Yeah! Nice break through! You are lucky that it is perfectly timed with trends, seeing as how navy is in right now. You can replace and build your wardrobe a lot faster now. What about cobalt? Is that in your palette too, as accent or otherwise? And what color eyes do you have?
Taupe: I am never all that clear on what is taupe and what is not. I guess it's one of those "you know it when you see it" colors. But if that leather jacket is taupe, then yes, that is a great color for you and goes well with your hair.
I had similar breakthrough myself, years ago, early YLF, when I realized that my closet had two personalities, one was based on browns and warm autumn colors, and the other based on black and cool blue-based tones. I'd go back and forth between the two wardobes... depending on what shades of highlights my hairdresser added. I have a lot of red in my hair, my sister and mom in fact are both redheads.. but on flip side I cannot do ash-toned highlights at all; completely wash me out... according to my hairdresser, I am a "neutral" blonde. Neither cool nor warm. Which may explain why I had such a schizophrenic closet.
Anyway, I decided that I was going to stick with cool tones and slowly gravitate away from the browns/warm tones. So in effect I was dong similar to what you are doing here. I suppose I picked black and white as my two neutrals. I do wear a lot of gray as well -- in any shade from dark charcoal to medium charcoal to light gray (that Theory shift is one of my favorite shades of gray to wear). As for white I like anything from optic white to cream all the way to something like this (*drool*):
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/th.....tback=3747
I do think navy looks better on me, too but I have a love/hate affair with navy.... I do not really like flat navy's. Or the kind of navy that reads "nautical," if you know what I mean.
I love your list of accent colors. I'd suggest not ruling out the rare high contrast, surprise color. I think I look good in high contrast, but like you, I gravitate more towards medium contrast. But every now and then I want BOLD. Like that hot pink skirt. And my cobalt wool coat. Neither one of those colors are colors that I'd collect and consider a "core" accent color for me. One or two items here and there is enough to add a jolt when you want a jolt.
On topic of accent colors, it intrigues me you picked cranberry for your red. Everyone has their red, no? We could do a whole post on that topic! When you say cranberry, you mean more of a blue-based red rather than a tomato or "true" (aka lipstick) red, right?
Oh! And what about jewelry? I also tend to think it's good to settle on a metal: silver, gold, or bronze. You can still wear any, but for hardware on bags and investment pieces, and if you want a minimal wardrobe, it really helps to pick one or the other. Mine is silver, for sure. I do wear the others but I'm 80/20.
