Repeat Your Colouring in Your Outfits

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

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Repeat Your Colouring in Your Outfits

— by Angie

on August 24, 2012

Picking up the colours of your hair, eyes and colouring in your clothing, footwear and accessories is an effective way to pull together an outfit. The repetition creates a unified whole that is visually pleasing and draws our attention.

Here are just a few examples:

Redheads wear chestnut coloured patterns and burnt orange with panache.
Auburn haired ladies are fabulous in cognac.
Brunettes with hazel eyes look fantastic in olive green.
Black haired ladies look fab in black bottoms, shoes and opaque tights.
Blondes wear light coloured footwear with ease.
Grey haired ladies look fab in shades of grey.
Gals with burgundy streaked hair sport burgundy belts and handbags with the best of them.
Peaches and cream complexions are great with gelato inspired tones.
Rosy cheeked ladies look wonderful in coral.
Blue eyed gals look amazing in shades of blue and blue based patterns.
Green eyed gals look great in shades of green.

I enjoy repeating the colours that run through my light blonde hair. I love to wear white and cream both on the top and bottom. I love to wear patterns that incorporate white or cream. I prefer white pearls. And bookending my outfit with light coloured shoes, handbag and belt instantly pulls it together.

My eyes are olive green with an outer blue rim and yellow bits in the middle. Olive green is not my best colour, but wearing citron makes my eyes look greener because it picks up the yellow bits. Wearing shades of blue close to my face picks up the blue in my eyes. Coral, bright pink and tomato red pick up the colour in my cheeks.

Of course, repeating your colouring in your outfits is by no means essential. But doing so can create a pleasing visual effect by pulling together and grounding your outfit. Do you repeat your colouring in your outfits?

Colour

73 comments · Add a comment

citygirldc

(website)

Veteran

I always wear dark or black bottoms if you noticed. I guess I’m doing something right.

August 24, 2012 at 4:36 am

Vildy

Veteran

Taupe is easy for me to wear because it’s the darker undertone of my hair.

August 24, 2012 at 4:40 am

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Very inspired to examine my eye-color in more details put those shades of green, brown and occasional grey in action. Great advice.

August 24, 2012 at 4:42 am

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I think I’ve been doing this by instinct for decades, as I’ve always loved wearing blue-greens like teal and turquoise, which bring out the blue-green of my eyes. I’ve always found it interesting that my eye color changes with what I wear — with other colors, my eys can appear bluer or even more grey.

And as for neutrals that pick up my hair color, I’ve always preferred black or deep chocolate brown over lighter tan or beige colors. So this all makes perfect sense to me!

August 24, 2012 at 4:53 am

Jjsloane

Veteran

I think it’s almost instinctual to wear these colors most times because you probably are complimented on wearing them more which leads to more repetition. I love blues and greys (my eyes) and fall colors (to match my strawberry blonde hair) and corals and if I had to count my nude footwear it would be embarassing.

August 24, 2012 at 5:20 am

Diana

Veteran

You know I love to wear black! Funny thing is, my hair has not actually been black for a long time (I have it dyed red, which is currently a faded cognac because I need to go to the salon) but I still wear a lot of black. I guess our natural hair color is always going to complement our coloring, no matter what color our hair has been dyed! My eyes and lips are darker in color so it makes sense that I like darker, more saturated colors.

Interestingly, though, my eyes are dark brown and I almost never wear it. However, that’s just because I don’t like the color; I probably look pretty good in it to other eyes. I do wear warmer, more reddish browns though (like cognac), which matches my dyed hair pretty well.

August 24, 2012 at 5:25 am

Sihaya

Veteran

I often wear black in the fall and winter on the bottom half. I usually like wearing white or brights on the top half – perhaps to contrast with my black hair and also because I like lighter colors closer to my face. My eyes are dark brown by I almost never wear brown.

August 24, 2012 at 5:28 am

patti

(website)

Active Member

Love this simple idea. Olive green is one of my best colors as it really magnifies my hazel eyes.

