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Original poster

Have you seen the new Kettlewell catalogue???

63 replies

snail1973 · 07/09/2013 14:04

Oh dear, its awful.

I was put onto Kettlewell by HoC when I had my colours done, and it has been useful for some of the basics. So when the new catalogue dropped through my letterbox this morning, with lots of new style in it I was really hopeful that I'd be able to find some great new things in my colours. But the new styles they have come up with are all just sooooo wrong.

Maybe I am just a bit young for them (40 yrs)?

OP posts:
GurlwiththeCurl · 08/09/2013 10:20

Oh dear, I am now feeling really depressed as I like a lot of their stuff. I only discovered Kettlewell in the summer and bought a lot to cheer myself up. I am in my fifties and have a chronic illness and severe depression. I was only wearing sludge colours and grey and the lovely colours from Kettlewell helped me to feel brighter and happier. I have felt so much better wearing colourful clothes.

And now you are all saying I must look frumpy and awful. Where am I going wrong? Sad

Roshbegosh · 08/09/2013 10:37

No gurl of course you're not frumpy, they are good for basic t shirts and the colours next to the face are great, but in the catalogue the outfits they put together are by a deranged person or some school girl thinking "grandma would like this" and that would put anyone off. I go with their colours all the time for tops though often they don't have the colour I want in the style I want. They could be so much better. The t shirts alone won't make you frumpy.

Screwfox · 08/09/2013 10:45

Lol at wrack. You mean rack. Or maybe wreck

MrsCampbellBlack · 08/09/2013 10:54

I've never had my colours done but looking at kettlewell - I pretty much only wear summer colours.

Gurl - I'm sure you look lovely - I think some of the basic shapes are fine but just don't buy any of the crinkled shit.

Screwfox · 08/09/2013 11:05

I'm summer cb.

BeginnerSAHM · 08/09/2013 11:42

Wreck i thinkWink!

Guru - sorry, didn't mean to be so critical - I think it was just the example clothes I saw that she had left over at the end of the 'season' that were quite odd looking... I agree that the colours are spot on but the styling is quite frumpy.

BeginnerSAHM · 08/09/2013 11:43

Gah - 'Gurl', sorry... (That was autocorrect's fault!)

Gillybobs · 08/09/2013 12:17

The styling is an abomination and it does nothing to improve the image of the whole colour analysis concept which annoys the hell out of me given its one of the most useful things I've ever done. Similar to House of Colour themselves who have an excellent product and an appalling, old fashioned image (imvho)

Roshbegosh · 08/09/2013 12:22

It is a pity they can't make the idea more appealing to younger people, I wish I knew I looked terrible in black when I was 16, I could have looked so much better. It has taken me years to figure out what suits me and having colours done was a huge help.

Hopefully · 08/09/2013 15:02

gillybobs I agree that the 'associations of both could do with being younger/less frumpy - every single client I get wishes they'd done it sooner, and are often surprised that I, as a consultant am (a) only 30 and (b) into fashion/personal style/not dressing in ALL COLOURS at all times.

gurl I'm sure you don't look frumpy - I regularly wear kettlewell and am definitely not! There are some fantastic pieces in there, and the quality is second to none.

Gillybobs · 08/09/2013 15:32

Hopefully I can imagine, I've read your blog and think you are exactly how their consultants SHOULD be. I'd love to be ballsy enough to email head office and tell them I almost didn't go because the website is so bad.

NewNameforNewTerm · 08/09/2013 16:59

Glad it is not only me. I was really anticipating the new collection as I need to re-colour my autumn / winter wardrobe. Hate the fringed jacket and the garish prints.

mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 08/09/2013 17:09

I have some of the scarves, lots of the maternity clothes I borrowed are black so I needed them to stop me from looking dead! Agree that they need to focus on the basics.

HerdyHerdwick · 08/09/2013 17:15

After reading the thread earlier, I settled down with a nice cup of tea and my Ketttlewell catalogue. Grin
I have to say that the 'textured wrap' in the Autumn colours is the most utterly hideous thing I've ever seen.
Apart from a blue Per Una skirt that I saw 10 minutes later when I was browsing M&S.
I'm in my early 50's, carrying a lot of extra weight, and try hard not to look frumpy although the combo of age and fat makes it tough. I have bought some items from Kettlewell in the past, but there's not much in the AW collection that I like.

Stropperella · 08/09/2013 17:53

Agree that the most recent catalogue is grim. I did buy a couple of things from them last year, but AW13 has gone straight into the recycling bin.

Aquelven · 08/09/2013 19:32

But some of the colours are lovely & so hard to find in the shops, especially at this time of year, so I can quite understand you buying them Gurl

I think the plain things in basic shapes are ok, if a bit expensive, though I don't like any of the patterns or the droopy shaped ones.

BeginnerSAHM · 08/09/2013 20:01

Hopefully - where are you based?? You sound brilliant. You could be a traveling mumsnet cool-HOC consultant and clean up...Wink.

charitygirl · 08/09/2013 20:29

Good point that the HOC website massively needs impr

charitygirl · 08/09/2013 20:32

Good point that the HOC website massively needs improving.

Poor old Kettlewell - Hopefully is right, the quality of the clothes is much better than anything else of the same price. And some of the colours are wonderful. It's just the styles.

Also wish I'd had my colours done sooner. All those years in (beautiful but corpsifying) greys and blues...

Hopefully · 08/09/2013 21:35

Beginner I'm in the SW - east Devon. I've had a few MNers, it's always good because I kind of have an insight into how their minds work before I meet them!

TravelinColour · 08/09/2013 22:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TravelinColour · 08/09/2013 22:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BeginnerSAHM · 08/09/2013 23:15

You both sound v cool Wink. You need to infiltrate the south east somehow.... Travelin/Hopefully pop-up 'colours' shops?

Ok, ok - I'll give kettlewell a go...

noddyholder · 09/09/2013 08:28

I think what I dislike is the assumption that your 'colours' and the look that gives you is something you want to look like every day. I know that a certain bright blue gives me that brightening and lifted look but I very rarely wear it as I don't like it or want to look like that all the time. One persons corpse is anothers pale and interesting.

charitygirl · 09/09/2013 08:38

I know what you mean Noddy, and I have some friends who I wouldn't recommend it to because they have a great eye for colour and put things together beautifully even if they're not their colours, IYSWIM. For me, once I saw how good I looked with the really right colours next to my face (and how good they looked next to toning colours), well I'm just too vain to go back to soft gray or French navy or any of the other colours I used to think were nice - they're lovely, but they don't do me justice.

But real real aesthetes may not want their joy in matching colours with each other endangered.

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