Have you managed to eliminate “not your colours” from your wardrobe?

[CoastOfXmasPast]

And if so, how and how quickly did you do this?

Over 2025 I have paid attention to colours in my wardrobe and how they look on me and make me feel. I also did a lot of holding items against my face in the shops to see how various shades of same colours work against my skin tone. Basically, DIY colour analysis. It started with realising that black absolutely drains me (unless full face of make up) and warm colours like tan, camel, olive, mustard just make me look sick. But cool shades of most colours, in medium saturation light me up.

The bummer is that during lockdowns I have got swept up in capsule wardrobe videos, buy less but better content and now have quite a few pricey, high quality black and camel items that make me feel and look old and tired. I have sold a few cheaper items but have 3 black coats that I wear like a punishment, too expensive to sell on Vinted. So, not sure what to do and what was I thinking, black is not actually that versatile.

Black, tan, camel and olive are fairly neutral. I get round the draining effect by using a scarf or necktie or wearing something with a collar underneath.

Another vote for a scarf to bring ‘your’ colours closer to your face while you slowly replace your existing clothes with ideal colours.

As for when you replace, it’s good to take time to ‘get your eye in’ and really understand the colours that bring out the best in you.

Prioritise replacing the items which you wear most, especially those that already are due to be replaced. Don’t worry so much about things you only wear occasionally. A lot can be done with makeup and.or fake tan when you do wear clothes you now see are not ideal.

There Are now very few items which do not fit my palette. A colleague who recently found out about colour palettes noticed in astonishment that all my things (including water bottle and travel flask) are in my colours. I’ve been doing this since 1986, could reasonably get dressed in the dark and would still look ‘put together’.

Thank you both. I do have one scarf only at the moment, in charcoal cashmere, that flatters and works with black coats, and waiting for a few more colours to go in sale in Uniqlo - blue and purple/burgundy.

The thing with black coats is that you can add a scarf in your colour to stop it washing you out.

The thing about colours is it doesn't always make that much difference.

Im on this journey too! Finally realised that I suit bright warm colours (turquoise/coral being examples, and camel does suit me) and black/burgundy autumnal colours really don’t suit. I had/have a lot of black and ‘autumn’ tones in wardrobe.

I’m sort of the opposite to you in that I had a load of not great quality clothes.

I’m slowly trying to, when I need (or want!) something, to replace it with better quality stuff in my palette, mainly using Vinted.

To that end I’ve got a Vinted search set up with keywords such as wool/cashmere/cotton etc filtering out black and other ‘wrong’ colours.
I just keep an eye on it and every so often something ideal pops up.

One success is an oversized cashmere jumper which I wear allll the time now.
I also replaced my maroon polyester ‘wool’ coat with an actual wool coat in my palette (Vinted again).

At the same time I’m charity shopping or selling stuff on Vinted that doesn’t suit and did a huge clear out of things that didn’t get worn.

Its a slow process I’ve still got loads of black/dark things, but the scales will eventually tip fingers crossed.
What I do notice is the ‘in palette’ items are getting worn a lot now I have them I guess because I subconsciously feel better in them.

I have, twice really. I used to be a winter but I appear to have aged into a soft summer.

I went through what I had and got rid of everything that was very wrong. Then dyed a few things quite successfully to cleaner versions of their existing colour (rit liquid dye in the machine because dylon does not have my colours). Then when I bough new it had to be right and fit a gap.

I love the idea of scarves but can't make it work, I have a matronly bosom!

A few years. I bought new in colours that suit me and found that a smaller palette worked better for separates anyway. However good quality clothes that weren’t in my colours languished for too long as they weren't being worn so weren’t wearing out, after a while I did a big clearout to charity shop and felt much better.
I still have an expensive sequin dress in rose gold that is too small for me now as lingering evidence of money wasted on the wrong clothes.

I'm a soft autumn & have a lot of black items like a Jaeger wool coat & cashmere jumpers. I find I can wear things with soft fuzzy textures in black like Cashmere or velvet. Plus also showing a bit of skin so a v neck or a scoop neck help so the black is away from your face. Scarves in softer colour ways also help with the coat so a soft cream/denim blue or a warm leopard work really well.
Echoing someones point about buying items in your colourway. I never used to believe this but for the last two years I've been buying shoes & bags in my autumnal colours & its made things so much easier. I now have Loafers & Adidas in burgundy along with an burgundy Autograph bag , khaki flatforms pairing with an old khaki/bronze Accessorize bag & a beige patent boot that goes with tan & leopard bags.

