not very enjoyable!). And they analyse your boy and face shape. Then come back and announce that (in my case) you're a dramatic natural or whatever. Then go through necklines, jacket, skirt and trouser shapes, prints, bag japes, everything. It seems very perspective but is actually amazingly useful. I have literally only about 35 garments in my wardrobe (including shoes and formal wear) and I wear and love every single one, and they all go together. It is magic!

WhyAlwaysBoris · 17/04/2012 11:57

Dear Gapants, gosh your OP made me feel a bit sad. No-one -nice- would think it was ridiculous or vain of you to want to look your best.

Well done for not wanting to feel muttony all the time & for taking care of yourself.

I used to work in a very posh London Department store you will have heard of in the personal shopping department, and would put looks/outfits together for people, so can i give you some insider info about what works/doesn't work in the makeover department?

WhyAlwaysBoris · 17/04/2012 11:58

sorry for the strikeout failure there, meant to write no-one nice would flame you for wanting to feel good about yourself

Ambrosius · 17/04/2012 12:54

Wow... Thanks. And how much does it cost and where do you go to have it done?

Original poster
Gapants · 17/04/2012 13:58

sorry have been away with DD who is full of the cold.

whyalwaysboris thank you!

I would love to hear your top tips for looking put together! My issue is a veer towards the much more casual style, and if I look to done, I feel a bit formal, or too grown up, which is a bit daft as I am a grown up. I have only recently gotten into shirts.

Have you been watchifn Silent Witness? I LOVE how Emilia Fox's character loks. The billowy printed shirts, skinny trousers, boyf blazer. But it looks expensive and alos she would fantasttic in a sack as she is stick thin.

OP posts:
Hopefully · 17/04/2012 14:00

Ambrosius, there are two main companies that do it in the UK, as well as some independents. House of Colour has the best MN reputation, but colour me beautiful is the other big UK one.

Thumbwitch · 17/04/2012 14:02

www.houseofcolour.co.uk/colour_analysis_benefits.htm
This is one place - does colour analysis for £99 but it's for 3-5h consultation.

I had two friends who did it in their early 30s - both colour and style - and I have to say it did make a positive difference to both of them, especially the shorter one with no waist, it changed the style of clothes she wore quite radically. They showed me the sort of analysis they had done, it was all about ratios of body lengths and which clothes suited the different ratios - iirc (it was a few years ago!) the body was split into 4 segments, but I can't remember exactly where the splits went - and depending on which bits were longer made the difference in which styles suited you (as well as body shape, size, etc.)