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HoC Autumns

999 replies

Seri77 · 20/08/2013 14:51

Thought I'd start a thread for autumns as the spring and winters threads seem busy and I feel I'm missing out!

I'm an autumn leaf and going for the style day soon. I haven't bought much this year as only had colours done a couple of months ago and waiting to discover my style before spending. I have been decluttering my wardrobe quite ruthlessly as I had a lot of the wrong colours/tatty clothes.

I did buy some Kettlewell tops and have had a few compliments so I certainly believe that colour analysis works.

Unfortunately my autumn/winter coats are black but expensive so I won't be replacing them for at least a couple of years.

Any suggestions for colourful hats/scarves/gloves to lift the black? High street brands please as I can't get parcels delivered to home.

OP posts:
charitygirl · 06/09/2013 18:45

I got some fab scarves in TK Maxx yesterday - one a very deep coloured leopard print (have always loved LP and do happy it's spot on for my season and style) with a teal panel across it (sounds Ming but does work I think). Two a lizard grey (so hard to find!) covered in neon orange stars. Not a whiff of polyester in either and less than £18 for both.

Hopefully · 06/09/2013 18:52

Love Tk Maxx for scarves! I've seen gorgeous Lily&Lionel ones in there waaaay reduced.

Charity lizard grey is such a pain to find, but I love it so! I recently had a waistcoat made in some amazing lizard grey fabric, I'm really pleased with it.

shopafrolic · 06/09/2013 20:30

Thanks for the tips on tights, need to investigate further. I have a khaki dress which I'd like to layer up for AW so perhaps nude tights are the way forward.......

charitygirl · 06/09/2013 22:25

Me too - its a two star colour for me. I saw a bridesmaid recently in a teal dress with a lizard grey pashmina and it really was gorgeous.

I'm still researching tailoring options in London that won't bankrupt me... I love the waistcoat on yr blog - need to decide whether one would suit my shape and style.

Roshbegosh · 06/09/2013 23:28

I struggle to get the right shade of grey, what is lizard grey? Love the links on this thread.

GeekInThePink · 06/09/2013 23:47

This is lizard grey

GeekInThePink · 06/09/2013 23:47

I can't get the right shade either!

QueenofWhatever · 07/09/2013 09:44

That's lizard grey? In my head it was something completely different. I'm not loving it tbh, it seems a bit drab.

Still laughing at the thought of charitygirl going round the shops muttering 'heliotrope or periwinkle?' to herself.

buildingmycorestrength · 07/09/2013 10:26

I stick with charcoal grey, think that lizard shade is just beige would wash me out.

charitygirl · 07/09/2013 10:42

Ah - lizard grey, like bronze, is all in the wearing! It looks blah until you put it next to an autumn skin time and then it - and you - look fab! Charcoal grey, sadly, makes me look like the not so living dead.

Beautiful new Plumo catalogue distracting me from work. Lots of autumn colours - v pricey though. Some lovely printed trousers which, though not v seasonal, I would like a pair of. But they're NEVER in autumn colours! Grr. Lots of pics of Ash Ali boots - vv nice.

Also lusting over forest green Iro jeans on Atterley Rd (soz for no links - on phone). Looks like a true autumn forest green without winter tendencies.

charitygirl · 07/09/2013 10:43

Skin TONE, obvs.

buildingmycorestrength · 07/09/2013 11:19

Some of the comments on here make me wonder if I am a proper autumn after all. Maybe my mum (who is obviously not a professional colour..iser?...or I would have mentioned it) does not know what she is talking about and I have just been brainwashed.

Charcoal grey does properly suit me, mostly. So does black, or at least I don't look totally terrible in black. Aaargh! Who am I? Maybe I should spend £100 and be done with this identity crisis.

MadBusLady · 07/09/2013 11:29

I am similar building and in a similar identity crisis. Charcoal and black are fine on me, charcoal is the better. Neither are as great as khaki/muted browns/the aforementioned lizard grey but they're fine, I still prefer black to navy.

From what I've read, this doesn't stop us being autumns necessarily, but we might be bordering on winter (do you have dark hair/eyes?) whereas other people here might have lighter colouring, light brown or auburn hair etc and be bordering on spring if anything. Some colours that Kettlewell thinks are autumn, like lime green, would be dreadful on me. I think that's because they are also spring colours.

charitygirl · 07/09/2013 11:29

Oh god yes building do it. I didn't like to say, but charcoal and black really aren't in the Autumn palette as I understand it! HoC analysis is fun, fascinating, and I would say well worth the cost.