August 24, 2012 at 5:38 am

Ruth

I’ve been trying to do this more and more. I’ve discovered that green brings out the green in my eyes, while red or rust brings out the blue, and charcoal or medium gray brings out the gray. That’s the fun of having multi-colored eyes, I guess. My blush color blends with the color in my fingertips and with the color of my inner lips. I like bookending my shoe color with my hair color as well. Pewter, brown or gray seem to work best.

August 24, 2012 at 5:38 am

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I do agree that wearing certain colors bring out the color in my eyes, and bookending my hair with my shoes is brilliant. On the other hand, as a hazel eyed brunette, I have to disagree that olive green always work. It may bring out the green in my eyes, but it also brings out the green in my skin, and that is not a flattering look!

August 24, 2012 at 6:01 am

Suz

(website)

Veteran

My eyes are blue, and I’ve always known to wear blue. But “bookending” is a new concept to my thanks to you, Angie, and until now, with my dark blonde hair, I had never worn light footwear consciously. (Though a fave pair of shoes in 6th grade were bright yellow and white!) I do really enjoy this effect and feel I have some ways to go to learn to do it right.

August 24, 2012 at 6:04 am

Ginger

Hmm, interesting. I’ve always done this with blues. Pretty much any shade from sky blue to navy will make my deep blue eyes really noticeable. But I’m not sure about my hair. I’m one of the many people with hair not brown, blonde, or red. I prefer the term “tawny.” I was just matched for a hairpiece, and the closest match had equal parts golden blonde, light brown, and auburn. Beige, tan, camel, and cognac I never wear if I can help it. Occasionally I’ll wear khaki bottoms, but never khaki by my face. Brown doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t do much, either. Ironically, leaf and olive greens are okay – they bring out the red in my hair – but neither a brunette or hazel eyed!

August 24, 2012 at 6:17 am

Henley

Makes sense and now I understand why my black pants and shoes, even with light colors on top seem balanced since I have black hair and dark brown eyes. But I’m wondering about wearing tan, because it’s my skin color. I have a tan blazer and tan pants and they look blah no matter what I wear them with. Is it too much of one color?

August 24, 2012 at 6:25 am

Laura65

If only I could keep my hair color the same for more than a year, maybe I could be more certain about what exactly I’m bookending !

August 24, 2012 at 6:27 am

Angela

I agree with Jjsloane. When I wear colours that match my coloring (coincidentally the same as hers) I receive compliments. After a while, I just started to shop in those colours, with some help, and now my closet is a bit of a capsule. It is so much easier to dress as well

August 24, 2012 at 6:35 am

ramya

Veteran

I just asked this question in the forum :)… And here Angie posts it :)…

August 24, 2012 at 6:37 am

Parsley

Veteran

I’m thinking along the same lines as Diana: should I pick up my natural hair color, or the color it is now?

My natural hair color is very dark brown (almost black ), with some auburn highlights, although I guess now my natural color might be more gray… I’m not planning to find out!
Lately I’ve been coloring it a dark mahogany shade, so I wonder if I should think about wearing more reddish browns, or if I should stick to shades of gray and black?

I find my dark brown eyes so much less inspiring to match than for those of you with blue, green, gray, or hazel eyes.

August 24, 2012 at 6:39 am

(website)

Veteran

Yep – green has slowly become a new neutral for me in the shades of olive and army. I used to wear green as a color with neutrals in more forest or even kelly shades. Purple, likewise is a big fave, and it’s the opposite of my green eyes which shows them off by contrast.

