The winter colours thread part 2...

[QueenCadbury]

Are you a winter colouring? If so come and join us for chat about clothes/make up following on from here.

I usually avoid purple (prejudice against people who love purple and have EVERYTHING in purple iykwim) but I love the really bright shades.

I love the dark plums and purples of the winter palette e.g aubergine, damson and burgundy and not surprisingly these are some of my best colours. I also have a few items in royal purple that I love wearing but can't wear too much of it.

Thanks all I bought it on my way home from work

Can I ask a stupid question? Because of thinking I was an autumn, I have literally never seen this bright blue colour in the shops before now, but it is everywhere. Is this because it is fashionable or is it always there? I'm just terrified that in a few months (or next winter) I won't be able to find anything in that fantastic shade of blue because it is a fad.

I think it is particularly fashionable right now but jewel brights are often around in winter. These are colours I've always worn and been drawn to so tend to notice. I think I could only ever be a bright winter

Having been diagnosed several years ago, I would say that cobalt is definitely around a lot more than it was. Its a gorgeous blue - winter colours are easiest to find in Winter which is why I am buying the hush jumper now (I will be wearing it lots during the next few months and again in Autumn).

Well now the s/s stock is coming in, winter shades are getting harder to find. I noticed that 90% of the stock in Dotty P's was wishy washy pastel shades (where pink beige and green all look the same muted shades) and didn't even bother to go in.

Yes, it seems coral, apple green, nude colours etc are coming back again.

In summer we often see royal purple, turquoise/lagoon blue, grey, white, navy and red so its not all bad.

Yes I find spring by far the most difficult - in summer I just go nautical and do light grey/navy/red/white/ice blue. In autumn I just wear what I'd wear in winter with winey/burgundy lips. Nudes and mint greens are a nightmare.

At least in plus size stores most things are black anyway!

I'd really like a blazer - I'm probably the only person without one! Can you recommend a colour that would take me through Spring? Budget £150 size12 and not online - I like to see stuff IRL!

I like the NEXT moon blazer but not sure if it's the right navy.

I'd like a jacket too (is that the same thing as a blazer?). I only have two coats and then jumpers and cardigans.

I am finding it very very hard to spend anything on clothes. I am buying little cheap bits and accessories. I still have some weight to lose so feel like I shouldn't really spend much until that is done - hopefully Easter.

But I also think I will find it hard to spend even then. The bargain hunter mindset is so ingrained in me that it feels quite painful. So many of the lovely clothes I have posted about I haven't bought, even if they aren't that much, really. I'm used to spending £5 on a top, not £27. £30 feels outrageous.

I know that the HoC lady would tell me that when you invest in your clothes you don't then have to keep spending, and I kind of understand that, but it doesn't seem possible. Habits are hard to break.

Hi face I do understand! My main shopping expeditions would be to gather as many things as I could for my money but I soon realised that I had a wardrobe of misfits.

Now I shop a lot less and buy only things I love and that go with something else. I also need to see 'where' I would be able to wear it. I currently have too many 'going out to lunch' clothes and not enough 'sitting at home watching tv' stuff!

£30 on a top is a lot of money - if it goes with loads of other things though then it's a great investment. Think about cost per wear. If you wear it once a week for 10 weeks it's a £3 top! Your £5 top might spend a lot of time on the wardrobe rail or it might be worn until it falls apart.

My biggest ever purchase was a pair of posh jeans for £140. I wore them so rarely because they were 'special' and after only two washes they bagged dreadfully so I took them back and got a full refund. My motto now is to never spend so much on an item that I hardly dare wear or wash it!

escargot can't recommend shops but if you can find one, an emerald green would be nice and quite fresh for spring. You could also try white or a light grey. If you can wear icy colours, ice blue.

Because of HOC I find that I am fussy about what I buy and what I do buy has to last me several wears so I am forced to think through my purchases.

Try charity shops - Queen who is a cardigan junkie bought quite a few that way.

I would also recommend Tk Maxx - go in the morning before it all resembles a jumble sale. TU at Sainsburys often have decent great value stuff - got a couple of cardigans from there (had to change the buttons on one though).

Blazers - try H&M, Boden & Sainsburys. Dept stores such as Debenhams and House of Fraser are great as you get many brands under one roof.

(I know you said not online - but Boden often have free delivery and returns so well worth ordering in stuff to try on)

love this gap navy blazer

Love the Gap one but only available in a 2 or a 20 Will ceheck out dept stores too. Thanks.

MissScatterbrain the first time I read your message below I was thinking 'Several wears? She wants something to just last several wears? I expect that out of my Primark £3 tops! Wait. Am I totally insane?'

Then I realised you must have meant 'several years'

Please tell me I'm right.

I meant years (I really must use the preview facility on here!). I expect all my clothes to last a long time particularly if these are investment pieces (coats, boots, knitwear etc).

However, as for t shirt tops - I am much more realistic because these do get worn daily so would be happy if I got a maximum of 3 years out of these.

I also like to use ebay for buying clothes and shoes that will only be worn on special occasions (eg evening wear or interview suits).

I keep buying teeshirts instead of 'tops' they are cheap and cheerful but take up lots of hanging space - I hang everything.

My new clothes have arrived. The navy stripe in the Boden breton is very dark (unlike the website pic), it fills a gap in my wardrobe and is already in use as a layer so its staying despite it being ivory based.

The burgundy Hush jumper leans ever so slightly towards brown rather than claret but looks great on me so its also a keeper esp since I like the cut/style (not boxy, a bit longer at the back and clean lines).

I did my style day today with hopefully and I'm a Romantic Classic. So, need to have another clear out (will probably be asking for the assistance of hopefully).

I think my first buys need to be a decent day time skirt, a cashmere jumper and a few more work/smart casual tops. All in Jewell Winter colours of course!

Wish I could have a style day - sounds like your diagnosis has come as a huge revelation to you.

Well, I had a suspicion there'd be Classic in there somewhere! It's a relief actually to be told to stay away from all the Gamine stuff as that's what I've yearned to wear but have really always know that it's wrong on me!

It was a fantastic day.

Hi there, may I join in please? I had my colours done last week (HoC) and am a 'burnished winter'. I'm supposed to wear slightly muted versions of the jewel colours, my consultant said to imagine the colour had had some milk added to it to tone it down slightly, as apparently the very bright ones can make me look hard.

I HATED the lipsticks, my teeth are one of my better points, and the dark lipsticks made them look really yellow. Also, the blue based lipsticks made me look as though I had circulation problems!

Is 'burnished' winter the same as 'sultry' winter? Sorry for the long post, as you can probably tell, I'm a bit bemused by it all.