Fuchsia: a replacement for red?

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Fuchsia: a replacement for red?

— by Angie

on January 19, 2009

Fuchsia was the quintessential colour of the ‘80’s. I wore so much of the colour back then it was frightening. Recently we saw fuchsia come back as a fashion colour along with other shades of pink and there is no stopping it for Spring 2009. Fuchsia is fast becoming the “it” colour this year.

My prediction is that the abundance of fuchsia will make red take a back seat. This upsets me a little because although I like fuchsia and wear the shade, I’m a tomato red girl at heart. It is not a replacement for red in my wardrobe. What do you think? Do you wear both shades, and are they interchangeable?

Fuchsia or red. Hmmm… I quite like the two shades together as above. They clash, but it works. That might be my answer to wearing fuchsia this season – the best of both worlds.

Colour

32 comments · Add a comment

Becky

I *love* both fuschia and red and will be wearing plenty of both. As you’ve stated before, red is a classic and virtually a neutral, so even if it takes a back seat this season, it won’t be going anywhere.

January 19, 2009 at 9:03 am

Ellen

Ah, I rarely wear red and never wear fuschia… you will not see me in a combination of the two! Makes my eyes hurt.

January 19, 2009 at 9:08 am

redhead

I am just beginning to warmup to the idea of regular red, I don’t think fuschia would be complimentary to my hair or skin tone. I agree with Ellen, I don’t care for the combination.

January 19, 2009 at 9:13 am

Kristers

I wear the blue/red shades of red and although I like tomato reds, I can’t wear them. Fuschia is good for an accent color but not sure I’d be brave enough to wear an entire fuschia coat.

January 19, 2009 at 9:16 am

Laura

I have this fuschia layering piece from BR and love the vibrant color.

http://www.bananarepublic.com/.....038;vid=-1

I wear it under a black cardi, with a long necklace and trouser jeans. I would try a red/fuschia combo for spring. Why not?

Angie, what colors are good neutrals to pair with fuschia?

January 19, 2009 at 9:17 am

Tanya

I like both colors and wear both. I do not have that much fuchsia in my wardrobe ( recently got a merino cardi), so I’d like to add a couple of pieces for the spring/summer season.

But I do not think that they are interchangeable ( I would wear them in different color combos) and I especially wouldn’t wear them together, unless they are already there like in that pretty Theory sweater you posted. But my red is more of a blue-red, not tomato, so maybe that’s why. I do like fuchsia a lot with orange and grey.

January 19, 2009 at 9:17 am

Ana

I really like that Theory turtleneck sweater on the right. I tried it on at Nordstrom, and it would make a perfect skirt length top. Unfortunately, that shade of fuschia killed it for me. It’s too blue and just makes my skin and hair look horrible (sad face). Needless to say, fuschia won’t be replacing red in my wardrobe.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we will see more coral this spring.

January 19, 2009 at 9:17 am

Jackie

I love the colour, but my skin tone just doesn’t suit its intensity. so sad

January 19, 2009 at 9:19 am

JuliJuli

Angie, I too was very big on Fuschia in the 80’s. It was one of my fave colors. But now, I’m a red gal and I’m not sure I’ll be going for the two shades together. Maybe I’ll find something that I love but I will be much more cautious on the color this time!

January 19, 2009 at 9:29 am

Joy

Because I’ve had to replace my wardrobe in the past year, I have more fushia and hot pink than I’d like (other colors available were worse). It’s just ok on me. Tomato red looks much better with my skin and coral is even better, so I’m with Ana on this one. I like the idea of a tomato scarf with my fushia tops to put that color next to the face.
For those who look good in a blue-red, fushia may be their new red, but a true red will probably always be more flattering to more people.

January 19, 2009 at 9:42 am

maris olsen

Today I am wearing a black/white tweed skirt, black boots and knit turtleneck, and I opted for fuschia tights because I could not tolerate another day of black or grey tights. They don’t show too much, but just enough to make me smile.

I think of fuschia as an accent color, and red has a neutral/basic. An entire outfit of fuschia is best left to pre-schoolers, though I will certainly wear bits of it. Yay for spring!

January 19, 2009 at 9:57 am

Antje

I love both colors and wear them both a lot. I think the “moods” are different, though, and they are not interchangeable. E.g., red is definitely the go-to color for me if I want to feel glamourous and/or sexy. Fuchsia just doesn’t have the same kind of “oomph” for me. I still love it, though, and enjoyed this season’s abundance of fuchsia items, of which I bought several.
I’ve started combining fuchsia and red with great success. E.g., I wear a skinny red belt over my fuchsia cardi, and then the red specs. Great color combo, I think!

January 19, 2009 at 9:59 am

Pat

Red is my signature color…I may wear some fuschia pieces, but it will not replace my beloved red.

January 19, 2009 at 10:21 am

Sal

(website)

Red and fuchsia are two of my FAVORITE colors, and I have tons of both in my wardrobe. But I don’t really think of them as interchangeable. To me, fuchsia is more subdued and red more bold …

January 19, 2009 at 10:25 am

Real Style Real People

(website)

I’m glad to see it because pinks have taken a back seat in my closet recently-with reds and purples being up-front. I dont think fuscia can replace red- red just has that special something-and has become a kind of neutral to me…

January 19, 2009 at 11:10 am

Violet

I love both fuchsia and red. I currently have more red in my wardrobe, but I would like to incorporate more pinks. I think they are different enough that they are not interchangeable.