August 24, 2012 at 6:42 am

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

My natural hair color is medium brown with auburn highlights and I always thought that brown in different shades suits me better than black. However when I accidently got my hair colored black this spring I was amazed to find that black looks much better on me – I guess this is a power of bookending for you! I think I still can wear brown well as my eyes are brown and my hair is very dark brown now but black is my color now too.
Other than that I don’t feel inspired with color bookending – black and brown are not much to select from. I have several colors which look good on me like cobalt, deep teal, purple but there is nothing in my coloring to bookend those

August 24, 2012 at 6:52 am

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Great tips Angie! And I agree with Mo on the contrast color concept too – I really like how deep fuschia brings out the green in my eyes – I use a plum colored eyeliner color for that same reason. I’ve alwasy loved olive shades of green (aka military green) and find that it is a great neutral for me too. The one color I don’t like much is the tan color family – even though my hair has all kinds of shades of tans, it washes my skin tone out too much. But tan shoes – I’m on the hunt for more of those.

August 24, 2012 at 6:56 am

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Very interesting! I never actually thought about wearing “my colouring” in an outfit. I know now (thanks to YLF) about bookending but hadn’t thought about picking up my colouring in a clothing item. It makes sense though since wearing grey works with my salt-n-pepper hair.

August 24, 2012 at 6:58 am

summerbl4ck

Active Member

This is a really interesting idea. I would never have thought of it. As a strawberry blonde, I can’t say that brown is one of my favorite colors. I’m curious though how you wouldn’t look too matchy-matchy?

August 24, 2012 at 6:59 am

Ruth

You don’t have to bookend with your hair color, Sveta. You can bookend your shoes with your top, or your shoes with a chunky necklace, for example. The idea is to look more pulled together by having the same color appear in more than one place in your outfit. Your hair is a great thing to bookend with because it’s a color you always wear. Like it or not, like your skintone and eye color(s), it’s always part of your color scheme. This is the basis of professional color analysis.

August 24, 2012 at 7:00 am

clearlyclaire

Yes I totally do this. Many of my shoes are in the tan/bronze/brown/animal print/silver category that pick up one of the many shades in my hair. My eyebrows are the darkest brown, but I prefer to pick up that color in belts and footwear rather than in actual clothing. I have blue eyes that have yellow flecks in them (making them sometimes appear teal, grey or blue) but picking up the yellow in clothing is deathly for bringing out the yellow tones in my skin. I do better matching the overall hue of my eyes with turquoise, grey or blue. My best reds match my inner lips (dark soft reddish pinks). I don’t look good when I try to match my skin tone with nude clothing though. Like Henley, it washes me out.

August 24, 2012 at 7:01 am

cheryl

Veteran

My eyes are dark brown and my natural hair color is dark brown but I rarely wear any brown. I do wear a lot of black though.

August 24, 2012 at 7:02 am

Lisa

Veteran

Blue is the easiest color for me to wear and also one of the most flattering on me. The color instantly makes my eyes pop. When I wear an all black outfit, I like to add brown footwear and a brown handbag to lighten the look and bookend my brown hair.

August 24, 2012 at 7:11 am

morethanbeige

Veteran

I think the repetition adds depth and interest. I am just learning to do this without looking like I “tried too hard” to do this.

August 24, 2012 at 7:36 am

rae

(website)

Veteran

When I was in elementary school, I started seeing ads for makeup to go with eye color. I resented my brown eyes and hair for this reason – other girls could bring out the pretty jewel-like colors in their eyes and the fun metallic colors of their hair. Blue! Green! Gold! Copper! I was so. disappointed. to be made of all these varied shades of brown. My mother also preferred muted colors, so for a long time, I thought I should not wear bright colors.

It was a revelation to come to YLF, start taking pictures, and see how bright colors brought out actual COLOR in my face. Wow… pink cheeks? Old hat to most, but I was quite happy about it. And the fact that colors besides the dreaded bright pink could do it? Well, the amount of citron I wear speaks for itself.

August 24, 2012 at 7:49 am

Queen Mum

Veteran

I’m not sure I consciously think about this, but I do know that once you explained the concept of bookending, I understood why I always felt like white shoes were bricks on my feet. And I always love to wear my cognac boots… probably because they bookend my hair color better than any other shoes I have.

