Online shopping - guessing colors - YouLookFab Forum

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Online shopping - guessing colors

Anonymous

Why is it that the call something "cream" when it's soft white, Winter white, antique white, or sometimes so close to white that you can't tell? Other colors are inappropriately named, too, but it seems like the whites get mislabeled more than the others.

Shopping

16 replies

Latest reply was from

Anonymous

I totally agree. And that can make the difference between whether you like something or not.

Anonymous

It sure can, and I find it very annoying, to say the least.

Anonymous

There's a fine line In off whites between something that's flattering on me and one that really washes me out.

AviaMariah

Veteran

One of the many perils of on line shopping.

Anonymous

True, AviaMariah, but it's either shop online or go on a scavenger hunt to find petite clothing that's not designed for elderly women. Anyone who's petite knows what I'm talking about.

And you're right, delurked. Whites are tricky. I'm wearing an antique white top today that's very flattering on me, but was labeled as "cream" online. Cream is yellowish. My top has no yellow tones in it that I can tell.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/463026405420201708/

Joy

Veteran

I use these terms to find out if the white has a yellow tint. Cream and ivory and soft white seem to fall into this category. To me winter white and antique white can be confusing...ivory or slightly grey, with antique white being the darker of the two. Greyed whites might be called oyster, bone, or pearl. Of course these are only expectations and may not be the reality of the color.

Anonymous

Well I ordered a top that said cream, based on what it looked like on my monitor. I was right. It isn't cream. It's antique white; obviously not white but definitely not cream--not yellowish. Soft white, winter white and antique white look a lot less yellowish to my eye than cream. Soft white is very close to white, as a matter of fact, which is probably why it's in the Summer color palette.

Then again, I bought a top that was labeled green turquoise in the online description but didn't look like it had any turquoise in it. It just looked green. I took my chances, figuring it would be a good color either way. Sure enough, it's definitely green turquoise IRL.

binkle

Veteran

Isn't it frustrating! Seems like the names are picked, not to be descriptive, but to be evocative - of what, I don't know!

Anonymous

I don't know why they don't want to give you as much information as possible, if for no other reason than to avoid returns. Maybe they're banking on it that a lot of people will simply keep an item rather than return it.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I'm not sure that calling it something like Twilight or Navajo or Milk would be more or less descriptive - HA. Or calling a shade of green something like Palm or Surf or Leaf? I think everyone has a different notion of what cream (or any other color) is anyway. I think of a gentle off white with no yellow at all. Ivory has yellow in it. Buff has tan... Blush has pink... Bisque has gray...

Olive green can be anything from almost teal to almost lime.

Just take a look at the paint chips in the home improvement stores to see why there are so many color names - the world has SO many beautiful colors. Sometimes the only thing you can do is see it in real size and in person - just like paint on a wall.

Anonymous

My top isn't cream by anyone's definition, and I find it really frustrating when they do this type of thing. Again, clothing gets returned when it's not the right color. I guess it's their problem if they lose $ over it. It's a wonder I manage to have a color-coordinated wardrobe when I shop online almost exclusively.

rachylou

Veteran

Was just looking at UmmLila's thread... The greens she tried on look a thousand times different than they do in the stock photos. Online shopping is very tricky.

Anonymous

I'm not so sure that store lighting is any better, though. I just think online retailers could do a better job with color descriptions. How often have you seen "multi" and wondered what the actual colors were in a print?

akansha

Yaa actually most people get confused that what we are trying to say for these unexplainable colours. The cream is now trending with the colour name "beige" and this is becoming very popular in footwear as well as for the girls dresses.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I can (sort of) understand not knowing or getting the names of the off-white's right, because I'm sure there is some interpretation (although Ido agree cream is yellowy). But what I find so weird is when they say it's "white" and it so obviously isn't... BR is awful for this. I'm often returning things still in their plastic bags - I wear white, I don't want off-white, or cream, or antique white, or whatever.

Anonymous

That's exactly the problem. They either don't give a color description, or they give it incorrectly. So frustrating!