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The Anti-Color Analysis Thread

432 replies

FrugalFashionista · 21/02/2014 09:18

This is a safe space for anyone who
(tick any that apply)

  • wants to burn her scarves
  • will scream if someone goes semantic on 'Oyster'
  • does not want to be made to wear lipstick
  • is not looking forward to the next Kettlewell catalogue
  • does not identify with any particular season
  • will never ever do a style day
  • has self-diagnosed Stockholm syndrome
  • is tired of the tireless marketing drum of color analysis on S&B

I realize I may be endorsing an unpopular view but this thread here is for anyone who does not want to discuss color.

C'mon, am I the only one?
Raise your hand...

PS I will send a crappy lipstick personally chosen for me by a color analyst to the first taker. It's a shimmery peachy tone that has no staying power and streaks your teeth. But don't worry, it will make you look a million times better.

OP posts:
Nancy66 · 23/02/2014 10:54

Jesus Christ. If this is their idea of stylish....

www.houseofcolour.co.uk/magazine/accessorising.html

GeorginaWorsley · 23/02/2014 11:10

mrs cb I am exactly the same re black,can't do flat black jersey but fine in fur or velvet or leather.
And that's as a self diagnosed autumn!!Grin

RonaldMcDonald · 23/02/2014 11:15

the ladies from house of colour at headoffice

Nancy66 · 23/02/2014 11:17

that looks like the result of a trolley dash through Ethel Austin

WallyBantersJunkBox · 23/02/2014 11:22

Yes fully agree with texture comments.

When we put together a colour palette for a new season it is very important to have the correct fabric for sign off. A Pantone reference in jersey is very different in silk etc.

If they are giving you colour shades in one fabric that is quite misleading.

MarvellousMechanicalMouseOrgan · 23/02/2014 12:00

Oh yes, the nasty shiny scarves are awful!

I'm on the fence, I'm not convinced I'll ever go beyond a few colours in the palette. It's all very well knowing that I 'can' wear black and carmine together but why would I want to?

arf at trolley dash in Ethel Austin. Grin

BriarRainbowshimmer · 23/02/2014 12:25

Interesting, I haven't thought about texture before.
So unflattering colours can become flattering depending on the fabric?
I want to learn more!

FrugalFashionista · 23/02/2014 13:04

Loving the talk here! A quick reply while the pasta water is boiling...

We are lucky to have an enormous variety of styles here, so please do continue talking about how you have found your personal style and what principles do you adhere to and what works for you!

Wally loving your Pantone insights!

Briar not all unflattering colors become flattering because of texture - there is no way plastic chair orange would ever look flattering on me - but texture matters enormously and with my new restricted palette I vary texture a lot and that creates lots of lovely contrasts that are in harmony with my low-contrast natural colors.

QueenC I totally get what you say about liking the prescriptiveness of color analysis. After my children were born and my body changed a bit and my life changed a lot, I was totally lost. Getting a palette from a professional seemed to help. But I got so busy with coordinating the colors that I really stopped seeing 'me' for a while - the rules can make you blind too. When I started voicing the doubts, I realized giving up warmer tones was like chopping off my left hand - you can survive it but why do such a thing. Relearning who I am and really starting to 'see' who I am meant fumbling in the dark a bit and tolerating some discomfort. But now I feel 'me', not 'Light Summer', iyswim...

I was on a tram with the children earlier today and watched the people around me. My very blonde daughters, the nuns from Philippines, the Roma, the Bangladeshi, the South American tourists, the demure Polish pilgrims, the elderly patrician lady, the young Neapolitan guys with bling and chest hair. Yes, you can attempt to classify this infinite diversity of skintones (ranging from pinky white via dark olive to deep coppery tans) using four, twelve or sixteen categories, but in doing so, you must lump together people who are really dissimilar. So no, I don't think it will work...

OP posts:
santamarianovella · 23/02/2014 13:26

brair i like wearing black on black ,it sound grim,but it can look fab,if you use different rich textures, and not cheap matte ones, so no viscose or cheap crepe. she looks great in all black,notice the differing materials,wool,leather,suede,and I think the cardigan looks like mohair or is it sheepskin? Anyway,great variety of textures. Somehow the last thing I notice ,is the gorgeous neon bag,every time i see this picture,I'm aware of a bright object,but somehow I look at the black ensemble,the neon bag doesn't lift the outfit,even if she wore a black bag i would still notice the clothes first. It complements it that's all.

Floisme · 23/02/2014 13:44

Well this thread has convinced me that I shouldn't go for colour analysis, not because I'm scared of being force fed jaunty lipsticks but because I think all that 'deep dramatic summer' stuff would fry my brain. I seem to have reasonably good instincts about colour and I'd rather trust my gut. However if I couldn't see what suited me, then I would go like a shot.

I still maintain there are far more harmful forces at work than HoC, (particularly the dieting and anti ageing industries). However if Frugal is dissatisfied then she is perfectly entitled to say so and HoC are big enough to have the piss ripped out of them. I know there's a very, very fine line between poking fun at a product and mocking its customers but really, its just clothes (and scarves and lipsticks). Fashion is a very silly industry, in my opinion and we don't laugh at it nearly enough.

And Shock at those photos!