August 24, 2012 at 7:53 am

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

I love to do this! i’m the queen of beige, cream, ivory, taupe, tan, etc. All shades found in my hair and complexion. Love denim, soft blues, and greys (eyes). Corals and hot reds contrast with my blue eyes and pick up the roses in my cheeks.

Angie, you have the greatest knack for making high falutin’ theoretical concepts simple and easy to pull off! No one feels intimidated to try something the way you describe it

I like to do this with shape and scale, too. So i’ll wear earrings with pearls or hoops the same size as my irises or eyebrows, or a floral patterned blouse who’s swirls are the same shape and size as the curls in my hair.

Hi summerbl4ck! On the contrary, i find that echoing colors and shapes like this is an easy way to look pulled together in an uncontrived way. It’s very rare to find colors that match your own Exactly, and the difference in texture between skin, hair, and fabric or leather also helps break up the matchiness. And you can stick to accessories if you feel self-conscious, or ‘hide’ the matching element.

For example, i have some earrings in brass, 1 1/2″ long by 1/2″ wide filigrees and dangling birds. I changed out the original big white pearls for soft grey ones the same color and size as my eyes (the iris). People notice all the fancy filigree, but the pearls tie them into my face and eyes.

re: not liking brown, you might look closer at your hair to see what’s in there – could be some taupe, tan, caramel, copper, auburn, all depending on your unique coloring. Trying any of the less prominent of these colors would also avoid ‘matchiness’.

HTH! it’s fun for me, anyways Angie, you are a genius!!! steph

August 24, 2012 at 7:55 am

Beth Ann

Veteran

Interesting post and great discussion! I do have a plan to try to wear rich brown — I have dark hair, but I’ve always relied on black, not brown. I have hazel (mostly green) eyes and light olive skin. I’ve avoided olive green because yellow undertones turn me sallow. Now, I’ve decided not to enslave myself to “color analysis,” but is this a common situation for women with my coloring?

August 24, 2012 at 7:56 am

Elly

Veteran

Nice to hear this coming from you Angie! I agree, to the point where I think it applies to some of my more subtle coloring.

I wear a ton of black, but have med/dark brown hair— as a rule I like brown boots. I wear both heavily on my bottom half. I actually wear quite a bit of black near my face, which tends to bring out the drama in my coloring. I have extremely dark eyelashes and eyebrows and wearing black really pops my eyes.

I look good in copper and gold partially because it makes my skin glow but mostly because it highlights the natural highlights in my hair.

I wear a lot of charcoal grey and olive green because I have dark dark grey and green in my eyes. I personally like the way olive brings out the olive in my neutral/warm skin.

I have no blue in my coloring, and no taupe/camel– yet surprisingly navy and warm light colors are some of the most flattering.

August 24, 2012 at 7:57 am

Jamie

Veteran

I love the idea of this and try to do it as often as possible now that I’ve learned more about it here at YLF. I’ve picked up several pairs of light colored shoes to bookend my blonde hair, and I carry light or colored bags now more often than black. I just love how these items instantly perk up an outfit. Also, I love wearing coral, orange, and red. While I still wear black, I do enjoy ink blue more because it’s softer overall for me. What if you have brown eyes — what is complimentary with them?

August 24, 2012 at 8:26 am

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I think I’ve been doing this by accident – I wear black opaque tights all winter!

August 24, 2012 at 8:36 am

rachylou

Veteran

Maybe this is why I don’t love white clothing.

August 24, 2012 at 8:51 am

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Like some of the others, I like repeating my own natural colors, and it seems I get confirmation on it when someone might say, “oh, your eyes look really blue today.” So, I do grab a blue shirt (light to denim to navy) or aqua knit top.

It was fun to read about the bookending of shoes and I’m so happy these lighter tones work well for me. I also really liked reading about the colors that are nice “repeats” for all hair and eye colors as this was really interesting to think about in terms of family and friends.

