https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:14:03 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-737201 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:51:06 +0000 JAileen 737201@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I read the earlier post and thought, wow, that's me. Years ago I'd been told I was an Autumn, but I didn't like some of the colors including dark chocolate brown. Yet I have a soft heathery brown cashmere sweater that I love wearing. </p> <p>The good and bad of Autumn colors: when I can find it it's usually on sale, but it's harder to find.</p> <p>Some of my favorite colors are olive, chestnut, pumpkin. Mmm, starting to sound delicious! My worst color hands down is pink. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-736746 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:16:46 +0000 Vix 736746@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi Nancylee --</p> <p>Belated congrats on your efforts to pin down what colors seem most flattering. </p> <p>Those seem like great choices for you and I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with in terms of outfits and color pairings. I think you'll find shopping and dressing get a whole lot easier in many ways.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730637 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:40:18 +0000 nancylee 730637@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ruth, I so know what you mean about getting stuck in style ruts..and how great it is to finally understand your own colors. </p> <p>Ariadne, your frustrations echo mine. I would love to learn how to combine colors instead of only pairing safe colors with neutrals. </p> <p>Claire, I too have "transgressed" with bright colors (I'm loving your choice of verbs here!), but am trying to put those mistakes behind me. Isn't a relief to know that our love of neutrals isn't some lack of imagination on our part, but just our natural inclination to find our most suitable colors? I feel so freed from the pressure of trying to love bright colors, which only work for me in certain special situations/combinations. </p> <p>Jamie, your coloring sounds much like mine (light hazel eyes, neutral light beige skin, golden/medium blonde highlighted hair). You might be either a Soft Summer or a Soft Autumn depending on whether you skew cool (summer) or warm (autumn). Try the quiz on stylemakeovers.com and see what you find. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730316 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:32:03 +0000 Jamie 730316@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>How fun this is! I've looked at the web pages, but I'm thoroughly confused. I know I look good in some brights - orange, coral, tomato red, and turquoise, but those colors seem to cross the seasons. I also think I look good in dark red, black and brown (I think...), but I mix them with other colors. So, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and fair skin, I'm not sure where to put myself. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730292 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:56:56 +0000 Anonymous 730292@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nancylee, how exciting! I'm your cousin (sisters with Ruth) somewhere in the Soft Summer category (although I have trangressed with some bright colors). Now that the weather is turning, I'm back to my neutrals. In fact, besides blue, I do best in neutrals period, rather than a lot of color-color. All of these years I've been trying to find my "colors", when I should have been searching for my "neutrals", lol!</p> <p>I'm glad to see Angie shared her season. I always had her pegged in the clear category somewhere between the "rare white blonde Winter" and a "Bright Spring". Fun stuff! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730264 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:08:30 +0000 Anonymous 730264@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm so glad you found your colors, Nancylee. I praised the day when I learned about the 12-season color analysis system and discovered that I am indeed a neutral leaning towards cool (Soft Summer). This knowledge really has made a difference in the way I look (especially in photos), the way I buy clothing, and the way I combine colors.</p> <p>Ariadne, it's fun learning how to combine colors in new ways. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut in the way we think about color and the way colors can be put together. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730124 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:56:35 +0000 Ariadne 730124@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nancylee, I would love it if we could share color combos! I'm trying to break out of my lifelong rut of always pairing colors with black, grey, or denim... and NOTHING else. I'm so bored with that. I need more (muted) COLOUR! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730081 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:52:12 +0000 nancylee 730081@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks everyone. It really takes some investigating and ruminating to get to the bottom of this color thing....and I feel like I've only uncovered the tip of the iceberg!</p> <p>Suz, your taupe discovery was a real catalyst for me to delve deeper in my colors. I wanted to gain the same type of clarity over my colors (especially neutrals) that you were discovering. :)</p> <p>Carol, Megan, Caro, and Shannon, thanks for the encouraging words. When I got over my initial confusion, this color thing actually started to get interesting....and even fun.</p> <p>Angie, thanks for sharing your own color "season." It's good to know you put some stock in the 12 season approach, plus knowing your season helps me understand your color choices with respect to my own. </p> <p>Ariadne and Clarissa, I used a compilation of the websites and color charts, advice from color mavens here on YLF, plus sleuthing in my own closet and holding up colors to see how they look. </p> <p>The 12-season system seems fairly consistent in theory (soft vs. clear/warm vs. cool/light vs. dark), although every swatch chart seems to offer a slightly different lineup of colors. But,if you look at enough of them you start to see a pattern of colors that most often make up a certain season. </p> <p>But, to answer your question, the two websites I found most helpful were:</p> <p><a href="http://www.thechicfashionista.com/seasonal-color-analysis-2.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.thechicfashionista......sis-2.html</a><br /> <a href="http://www.stylemakeovers.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.stylemakeovers.com</a></p> <p>Ariadne, it sure sounds like you are a soft autumn. The colors you listed that work (and don't work) for you are almost identical to mine. I also cannot wear cobalt blue or blue red, although I can manage turquoise (although it's not my favorite). I prefer the teals, ink blue, and blue-greens you mentioned. I think we should start sharing photos of color combos that work for us! </p> <p>Right now, I'm exploring olive green, burnt orange, and warm taupe-y browns. