If you know your HOC colours, how do you find your colours in actual shops/online?

[JMAngel1]

I'm just finding it quite frustrating - I had a consultation and I have my swatches but really struggling to find my shades in actual clothes.
So I know that deep apricot, warm camel, cornflower blue, dusky rose suit me and I'm just looking for some basic tops/jumpers in these shades. But the blues are all too pastel, the pinks too bubblegum, the neutrals too insipid, the apricots too orange.

If you know your shades, how do you go about finding them in real life? Online? I struggle with shades arriving in post that look nothing like they did on screen. Or do you struggle too and if so, is there any point to the colour palette system? Just feels like retailers are missing a trick. Even Kettkewell is woefully understocked - if I click on a perfect colour, it may only have one item, usually a scarf (!) available.

I think you have a similar colour palette to me and I understand your frustration! Particularly warm camel and cornflower blue are colours that are rarely in the shops and they are supposedly my very best colours. Harrumph.

I do find that some colours are only to be found for certain items of clothing - the only warm camel thing I have ever owned was a winter coat.
I had my colours done donkeys years ago and I have to admit that after a few years I ditched my colour swatches in a clean out because I never used them for shopping with. I think as you embrace your colour palette, you get a good instinct for your colours and don't need to hold things up to swatches any more e.g. I love a bright red but can immediately spot a bright red with a bit too much blue in it and know it isn't my tone (I need a bit more yellow in my red).
I also had some colours in my swatches that I didn't really like at all and so I have never worn them.
Online shopping is a real problem because the colours are often not accurate e.g. I find seasalt always look a bit more muted online than in real life. Kettlewell has a great range of colours but I found their quality a bit iffy.
Try not to be enslaved to your palette - I love going into a shop and dismissing 80% of the clothes in a flash by knowing the colour will do nothing for me. I am very efficient shopper and can make a beeline for my stuff immediately.
That's a long winded way of saying, give it a chance for your colours to become second nature and if you find that cornflower blue top, buy it whatever it costs because you may never find another .

It is a problem when fashion dictates that your colours “aren’t in”
There can be a lot of trial and error in the early days.
Like pp, I never use my swatches now as I just know which colours are mine. Also we don’t have to stick with the exact Colours, for eg, any green that falls between 2 greens on your swatches will be right

I find colours are seasonal in the shops. e.g. I wear a lot of jewel colours which are always in the shops in Autumn.

Online I google imagine search with "s round the colour name, "dusky pink" top which sometimes works

By the way op, Zara is a good place for cornflower blue

Kettlewell should be so much better than it is...

Anyway, I find that winter colours are generally easier to find in winter collections, and I keep an eye out for things that come in lots of colours (I have a favourite jacket) and it that season’s colour works for me I’ll get it, even if I don’t need it right then.

I also buy off season if I find something ideal eg the ever elusive ice colours.

So it's not just me!
@calabalamuc are you a light spring?
Thanks for heads up on Zara - will check it out and will check out speech mark colour search tip.
I just went shopping and have come back empty handed (meanwhile my DDs have cleaned me out )

I am autumn and some years find it hard to find summer clothes that aren't pastel. If any of my colours are 'in', I buy more than I need as they may need to last a few years .

It does get easier with practice. I don’t think you can eliminate the problem of colours looking different online to real life, but two things that might help you find clothes in the first place are
Shopstyle (app or website, you can filter by colour to get a feel for how different shades compare, or search “cornflower blue top” for instance)
www.searchbycolors.com/ I haven’t used this yet but it finds clothes in specific colours.
Once you understand the characteristics you’re looking for in a colour (warm vs cool, clear vs muted) it will become easier to recognise them.

Yeah I just know some. I’m an autumn so like browns are generally easy, or rust, mustard and so on.

Otherwise I think of the words to describe my season, so warm and muted, and see if I think the colour fits that.

I struggle with colours on the cusp, where you aren’t quite sure if it’s warm or cool.

It also definitely depends on what’s in and what particular shops sell as to how hard I find shopping. Autumnal colours have been more in recently, so a lot more brown in the shops, but some shops still don’t stock those colours, like phase eight for example.

Wow, that search by colour site is interesting - just a quick look - seems quite hard to manipulate the colour wheel and I can't see where I can type a colour in - will have to have a play, thank you!

Is this any good for cornflower blue OP? www.comptoirdescotonniers.co.uk/search?q=Amparo

Oooh that linen jumper looks good - thanks for the heads up😁

Yes JMAngel1 I am a spring. When I had it done (1991) there was none of this light spring / clear spring specification. I was told I was borderline spring into autumn, but more spring than autumn. I think my best colours are definitely the spring palette and they are the colours I am more drawn to.
Just looked at the Comptoiredescotonniers website linked to above and love the colours and style but I think I am just too fat for the French chic look (sob).

@PanDemic The current white t-shirts in Uniqlo are a proper white (I have the same issue, and keep an eye out).

Depending on the product, fabric dye. I don’t suit lighter pastels, so for viscose, Cotten, linen, etc I dye clothing if it really catches my eye

It does get easier. I belong to a FB group for my season & people post things on there they’ve bought which can be useful.

Like a pp, I mainly look for my words rather than colours - cool, deep and muted are mine.

When it works, it really works so I say persevere!

I have self diagnosed myself as a bright (clear?) Spring. No way do I suit Autumns browns and pumpkins! Though I do like Winter's jewel colours! I am too warm for a summer.

I found it very hard with make up though. I wanted a bright pink but without blue in it.

Cos often have cornflower blue OP.
Probably not now of course as I've suggested it but it is worth keeping an eye on the website as it is one of their accent colours.

Just had a look and they have this colour this season. The new collection is just appearing online so hold off and they will add more in the same colour.

www.cosstores.com/en_eur/women/womenswear/knitwear/product.wool-cropped-roll-neck-jumper-blue.0923879001.html