K, I'm partially color blind as well. It's a formula, but what I've found works for me is to match neutrals with one color. I think over the years that's been the best way for me to be able to make choices. I find I do tend to go either black, white and gray as neutrals together with one color, or brown, cream, olive and navy as neutrals with one color.

I'm a believer, red is often my neutral. I find it so easy to mix with things, I just don't think about it anymore.

Echo, here's my two cents, and thanks for being so eloquent and logical. Conservative neutrals - the "normal" ones that we refer to daily here on YLF - don't work flawlessly either. They can't be matched with everything - but they are more versatile, so they have a better chance of matching more items than say a bright colour or pastel or checked top. And that's why they are powerful. Hectic Neutrals - as we now call them - may be as versatile to someone as black is to you. That's my point. Teal is probably as neutral to Diana as white and citron are to me, or animal print is to Mary. I guess what I'm trying to say is that patterns and colours that are dear to your heart can be as versatile as solid neutrals. Perhaps that will make more sense to everyone.

K, sounds like green in your neutral.

Nicely said, K. Period.

High five, Donna F.

April, you are Queen Classic Neutral. Leave the Hectic Neutrals to others.

Caro, forest green is trending for Fall so you might get lucky.

I wonder if part of this is that it's not just colors or prints we love, but also those that we are very comfortable with. I'm very comfortable with color, so I don't have trouble treating them either as colors or as neutrals (and same with neutrals, for that matter). Having prints that are scaled appropriately for me seems to be a big help. They all kind of intrinsically have the potential to go together because they've already got something in common - that they all work for me to begin with. I find this true of colors as well, and I think it's part of how I am able to mix warm and cool colors with a high success rate.

I too use cobalt as a neutral. It's my favorite color.

I use burgundy as a neutral but it *is* one, right?

I had not thought about this but I think you're right, favorite patterns and colors do become like neutrals. It's definitely true of the color blush for me. I also think a slightly heathered citron color could become a neutral for me and would like to explore this more.
As far as prints, stripes especially seem very neutral. I think I can also use polkadots and small checks with about everything, including other prints.
This has been very enlightening.

Jenny H., I would like your bag, please.

I do think this is true for me. Almost any blue works functions way in my closet. Stripes do also. Glen plaid would, as well, but I don't happen to have it at the moment. Cranberry red is another for me. And fuchsia. And leopard print, but only in small doses, as accessory. I can't "neutralize" a larger expanse of it.

Very interesting Angie. I have specific items in the same scheme that work as neutral. For example my red toms, my animal print handbag or my striped bucket bag. I truly love them to bits!

Well now that I think about this, I realize I never think about this! I just can't even respond further.

Yes, I would agree Angie. And I love bold statements Even tho I don't really wear much colour, I would say I treat my cobalt and red's as neutrals and as far as pattern goes, the only pattern I have is predominantly abstracts or animal print and they work as neutrals too. Brilliant observation.

This makes complete sense to me. I do it all the time with leopard patterns and with shades of orange. You wouldn't think a color like orange could operate that way but I've paired orange as a base neutral for an outfit with all kinds of other colors/patterns just to see how they play together and it totally works.

I never quite understood what's the diff between a color and a neutral (of course I did, as you try to make it clear again in your last comment above:-)) but for me neutrals take the same way as all other colors, they have to be well coordinated in an outfit- so patterns, too.

Then i agree, my close to heart patterns and colors(including neutrals:-)) are causing me less stress by incorporating in my actual wardrobe, for sure-so they are indeed working like a neutral:-)

This is fascinating Angie. Your bold statement begs the question: what makes a colour or pattern a favourite? I think it is more than a match with skin tone and bone structure. I think the wavelengths of certain colours and patterns resonate with our own deep rhythms; clothing ourselves in these favourites is indeed second nature to us. Penny

I'm laughing at Shevia, and agreeing with all of you.

Penny, that's deep. YES. I believe that too.

Aida, the more comfortable you are with colour, the easier it becomes to mix and match.

Two of my clients each have a bright red and yellow bag. They tell me that their bags match all their outfits - which are colour rich and neutral rich - and I totally get what they are saying. Their red and yellow bags function like a neutral.

Oh totally. I love and wear blues and greens (occasionally with jewel-y pinks) all the time. And it's so second nature. Everything goes, and goes easily. No thinking.

i just get excited when i wear a color, pattern or texture, i'm not ready to think of them as neturals.

Thank you for articulating and generalizing what I've vaguely thought, Angie! In my case it's plaid, polka dots, cognac, burgundy, and mossy olive. Now if I could find skirts in the last two colors....

Oh yes - Like Suz, any shade of blue works as a neutral for me. And my tomato red bag is as versitile for me as my traditional neutral bags. It's more difficult for me to put an outfit together with black than with my favorite colors acting as my neutral.

I struggle so with color, how to coordinate them, and what "goes" with what. I even bought a color wheel and instructions for using it, to no avail really.

Dark trousers, however, seem to go with everything

When I was little my mother always had me changing clothing because she insisted that my stripes and flowers and dots didn't match. I love pattern mixing, as long as it's in the same color family. My favorite right now is a navy blue and white flounce skirt by Ralph Lauren with my green, white, and navy striped blouse. I feel very "me" and comfortable in that outfit.

Absolutely so! I find it so easy to style patterned pieces even more so than styling one color pieces. Patterned pieces are so much more versatile.

I've never thought about it before, but it is quite true!

Where I come from, red is officially a neutral. And mine is blue. Any blue. If it's not working in combination, it is typically something in the rest of tge outfit I feel like changing (though in practice will sometimes swap out the blue but only because of not having the right item for the job).

Echo, I would totally wear leopard pants with a polka dot top! LOL

Nice concept. What's in store? Every colour and every pattern is a potential neutral if you like it and live with it for a while. Like what happens when you only own one bag for a whole year and it's orange. (true example). Field research.

I heart vivid primary colors and you're right they are very easy for me to work with.