I think 'autumn' is one of the season that people diagnose because of someone's hair or eye colour, but you really can't do it on that basis. I do not 'look like an autumn' - without analysis there is no way I could be getting my colours as right as I do now.

charitygirl · 07/09/2013 11:31

Agree with madbus that some autumns have less crossover with spring than others. That's why it's so helpful to have the HoC rating of which are your best c

charitygirl · 07/09/2013 11:33

Oops. Best colours - grass green, saffron, and rosewood are not great for me.

I sound like those celebs who do really unsubtle sponsored tweets I know...

buildingmycorestrength · 07/09/2013 13:03

Okay, have totally lost confidence that I know what colours look good on me now. So have asked for colours as a birthday present in five weeks.

Five nail biting weeks....

charitygirl · 07/09/2013 15:36

Yay! Hope you ARE an autumn but whatever you are, you'll look great!

buildingmycorestrength · 07/09/2013 16:52

Saw an interesting thing about blue autumns that sounded like me...best in teal blue and purple. Anyway, am going to hold off spending much until after I've had my colours done. Am soooo impatient though. And I think I already know my style (ish) and what shapes I should wear, though I am steadily losing weight so fingers crossed for that. And I am very excited at the idea of finding a lipstick that might suit me as that is very hard for me.

KiteyDelighty · 07/09/2013 21:28

Just to let you know that LKBennett had a couple of dresses in peacock and teal. I find it hard to get smart work clothes that aren't black so thought I would share.

Hopefully · 08/09/2013 09:58

Building I am a very blue autumn (to the point I am v hard to analyse, as I look so much like a winter that it is hard to see what the drapes are showing, iykwim), and charcoal isn't actually half bad on me. it's nowhere near as good as things like dark olive and even brown, but in a pinch i would wear it. It's a good alternative to black/navy if you work in a very corporate environment, as its likely to be better than both. The downside is that it really doesn't go with all the other autumn colours, so you lose some of the cohesion/capsule wardrobe-ability of the palette if you start chucking it in willy nilly.

LKBennett are often good for autumn colours - they had that petrol navy colour in a few things last year (none of which were my style, tragically).

Hopefully · 08/09/2013 09:59

QoW I don't actually think kettlewell's lizard grey is terribly accurate to what i think of as lizard grey. To me lizard grey is much more of a grey with a bit of taupe in it, rather than taupe with a bit of grey, iykwim.

DipMeInChocolate · 08/09/2013 11:22

Just picked up a couple of cheap tops in Lidl in a deep green and mustard for 6.99. And these pumps

Hopasholic · 08/09/2013 16:05

Hello fellow Autumns!
I started a thread in S&B to say I was having my colours done, went yesterday and I'm a soft Autumn leaf.

Am I allowed to be a little Sad? I have always worn colours from the winter pallet and despite having four heaving wardrobes, I suspect there's very little in there from the autumn colours.

I feel a little overwhelmed about next steps but have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the day, my consultant was fantastic! Handled the tricky lady of the group very well ( she was very negative and kept sighing and rolling her eyes) I'm sure the consultant will have needed to crack open the vino once she left Grin

Were any of you a little disappointed to be autums? How easy did you find it to adapt?
I think I'll start by buying four tops (as advised) in my ** colours to wear for work but I only have black trousers at the moment

Hopefully · 08/09/2013 16:41

Hop I wasn't exactly disappointed to be an autumn (as I could see how amazing the colours look), but I had virtually no clothes in the right colours, so was a little stressed to start with!

Take it step by step, view it as an 18-24 month project, not an overnight change, and use the steps you were talked through to start moving your wardrobe into being the right colours - probably something like:

  1. Tops/scarves/big necklaces are the best things to get right, as it's what reflects the right light onto your face. Tackle these first.
  2. Getting into your best make up colours makes about 1,000,000% difference, and will start the 'ooh, you look nice' comments rolling in, which is lovely.
  3. Try to have some physical separation in your wardrobe of 'right' and 'wrong' colours, so you can keep the 'right' side in mind when shopping, and commit not to add to the wrong side.