FrugalFashionista · 23/02/2014 14:15

Listen to Santa, she knows what she is talking about!

When I'm saying I'm drawn to neutrals with texture, I don't mean my mother's moth eaten camel hair coat Grin This moodboard on my Pin (with a few actual items from my wardrobe) explains, I hope, what I mean. And it's about as far from the HoC aesthetic as you can get...

This winter, I love both cool and warm soft whites. Sometimes, I complement them with denim blues, warm olive and camo pattern. After stopping worrying about the cool/warm divide I pair my white coat with a darker beige slouchy bag with a warm-toned wooden bamboo handle and silver hardware... I live in Italy and Italians seem to play with the cool-warm contrasts and neutrals a lot. I enjoy people watching here and learning the nuances... The way in which Italian men pick their sock colors is pretty mesmerizing... I don't even have words for those nuances...

Floisme I think that might be a good decision! Totally understand your rationale Wink

OP posts:
FrugalFashionista · 23/02/2014 14:33

And am I allowed to giggle a little when I click some of the links you kind ladies provided or will it unleash another round of personal attacks? Wink

OP posts:
BoffinMum · 23/02/2014 14:41

Christ on a bike
Cords suit no woman on this earth

My Shopping Trip

BoffinMum · 23/02/2014 14:42

Ronald, looks like a MN hen night. GrinGrin

bettykt · 23/02/2014 15:05

Frugalhave you already mentioned up thread whatbyourvrestricted palette is? Would love to hear it again. That's why I wouldn't want to have my colours done as I wear a fairly restricted palette too. As I said before I wear a lot of grey, neutrals, black on bottom half although I want to start converting black to navy but footwear and hosiery are holding me back.

maggiemight · 23/02/2014 15:23

I have nice cords, a gold pair and a stone pair from Banana republic a year or so ago. It's nice not to be wearing denim or black.

Nancy66 · 23/02/2014 15:31

They seem to put a LOT of people in mustard

Flangeofmingetown · 23/02/2014 15:41

God I HATE mustard with brown and a jaunty splash of orange.

Just NO.

RonaldMcDonald · 23/02/2014 15:43

orderly queue

WallyBantersJunkBox · 23/02/2014 15:45

I've seen nice cords in boyfriend slouch crop style in Gap and BR.

I think the style needs to overtake the fabric emphasis IYKWIM.

When cords are in a fitted boot cut they can look hideous as they have a tendency to lose their elasticity and you end up with the appearance of a porridge filled rear.

I think the main issue I have with a lot of these photos is "noise". I'm not quite sure why. I think it's multiple colour blocking with over accesorization (ooh I think I've just created a word there).

Because noise in colour can work. I'm not a fan of Desigual but when you observe women in Barcelona for example they style the prints and colours very well.

FrugalFashionista · 23/02/2014 15:48

Going for a run but my day-to-day is basically soft whites (it's an infinity of colors actually as I have yellow-tinged, beige-tinged, pink-tinged and gray tinged whites), cream, smoky blues, denim and chambray blues (from light wash to dark wash), taupe, rose beige, warm olive green, and a tiny bit of navy. Look at my moodboard, it gives you a starting point!
For makeup, tones that very slightly deepen my natural tones and pinks, watermelon and coral.

Most of the tones I wear are picked from my skin, hair, teeth and eyes, but mostly tinted a lot paler to create contrast. (I'm basically a beige person so wearing beige is not a great idea. Vanilla ice cream works though.) I complement them with a couple of other colors, mainly blues. I sometimes wear gray too, in jeans and in a tweed suit, but it's a tricky color for me. I avoid pattern but love texture - waffle knit, quilting, Aran pattern, slub, boucle, tweed, mohair, chunky hand knit wool, suede, grainy calf leather, smooth sheepskin... (Shhh, even experimenting with toned-down early 1990s acid wash. Mine is pretty subtle but feels really nostalgic.)

I can still do bright color - red, blue, green - when I want to make an impact, say I'm hosting a party. For formal evening, often black. I can do both pale gold and silver but prefer silver. Bronze and gunmetal work too.

Am not a paragon of style but these colors and textures seem work for me and I feel myself in them.

OP posts:
WallyBantersJunkBox · 23/02/2014 15:51

A colour consultation for your kids - £45!

Shock

DS would rather I consulted with the colour bricks in the Lego shop!

FrugalFashionista · 23/02/2014 15:59

Very sorry I think I just broke the going semantic on 'Oyster' rule Wink
Agree with Wally about overaccessorizing and overcolorblocking. My DH (a very sharp, classic dresser) and I even have a code word for it - "pizza explosion". Less is often more!

My mother made me wear a lot of corduroy in the very beige early 1980s and I'm still traumatized...

OP posts:
bettykt · 23/02/2014 17:14

Thanks Frugal for that. I too don't do pattern but love different textures. I'm breaking away from my black habit, default option and going over to charcoal/navy.

MrsCampbellBlack · 23/02/2014 17:19

I wonder if anyone is delighted if they're diagnosed as an autumn - for me that would be the very worst.

I have seen threads on here where people don't like their colours and have wondered what they ultimately end up doing. I mean I can tell royal/electric blue looks nice on me but its not a colour I like -a bit too Lady Di.

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