August 24, 2012 at 9:09 am

esme noir

(website)

Active Member

this is a brilliant idea, and one that never occurred to me until you mentioned it in a previous post. now i see why i have been so attracted to gray in the last several years! i am also finding that i look good in some very dark greens, perhaps because my brown eyes seem to be getting lighter and more multi-colored.

August 24, 2012 at 9:13 am

fern

Veteran

I knew some colors made my eyes brighter, but I never thought about bookending my hair with shoes until I found YLF, and simultaneously found a pair of dark brown boots. I never figured this out on my own because the lighter browns don’t do much for me, and the dark chocolate color is actually not too common.
Of course, time passes, and now I will have to find more salt & pepper shoes

August 24, 2012 at 9:17 am

rute

Veteran

Very interesting! Maybe that’s way I love black skirts and opaque black tights so much!

August 24, 2012 at 9:17 am

merwoman

Veteran

Ohh…I can see where this is heading. The sales associate will be shaking her head in disbelief – she is thinking ” but she only took 1 item into the change room!!” Meanwhile, in the cubicle, a gazillion internal conversations are taking place in my head – does it fit in my capsule? how about sizing, is it the direction I am taking, does it bookend my hair (today)….
I’ll need to apologize in advance for having a YLF moment – no make that a YLF hour
totally tongue in cheek – thank you for sharing your wisdom Angie!

August 24, 2012 at 9:35 am

Debby

(website)

Active Member

I have blue eyes, and noticed over time that whenever I wore any shade of blue near my face, people always commented about my eyes. Now I try to buy tops and sweaters in the shades of blue I love; I prefer lighter blues and aqua, but not so much the cobalt/royal blue that seems to be on trend for fall, unfortunately.

My hair is brown, with some reddish highlights, but as brown is my least favorite color, and doesn’t do my skintone any favors, I don’t repeat that color in any of my clothes or accessories. Those who can wear brown are fortunate, as there are so many pretty clothes out right now for them.

August 24, 2012 at 9:42 am

Chippy Mia

Active Member

I never thought of repeating my colours into my oufits when dressing. I’m Asian so I tend to wear colours that compliment most with my skin tone. Although I did went through a phase in my teens and early twenties where neons, monochromatic and extreme colour blocking were common in my closet. A personal fashion era I wish to forget.

August 24, 2012 at 10:04 am

Claire

I’ve heard that a good “stand out” color is the color of the veins on your wrist, if they’re visible. It holds true for me – a deep teal or bright violet always get me compliments

August 24, 2012 at 10:58 am

carol3012

Active Member

Never thought of it either. Love how I learn more things just by reading up on this site for a few minutes of my day (Though that forum is a complete time sink; now I remember why I didn’t like being active in them @_@ )

But thanks for pointing me in the right direction; was going to buy some light brown leather boots/slacks, but since I’m Asian with black hair…I’ll err on the safe side and buy dark brown XD

August 24, 2012 at 11:12 am

Scarlet

Veteran

Yes–I always feel good in cognac because I feel it plays off my hair. I always feel especially fab in green (eyes) even though I don’t wear it extremely often. I enjoyed all the specific examples and explanations in this post.

August 24, 2012 at 11:17 am

Keix

Veteran

I have black hair and dark brown eyes, which perhaps explains why I wear my black bottoms and footwear much more often than my black tops. Although I can pull off head-to-toe black (it doesn’t wash me out), I love color too much to leave it out, and it feels more balanced to break up the black between my head and my bottom half.

August 24, 2012 at 11:44 am

nancylee

Veteran

Thanks to YLF, I’m now a bookending fanatic. I love the way taupe and tan shoes echo the color of my blonde hair. And my eyes are a warmish green/golden brown hazel mix, so I mostly wear gold jewelry. In general, my coloring is very low contrast so mid-tone colors and neutrals echo my coloring much better than striking contrasts and brights.