I remember wearing a fuchsia top, white jeans and matching fuchsia socks back in the 80s. I’m glad the color is making a come back and plan on wearing it in more modern way!

January 19, 2009 at 11:24 am

Shell

Obviously, I love the idea of any shade of pink! I’m actually more partial to hot pinks and baby pinks, but I do have a few fuschia items that I wear every now and then. I think my spring mission will be to find a fuschia cropped cardi…

January 19, 2009 at 11:46 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Such varied responses so far. Very interesting.

Becky, nothing should ever prevent us from wearing our signature colours. The reason I’m a little sad is because there will probably be fewer red items available in stores this season to make way for fuchsia. Selfishly, I like to see my shade of red in stores all the time.

Pretty top, Laura. I like fuchsia with citron, orange, turquoise, white and grey too – and of course, I like it with tomato red. I grew up surrounded by these types of colour combinations. It’s quite common for a little Dutch or German child to be decked out in all of these bright colours at once (think of the Dutch brand Oilily). That’s probably why you like the clashing combo too, Antje.

Joy, I like your reasoning. Lasses who prefer blue-toned reds might make fuchsia their red.

RSRP and Maris, red is a neutral for me too. Yay red!

January 19, 2009 at 12:29 pm

Joelle

I like fuchsia a lot, but I don’t think it could replace my favorite shade of red. I prefer deep blood red rather than tomato or vermilion reds, which somehow are not flattering colors on me. That fuchsia coat on the left is gorgeous! I can’t say I like fuchsia and red together–they clash too much and give me a headache.

January 19, 2009 at 12:38 pm

ChristineB

Pink is not my thing at all – in any form. I’ll be passing on the fuschia. Red, on the other hand, I adore.

January 19, 2009 at 12:53 pm

Johanna

I love the blue reds, so this is just a perfect stepping stone.

I have two items: a polyester scoop neck tee that I found at Ross and a blouse on sale @ JC Penny’s. For my budget there’s no point in running wild on a fuschia coat or outfit.

January 19, 2009 at 12:59 pm

Nicole

I like both colors and will wear both. I don’t think that one color replaces the other. It’s kind of like black and brown–they both have a place in my wardrobe.

January 19, 2009 at 1:47 pm

martina

(website)

I like red and dislike fuchsia. But the combination just works!

January 19, 2009 at 3:43 pm

pam munro

(website)

Love big swathes of almost clashing colors myself – always have. Glad that’s back – have a light fuschia shirt dress I love (both the color and the style where are the shirt dresses?) and I just got a scarf that’s blue red bordering on fuschia which I would like to wear with a dark dark lavendar (eggplant?) top I have – in contrast. Funny how colors go in & out, isn’t it? We have to grab our favorites when we can.

January 19, 2009 at 3:57 pm

carrie

I love the idea of adding fuchsia to outfits I would have normally used red in. I agree that red is almost a neutral so switching it out for fuchsia would add a nice pop of color to an outfit I might otherwise be bored with.

January 19, 2009 at 5:45 pm

Val

I like to wear either color in monochromatic outfits, but I look much better in red lipstick than I do fuchsia, so red definitely rules my wardrobe.

January 19, 2009 at 5:59 pm

Anne

I bought a fuschcia cardi in the recent winter and it became one of my best knits – still wearing now in summer. I too prefer blue reds and am not sure about them matching togther

January 19, 2009 at 6:01 pm

Marie

I’m tired of the current “in” colors being so prevalent in stores, to the exclusion of other classic colors I might like to wear as well. I realize they can’t stock the entire rainbow, but they could mix it up a little more… This is one reason I love thrift stores so much – no where else do you find such amazing variety! However, I do have a tough time finding reds there that aren’t faded – too bad because I love red but have very little in my wardrobe.

January 19, 2009 at 7:06 pm

shiny

I much prefer the fuschia shown above to the tomato red shown above. I cannot wear that shade of red at all – in fact, I’m not even sure I’d call it a tomato red; it’s more of an orange-red to me. But that could be my computer monitor. Then again, tomatoes come in all kinds of shades.

The red I like the best is more of a cranberry shade. I much prefer a blue-red to fuschia of any shade or tone. I went through a stage where cranberry red was my “signature” color; I remember my DH, when we first started dating, teased me about this, because it seemed ALL my sweaters were cranberry red!

The fuschia shown above is much-too-much in an item like a coat. I don’t think I could do it. In a cropped cardi or scarf or other accent piece? Absolutely.

Actually, I have a cropped cardi in fuschia but not quite that shade… and I have a favorite fuschia sweater from a decade ago (not sure it fits anymore, but it was a favorite so I have yet to let it go), and a scarf as well.

Okay… maybe I would try a fuschia coat, just to change things up, but not in that style. Something more fitted perhaps.

January 19, 2009 at 7:23 pm

Chris

Why choose? I love both colors and usually wear with black and white pieces or with my gray flannel trousers.
Try a fuschia scarf with a black coat – really pops.

January 19, 2009 at 8:23 pm

Eva

I love Chris’s comment. “Why choose?” I love both colors. I’ve worn red forever. I started wearing fuschia again last summer and it became my summer color. In the fall I moved to a darker fuschia (raspberry?). I think I will need to try red and fuschia for something different.

January 19, 2009 at 10:44 pm

Julia

I love both colors but I can’t wear red well close to my face. So I wear fuschia close to face and red as an accessory. I have red bag, belt and shoes that I love dearly.

January 20, 2009 at 8:04 am

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