What is my problem with red? - YouLookFab Forum

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What is my problem with red?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I've noticed something and I wanted to bring it up here to see if you all have any advice. I have a few pieces in my closet -- mainly tops and toppers -- that are red, and it seems I rarely ever reach for them. Yet, when I pull them out and try them on, I like them and can't seem to put them in the sell/donate pile.

I think red is not a bad color on me, as long as it's not too orange-y. Bluer reds are more flattering on my skin. When I'm out shopping, red items don't call to me anymore, or if they do, I remember that they tend to become orphans and I leave them on the rack.

I've included photos below -- Sanctuary denim jacket, an old but classic moto (which fits beautifully), and a trench from Anthro two years ago (with the lace-up back detail) that I have not worn in over a year. These all seem to be a "good" red for me, yet they're not getting worn.

What's up with this? Any advice? Do you have a neglected color in your closet, and how do you handle it?

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Dressing

57 replies

Latest reply was from CocoLion

citygirldc

(website)

Veteran

Maybe because we don't see red around lately or it's not on trend. Keep them if they still look good and then when red is "in" again, try them again and see if they will work. (I have way too much blue in my closet).

Zibbets

Veteran

Oh those are great pieces. Don't give them up yet.
Have you tried a matching red lip?
I don't like red on myself until I put on red lipstick. With the right lip it seems to really sing.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I wondered if it might be trend thing. Red is not really big right now, even though it's so classic.

I think I've been hanging onto the jackets because they are pretty timeless and don't take up much closet space, and I might all of a sudden get a hankering for a change of color palette. When I pull them out of the closet, all of a sudden, it looks very blue-green centric in there!

I don't really have that desire to cull down my color palette to a very narrow spectrum, as some people here do. I like options, and I like seeing at least a partial rainbow when I look in my closet.

Heck, maybe I'll wear one of them today. I'm wearing more neutral outfits lately, maybe a red jacket is just the spark I need.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Zibbets, I love red lipstick...on other people! Somehow it wears me, rather than the other way around. I just don't seem to look good in bright or dark lip color. I don't understand why -- maybe just my large features on my small face. I do much better playing up my eyes.

leopardluxe

Veteran

Those jackets are gorgeous! Red is one of my favorite colors. I could totally see that red moto or jean jacket with a pair of distressed BF jeans and a camel colored t-shirt or sweater half tucked with a pair of loafers or booties.

For me the color that I end up not pulling out often from my closet is bright/cobalt blue. I only have a few pieces in that color and The pieces look nice, I just don't often find myself reaching for them. So I often set challenges for myself so the items I like but don't wear often get worn as part of a personal creative challenge.

Neel

Veteran

I love red and can't imagine someone not liking it! May be you just don't like the color red?

Like I don't like gray. I do have gray basic tees and a few silver tops. And these shades of gray are flattering on me, but I don't seem to reach for them as often as my blues and blacks.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Funny you should find this Janet, because the exact same thing happens to me. With red. I love red, and the bluer red tones love me. Red is undoubtedly my favourite accent colour - I have red winter boots, red purses, my ipad cover and wallet are red. I wore a red/white houndstooth scarf with a black coat all winter. I have several pairs of red shoes. About the only item of clothing I wear that is red is a knit vest, so you do see contrasting coloured sleeves. I donated my red cardigan (kinda regretting that actually). I have a red trench I bought last year that I've worn once. I actually also have two darker red coats, which do get worn, one a rain coat and one a winter coat, so maybe I feel differently when it's cold and dreary?

I'd love a red jean jacket though. Have had this pinned for a while... want to do it with my VC tube skirt.

So no answers, just some understanding! Wonder if anyone else can figure this out for us

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Kimberley

Veteran

Hi Janet! I laughed at your post because I have a very similar relationship with the colour red!

I like red. I am attracted to it. I own several pieces in it. I feel good when I wear it. I think it's flattering on me. Yet I almost never wear red when the weather is warm: I can only wear it in fall/winter. I always wonder if it reads as Christmassy!

I've tried to wear red in a "lighter" way with optic white and/or light denim, etc. but I just didn't enjoy it. Perhaps I need to accept that I will only wear it between November and February.... or maybe I should try again.