August 24, 2012 at 12:41 pm

Ginger S

Active Member

Thank you for mentioning burgundy streaks. I don’t normally wear burgundy purses, but my burgundy leather jacket is a cold-season favorite!

August 24, 2012 at 1:31 pm

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

As a blonde, this explains why I am drawn to nude footwear! And while I love black shoes (who doesn’t), it explains why when I see them in photos, something often seems off. My eyes can look blue with blue close to my face or green when wearing green. They are a blue-ish grey with yellow specks and a dark blue outer rim. I am surprised Angie you don’t love olive green since you have olive green eyes.

I remember, during the colored contact craze of the 90s, wearing contacts that made my eyes green. A man totally fell for me at a party because of my green eyes! I was too cowardly to admit they were fake. They came off after that.

August 24, 2012 at 2:23 pm

sarah

Veteran

This may be the single most important thing I’ve learned since joining YLF! Thanks for that!

August 24, 2012 at 3:01 pm

Susan

This was a discovery I never thought of or noticed until I stopped colouring my hair this year. My new silvery white natural shade works well with anything white, gray, lavendar, certain shades of blue, etc. It’s been a nice bonus to finally going natural!

August 24, 2012 at 3:29 pm

KathyL

Veteran

I wonder if this is why I have so many black pants. I thought it was because I was being boring and safe, but turns out I was bookending. LOL. But seriously, I think that this is why my tan and brown pants don’t get worn as often. Something just seems off when I wear them. Thanks for pointing this out!

August 24, 2012 at 3:29 pm

Atlantia

I have dark brown hair that a lot of people refer to as black. It is streaked with bright purple. My skin is very palish pink, and my eyes are deep brown.
I adore wearing black, white, and purple! So yes, I do a lot of color repeating.

August 24, 2012 at 6:01 pm

Maria

Active Member

I love olive green and warm browns, which happen to be my eye color.

August 24, 2012 at 6:16 pm

Caro in Oz

Veteran

This one I learned the hard way – after I let my hair go grey all my lovely chocolate brown leather didn’t feel as easy to wear but now I love my grey pieces & still wear the brown with slate/denim blues which is my eye colour.

August 24, 2012 at 6:29 pm

Ginkgo

Veteran

I’ve been more disciplined about restricting my purchases to autumn colors and purples (green eyes & brown hair) and it has really helped make my wardrobe more cohesive. I used to occasionally pick up a top in the “wrong” color, like light blue, because that’s all that was left in the store, or just for variety, however that’s how orphans end up cluttering the closet.

August 24, 2012 at 8:55 pm

Lydia

I like the way you explain the concept of bookending, and help break down why it works so well. It certainly demystifies why certain things have worked in the past and become tried and true strategies.

I have a dark brown tweedish (flatter, smoother weave) jacket that matches my hair, and I often wear it with a silky blue top. I want to add that adding a pop of the opposite colour of my eyes (orange) really adds to this matched combo. Peachy or coppery eyeshadow, a necklace from amber or orange stones, a scarf in coral, an orange purse — these really ‘pop’ a maching outfit.

I have noticed texture works in enhancing colours — by dulling or brightening a shade or hue. My eyes are on the lighter grey blue spectrum, and a top in cotton picks up the colour differently than the same colour in silk charmeuse. Hopefully this idea will help with the comment on how difficult it is to find dark chocolate browns (for us dark brown haired gals). I find the texture in cords or cotton velvet deepen the brown colour, also, merlot and burgundy are a good substitute when dark brown is hard to match. I really like this topic and all the ideas and comments people are bringing up.

August 24, 2012 at 9:36 pm

Meredith

Active Member

I do love black, but I find I look better in colors that match my own brown hair. It is somehow less harsh on me. This is a brilliant post!

