The influence of the ‘90s on today’s fashion brings with it countless tones and tints of beige. Beige is a pastel brown. Warmer versions of beige have a hint of yellow. Cooler versions of beige have a hint of grey. Tan, stone, fawn, bisque, flax, raffia, wheat, oatmeal, dune, champagne, khaki, mushroom, buff and putty, are all versions of beige. Beige is lighter than caramel, toffee, taupe, and camel, and darker than cream, ivory, off-white, and bone.
Here are examples of beige wardrobe items.
Beige is a neutral, and a gently earthy one. It can be worn as a solid statement colour, or as an accent. It can also be worn as a pattern. Beige is classically worn with black, all sorts of whites, and other earth tones. That said, beige is versatile and can be worn with any colour. That’s why it’s a neutral.
My clientele, friends, and family run the gamut with beige. Some love it, and regard it their best and favourite neutral. Others find it soul-sucking, unflattering, and won’t wear it at all. Some wear it as bottoms, away from their face. Some wear it as outerwear. Some wear it in patterns. Some wear it as footwear and handbags, but nothing else. Some wear it as a solid with brights. And some will wear it sparingly with black.
I used to enjoy beige much less, and battled to wear it in the ‘90s when it was one of THE colours, along with black and grey. Beige drained me physically and emotionally. My hair was blonder, and I looked and felt much better in bright white, off-white, and cream.
Now that I’m sporting my natural hair colour — a dark honey blonde — I wear warm beiges well, and enjoy them. They match some of the colors running through my hair, creating a harmonious visual. The type of beige I like to wear is oatmeal. I still prefer wearing bright whites and rich creams, because to my eye they look crisper and more flattering with my complexion. But oatmeal items are welcome and I am building my collection.
Here are some of the beige items in my wardrobe.
I wear oatmeal with optical white, cream, denim blue, light blue, and my sour brights. Sometimes I wear it with navy. The oatmeal coat was an unexpected workhorse, and it’s showing some wear. I’d like to add an oatmeal maxi coat to my outerwear capsule by the end of the year.
Over to you. Do you like beige, and does it feature in your style?