Would love to hear other thoughts!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh how interesting that I'm not alone! This is nice to know. Maybe we can all figure this out together.

I do absolutely like red! A couple of years ago I even bought and wore a spate of tomato red items -- things with a bit more orange in them than is actually truly flattering on my skin. Those have almost all gone away. I had fun with the color for a while and then tired of it.

Kimberley, I wondered about wearing it with white, but it seems so...bright to me. I know, that probably sounds silly. But my prevailing style is so rooted in black and blue, and in denim and leather, that it takes me a leap to go with an all-over brighter look. I do lighten things up for spring and summer.

Elizabeth, I could almost copy that look you posted. In fact, the jacket is a dead ringer for mine. Hmm.

LL, so funny -- we are so opposite! I reach bright/cobalt blue all the time! You and I need to do respective primary color challenges.

Helena

Veteran

So with you Janet - I absolutely love red in theory, but when I wear it, for some reason I rarely like it - I'd rather go for a 'red alternative' like bright pink, fuchsia, wine or purple - seems less .... I don't know what it seems less of, but whatever it is with red, these seem less of it!!

lyn67

Veteran

Hi Janet! Tittle is a bit missleading:-). Are you sure you have a problem with (all) REDs? RED is a cummulative name of a gazillion shades to think at:-).

Any color can have various shades, hues, saturation/intensities, RED included. I see your orphan reds are a very saturated, darker hue, and so-reads more fall/winter to my eyes. Did you tried them on in different seasons?

I never was a red person, before YLF:-). I tried so hard with some, all wrong hues, like this one-for me, too. But it wears me, is too saturated, dark and strong for me. Then I discovered coral (prefferable kind of fadded) for spring/summer and an orangey red for fall/winter and all things have fallen in their place! These 2 shades became MY personal REDs!

And, it still happened to me! A color I love in a seasonally confused item can be all very wrong. If no other clothing piece/accessory to relate/match/coordinate with, not the right texture/cut/details, or competing with my inner guts/mood. All can go very very wrong sometimes:-(.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I have a similar relationship with red - I feel like I am drawing too much attention with it, but will wear other bright colors or white without hesitation. Still those jackets are gorgeous and need to be worn!

rute

Veteran

I LOVE red! for me is a basic, it goes with everything. I love your moto jacket. Maybe trying to start using in acessories like shoes or bag.

pil

Veteran

Red used to be one of my favorite colors - probably because my grandma told me it looked good on me. I used to have several pieces but it has rather unintentionally been phased out. Down to a couple of shirts and a sweater that are rarely worn. My red loafers were recently recolored to orange.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Rute, I was thinking about shoes! I let go my only pair of red shoes (high wedge sandals) because they were no longer comfortable. Red sandals or d'orsay flats could be fun.

Aubergine

Veteran

I know what you mean! I actually just posted a WIW with a lot of red and got some suggestions to wear it more. I do like the color, but just rarely wear it for whatever reason. And I should fix that, because red is great.

I think it might be a couple of things in my case. First, all the red things I have are older, so there's kind of a vicious cycle. They don't feel fresh because they've been hanging around a while and may not be things I'd buy now, so I don't wear them much, then I don't buy new red things because the color doesn't feel fresh. I think it's also easier for red to feel "too" something than lots of other colors just because it's so bright and has so many strong cultural associations of different kinds. And, finally, I've kind of had it drummed into my head for ages that red tops with simple dark bottoms are one of the safest, most flattering options for me since they draw attention to my face and away from any problem areas, so outfits like that can feel like a "should" rather than something I actually want to wear.

And those jackets are all really nice! I especially like the trench.

Emily

Veteran

Janet, I quit buying red for the same reason! Red things in my wardrobe just never got worn. I quit buying red and now have a bit of burgundy/wine, which I do wear, instead.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

We all go off colours from time to time, Janet. I'm off black at the moment - unless there is a LOT of white. You'll fall in love with a shade of red at some point again. It's all part of the fun.