August 24, 2012 at 10:48 pm

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I’m originally dark blonde with eyes that are green with a blue ring and yellow sparks. I can wear both warm and cool colors, and I find the concept of dressing in my own colors very fascinating! I can wear black, but I prefer a scarf to soften the look, as soft and muted are better for me than stark contrasts. Greens, purples, browns and blues have always been dominating my wardrobe. I think lemon yellow will be my next color affair, and even warm reds!

August 25, 2012 at 2:28 am

Preppy Pear

Veteran

Thank you Angie for all of these wonderful posts on color! I love color, but I find it to be one of the most challenging aspects of dressing. I’m very, very pale with pink undertones to my skin, but my eyes are hazel. Colors that bring out my eyes aren’t necessarily ones that go well with my skin, but I love the idea of trying something like citron to bring out the green in my eyes.
My hair is short and light blonde, and I really like the idea of bookending my outfits with taupe or light colored shoes, but I tend to wear dark shoes and dark pants or tights to extend my leg line (my legs aren’t short, but they are chunky). Any good ways to flatter my legs while wearing light colored shoes?

August 25, 2012 at 4:18 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I enjoyed your comments so much! Many of you have this sorted, even if it is instinctive.

Preppy Pear, to achieve a long leg line, create a low colour contrast between your trousers and footwear in any colour. It does not have to be black.

Diana, your hair still looks predominantly black to my eye and that’s the reason I think those colours work on you. If you suddenly went blonde, things would change

Shevia and Cocolion, I can only wear some shades of olive because although it matches my eyes, it’s not the best colour on my skin tone. Have you tried dark blue based olives instead of yellow based ones, Shevia? That might be more flattering.

Sveta, Ruth is spot on. You don’t need to wear brown and black all the time to bring out your natural colours. You do a great job of this instinctively with ALL the colours that you wear.

Thanks, Steph! You are cute.

Merwoman, I want to be a fly on the wall when you are next in that dressing room.

When we were in Japan earlier this year, Greg and I both noticed how many Japanese women wear black with white and a shade of tan which I call “oyster” (a grey-ish tan) – and the combination looked so good. The colours are repeated in their colouring

August 25, 2012 at 7:11 am

alldogs1

Very helpful topic! I’m among those whose haircolor has changed as I’ve gotten older (used to be red, then strawberry blonde & now there’s grey in with the strawberry blonde.) My eyes are light blue/green depending on the light & the colors I’m wearing.) So, I’m with those of you who are trying to wear our coloring without looking washed-out.

Megan

August 25, 2012 at 3:08 pm

Joy

Veteran

The colors I can wear best have definitely changed since turning grey. My hair was dark brown to auburn and deep reds looked great. Now a tomato red is a better choice. My eye color feels like it has changed some too. I have dark brown eyes with charcoal edges and flecks of gold. They seem a bit lighter brown now with the gold being more prominent than before. I’m wearing light footwear instead of black and dark brown. In fact, I’ve stopped buying black shoes because they rarely get worn, even when wearing black. I’d rather wear pewter or grey.

August 25, 2012 at 6:36 pm

Traci

Veteran

I think I recently did this in reverse. I was noticing that the colors that were looking best on me were what I would consider “red head” colors…so I had my hair colored a warm reddish brown.

August 26, 2012 at 5:54 am

krishnidoux

Veteran

Yes! What a good trick!
My eyes are a strange mix of gray blue, olive green with a turquoise outer rim. It turns out I look better in turquoise. It’s funny what you say about citron. Angie, I think you always look so good in bright coulours, as well as “full” clolours (as opposed to demi-teinte).

I also love to wear my “blonde” leather bag.

August 26, 2012 at 9:22 am

Lynne

Veteran

Fab post, Angie…..I love the harmony of a look where hair and eye colour are repeated and its a good concept to remember for wardrobe high-end items. I was inspired by YLF to invest in a leather jacket; it is very similar to my hair colour and it works. with. everything. Thanks for more great advice, Angie!

August 26, 2012 at 4:45 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Megan, I bet you look great in grey and orange.