If you have ChatGPT you can upload a photo of your black coat and say that you love it and want to wear it but to recommend what the ideal scarf and outfit under would be for your colouring. So for instance I uploaded a photo of myself wearing my black wool wrap coat (which I bought just last year, wool, too expensive not to wear) and it recommended scarves and full outfit for underneath and also earrings etc to make it fit my palette (Soft Summer, Soft Dramatic kibbe body type). The body type is another rabbit hole by the way 😂Like some of the posters above, I also search on Vinted in my colours and for good materials like cashmere and found some fab Arket and Hobbes jumpers in exactly my shades which I wear all the time now under said coat and with my best shape and metal in earrings too to really lift! You can get really caught up in it though so also just want to say wear what makes you feel good too x

What shape are the coats? I don’t suit camel or tan colours but I have a lovely taupe trench which I wear open with a colour that does suit me underneath. If it’s cold I belt it and wear a scarf or a high neck top in a colour that does work. I don’t pay a huge amount of attention to colour seasons mind you, just try not to have my worst colours right up to my face.

Could you wear the black coats when you are on a night out? That way you'll be tanned , made up etc. And a black coat is so versatile, it will go with pretty much any outfit. Like you I'm not a fan of black during the day but I do like to wear it going out. Dh said it really suits me.
I noticed a few years ago that peachy tones really wash me out and look dreadful. Turquoise & blue suit me best for summer and deep greens & burgundy for winter. It's amazing how plain a certain colour can make you feel and how fantastic changing to another colour can make you feel!

I did a colour (and shape) analysis a few years ago. Black doesn’t suit me, and I actually didn’t have much black in my wardrobe. Some things I didn’t wear much I culled immediately eg my, whilst others have been a gradual replacement.

I don’t eliminate any colour, just don’t wear the colours that don’t suit me next to my face, or as others wear a scarf or something to break it up.

perhaps keep one black coat for funerals.

Personally I think you have to make a decision - broadly - on style or beauty.

for me black, camel, cream are absolutely key components of my wardrobe based on style.

However they don’t light me up like lilac or baby pink. But I don’t want to dress in those colours: they might suit my face but they don’t suit my style.

There are some colours on which I can be decisive: yellow and orange are dreadful on me, so I don’t wear them and coral pink is fabulous so if I saw an amazing occasion dress in that colour I’d snap it up but trying to excise all the fabulously cut, interesting pieces of clothing from my wardrobe because they’re not my colour is a fools game imo. Shape, cut, fabric, fit, details and aesthetic all come before colour for me.

I had my colours done 20 years ago when I was 30. I’m an Autumn and over the years I have culled black. Although yes scarves, I find wearing harmonising colours much better, so for example a brown jumper and aubergine trousers better than brown and black. Black is a hard colour (if it’s even a colour) to match and to wear if you are not a Winter. It drains colour out of other colours. It is indeed not versatile. I’d cut my losses personally.

I do agree with @DancingNotDrowning as going full on ‘I’ve had my colours done’ is not necessarily a stylish look. The Kettlewell Club on Facebook is full of photos of women looking lovely (and coordinated) but they do not look fashionable. There comes a point where you have to decide if you want to wear what suits or what you like/what’s on trend.

Agree with others that ‘your’ colours are best used as a guide and not a rigid rule. I found it confirmed some of what I thought worked and didn’t work for me. There are some colours in ‘my’ palette that I’m not keen on and would never wear. It’s meant I feel comfortable sticking with colours that suit me but I do stray off at times.

I’ve a lovely camel coat with fur colour, this works on me probably due to the textured collar as I know a sweater in that colour would wash me out. I’ve also found I can wear orange but only in a multicoloured item that includes black and white.

I disagree that people can’t wear orange or yellow, for example. You just have to find the shade that suits you, so for me (autumn), it’s more of a sludge- y or muted shade rather than a brighter or pastel shade. However, black is the exception, and it can drain people.

Sell the good quality stuff on vinted

I've never been able to work out if I'm warm or cool... maybe that means I'm pretty nearly neutral. I think the chroma thing is much more useful when choosing colours. I'm extremely muted in colouring, and I've found that I can wear most colours as long as I choose a soft, smoky, sludgy, or even speckly version of the colour. Any attempt to "brighten myself up" with zingy or intense colours (or jet black/pure white) is doomed to fail.

I’d say most of my clothes are my colours. I do like to break the colour rules too though as I get a bit bored with the predictability of only seeing my colours. So long as it’s not right next to my face or too overpowering.

I'm 65 still can't work out my colours, I'm blue eyed, hair was light blonde child, but went dark around 11, when my hair is in a ponytail I can see a little auburn in it, so I could be a soft autumn but I have blue eyes, that's what make it hard for me , as most blues eyes are spring or summer.

I’m an autumn but still wear black. Sometimes I want to look drained 🤪

I’m an autumn with blue eyes.

My eyes are quite a strong colour and have ‘rays’ of golden yellow. It took me a while but I’ve now embraced the autumnal palette colours that work on my.

Hope you find what works for you.