Ginkgo

Veteran

I just don't care for red on me and haven't worn an article of red clothing for years; I've got brown hair and green eyes and it seems that my coloring just can't stand up to red, it dominates me too much. Plus I don't like to draw attention to myself.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Some people view red as a very bold and powerful color. I just like the way it looks lol. I have red moto pants and wear them unabashedly. I do realize the last few red dresses I've tried, my BF automatically sees them as night time looks, and not a day look. Interesting. Maybe there is also the 'sexy' connotation for women.
But, for the record, my BF has most recently bought brick shorts and linen pants, both for casual day wear,so obviously he has no trouble with the color for him. Hmmm. Or maybe it's the fabrication that delineates day and night for him. Oh, now I"m rambling . . .

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

It does seem like red hasn't been as much on trend recently. Pastels, neutrals, navy kind of took the lead. I'll bet that won't last long so I'd hang onto any red items that you still like.

I love a deep ruby red but have trouble finding this particular color. I've held onto one red knit top in this perfect shade for years and put it on anytime I've unsure of what else to wear. For some reason it lifts my mood. It's getting a bit tired though and I desperately need a replacement.

I remember an old school teacher telling us how she liked to wear red or bright yellow on cloudy days to lift her mood. That stayed with me I guess.

ironkurtin

Veteran

I don't know. I don't wear red either. I suppose I might wear a bright red winter coat, but so far, newp.

Thistle

Veteran

Perhaps it is just a cyclical thing. You love it, then you putit aside and will love it again later.

Perhaps it is the siren song of it. Red calls a lot of attention to yourself, especially in large pieces like this. Not sure how you feel about that right now. Perhaps you want people to notice your art more than you?

Adelfa

Veteran

I'm the same way, Janet. I think red is a good color for me, but I just don't wear it. In fact I officially stopped buying it. The fact that it's not super on trend is part of it, but I deeply admire the looks I see on fashion blogs with red. It's a true classic. A factor for me is that I love my pinks and purples, and it felt difficult to throw red into that mix in terms of creating outfits and accessorizing, as in the same accessories aren't necessarily optimal for pinks/purples vs reds, and I do aspire to a minimal wardrobe.

But in the end it may be an issue that a couple of people have brought up--they call it the vibration or frequency of a color and how it relates to mine. I don't know what it means. But when I wear cobalt blue people might say that its vibration matches mine. While once in a dressing room trying on a dozen red tops for a choir function, Rae said "Maybe the vibration is just wrong for you." I suspect this is a combination of personality and overall look.

I fully support your hanging on to your fab red items. But FWIW I feel a lot of peace in moving on from red, for now. I reserve the right to change my mind!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Hmmm. Perhaps your difficulty with red has to do with the intensity of the colour. I love red as a colour, and I love wearing red in small splashes. I wear bright red lipstick and have red streaks in my hair. I wear red shoes, and have a red leather chain belt. But I shy away from large swatches of red because it makes me feel like a big walking stop sign. It's an emotional colour. I'm sure I've read that police officers pull a disproportionately high number of red cars over for speeding. I think the same principle is at work. People NOTICE red!

Marmee

Veteran

I feel the same way, Janet, and I don't have time to read the responses, but I'm guessing others do too, as I don't see it much in WIWs. I haven't given away all of my red, as I find it useful Christmas. And for the Fourth of July.

Alassë

Veteran

I have difficulties with red, too. I'm told I look great in a tomato red, and as an autumn I can take a fairly large dose of color, yet I've quickly gotten rid of any strong red tops. I still want to fix this problem, at least in my head.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Wanna hear somehting funny? Or at least timely.

I just went out to grab a sandwich for lunch and a couple of people were walking towards me, dressed identically. As I got closer they said "Want a free red hat?" and handed me a ... red beret! With a website inside for a contest, but I guess the push for red is strong today!

Peri

Veteran

I love red, and yet I don't have a lot of it either. People have talked about red getting attention, but also it feels to me like it takes energy to wear. It gives energy, but it takes it too...you have to feel a certain way to stand up to the red. Sometimes I don't have that much energy! I think that's why I have less of it lately. But that doesn't mean I don't still really like it!

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