Traci, how proactive!

Lynne, your leather jacket is fabulous.

Krishnidoux, thanks for the compliment, and you do look great in turquoise

August 26, 2012 at 4:50 pm

alldogs1

Thanks, Angie! Uh oh…the only grey I own is the lenses in my new glasses with Transitions lenses & my new sunglasses with grey polarized lenses! (The suggested choices for both were grey or brown lenses, & I preferred the look of the brown lenses in the olive frames with the Transitions lenses & would have also preferred brown lenses in the brown/gold tortoise frames that will be my sunglasses. But I went with grey lenses because, to my eyes at least, the grey lenses don’t affect the colors I see as much as brown lenses would.) I promise I will post pics when my glasses get here in about 2 weeks so you & the others can see me & help me figure out colors! In the meantime, I’ll share a couple of funny quotes that are helping me deal with my hair going not-quite strawberry blonde & not quite grey: a mature former redhead had laughingly told me “redheads don’t go grey; they go taupe!” And my husband tells me I haven’t gone grey, but rather that I’ve gone blonde, & so he says we’re having more fun! I’m glad I have a hubby with a sense of humor!

Megan

August 26, 2012 at 8:21 pm

Marley

Veteran

Yes – this is such a great idea – and something that I think comes instinctively – or perhaps after getting compliments from people over and over again regarding a particular color that I am wearing, it dawns on me that it is a “good” color for me. I know that different shades of blue, periwinkle, lavendar, purple, and pink all are flattering on me and bring out the color in my eyes and what little pinkness I have in my cheeks and lips. I get a little confused however when it comes to haircolor and bookending it with footwear. First of all, I am probably 90% gray – but I color my hair – and sometimes it is more blonde, other times more red, and currently more brown (because I don’t that the money to get all of the highlights in it that I would like!) – also, I am not a real fan of brown (as a color for me) in clothing or accessories – and have tried to abstain from buying in the “brown color family” so that I can keep my wardrobe somewhat under control. I levitate much more toward dark gray and black footwear – have a few pairs of brown sandals and nude colored sandals, oxfords, and one pair of nude heels – and it all just confuses me because I know they don’t bookend my hair. Is it important to bookend your hair with your shoes – or just wear colors that complement your hair? I know, I’m rambling . . . sorry!

August 26, 2012 at 11:00 pm

sendra

My own hair is dark blonde, mixed with single white hairs. That looks great with caramel.

This post made me think of the quintessential mysterious Hitchcockian blonde in a camel coat …

August 27, 2012 at 6:31 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Megan, your hubby sounds fab

Marley, you don’t need to bookend your shoes and hair all the time at all! I often wear tall black boots in Winter.

August 27, 2012 at 9:00 am

Antje

Veteran

Yes, I like to bring out the blue in my eyes by wearing certain blues. And I love the “bookending” concept you introduced us to a while ago. I had never been aware of it, but I saw instantly how well this worked, and love wearing my beige boots!

August 27, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Aida

Veteran

Ahh my feelings are similar to Rae’s: when I was younger I completely resented having “boring” almost-black brown eyes and hair, and such pale skin. Of course now I love how dramatic this looks, though I would still quite enjoy having emerald colored eyes

I usually have at least one self-color repeated, mainly because my neutrals all reflect this. Cream and warmer taupes both work especially well for me and certainly echo my creamy skin color. I’m a recent convert to blush, which brings out all the rosy shades in my skin and especially cheeks. Cognac also works really nicely with my peach-rose colored skin. Now, while black is my primary neutral lately I feel better in charcoal or gray, neither of which are particularly represented in my coloring; this one I haven’t quite figured out. I tend to go out of my way NOT to wear dark footwear in the summer, and also have to make sure I don’t wear it every day in the winter or else I get really grumpy. Other than that, I use brights to highlight the drama in my coloring, and this also brings out the clarity of my skin.

August 27, 2012 at 7:24 pm

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