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730061 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:20:46 +0000 Ariadne 730061@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What great insight! Congratulations on making so much progress. You have a great base palette to work from now. I also wear most of your good colors well and look not great in the same ones you listed. I've been trying to figure this stuff out for several years. As best as I can tell, I'm also most likely a Soft Autumn. I have muted grey-green eyes and skin that has some warmth to it but also quite a bit of red. My natural hair colour is a blonde so neutral and muted it's almost a non-color. I dye it a medium neutral brown, though. </p> <p>The tricky bit is that many of the colors I *think* I look best in aren't part of that palette (darker colors like dark teal, eggplant, dark olive, navy and ink blue, bitter chocolate, charcoal, burnt orange). I'm not sure I judge how I look in colors very accurately, though. How did you go about figuring it out, Nancy?</p> <p>A while back Angie suggested some colors for me and they were:<br /> - Burnt orange<br /> - Teal blue<br /> - Cobalt blue<br /> - Turquoise<br /> - A blue red<br /> - Deep olive<br /> - Eggplant<br /> - Magenta purple </p> <p>I've made a point of trying all those colours and I love most of them. I don't feel good in cobalt, turquoise, or blue red, though. I'm not sure how to tell if that's because they objectively aren't great on me or because they're not colours to which I naturally gravitate and am used to wearing. I prefer burgundy over blue-red, ink blue over cobalt (which I think is too close to royal blue--I have a poisoned eye for royal blue!), and teals and slightly muted blue-greens over bright turquoise.</p> <p>I also like to wear a few strange taupey-browny-something colors, and off-white. Not sure if they're truly good on me or not, though. I have such a hard time judging that! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-730039 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:39:26 +0000 Transcona Shannon 730039@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is fascinating Nancy and I applaud your thought process. I'm going to be watching closely to see how this develops and translates into your clothing. Well done! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729954 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:02:15 +0000 Clarissa 729954@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What website did you use to find your colors? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729936 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:50:49 +0000 Angie 729936@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Inge said! Such a great starting point, Nancylee :). Good job.</p> <p>I'm a Clear Spring who wears black and white too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729881 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:12:17 +0000 Caro in Oz 729881@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Such an interesting post - thanks for sharing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729855 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:46:30 +0000 Suz 729855@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>WOW - Nancy -brilliant visual!! I love it! </p> <p>(And I would look better in #2!) </p> <p>I think you are absolutely dead on in your personal analysis and I can't wait to see how your colours develop as a result. Your former fear of colour was based in a strong (and correct) intuition. Being muted, lots of colours would not do you any favours! And now, going forward, you'll know exactly the right ones to add to your closet! So eager to see what you come up with. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729854 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:46:28 +0000 Anonymous 729854@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, Nancylee! I'm wrestling with whether I can/should wear taupe too, &amp; I'm thinking I should lean toward the browns too. I don't think you're showing off! (You deserve to show off, though! And you will be helping me figure out my colors too!) So, I'm looking forward to more of your "showing off" too!</p> <p>Megan </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729840 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:33:48 +0000 Carole 729840@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is all so interesting! I've never quite been able to discern my "colors", maybe with the sites you recommend I could begin to understand what they are. Anyway, congratulations on your color prowess, I'm very impressed and look forward to more "showing off". </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729827 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:16:27 +0000 nancylee 729827@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, Inge, Megan and Claudia. It has taken some work, but I decided I really need to more fully understand color in order to make the best choices going forward. </p> <p>Here's how discerning I'm becoming: I COULD wear the taupe sweater in #2 and it would look fine, but the warmer brown in #1 would be better for me.</p> <p>(ok, now I'm showing off! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729824 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:14:59 +0000 Claudia 729824@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am into this, too, and I think you've nailed it. I had been following your first thread and all the discussion. I am not a soft autumn but a relative over in the deep/dark autumn side of the family tree. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729820 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:08:49 +0000 Anonymous 729820@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, Nancylee, you've really put some good thought into this! I'll be following with interest because I I vaguely think I'm some sort of Autumn &amp; now that I'm in my 50's &amp; my once red hair is strawberry blonde, maybe some softening of colors might be in order. So maybe Soft Autumn might make sense for me too...</p> <p>Megan </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729819 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:07:55 +0000 Inge 729819@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sounds like you are really getting a handle on this, Nancy. And I was nodding while reading through your best colours, those are all super shades on you. It's going to be so exciting to build on this further, and shopping with all this in mind will really help to get the cohesive look you are after. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closing-in-on-my-colors-yay#post-729760 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:16:16 +0000 nancylee 729760@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Recent posts by Suz and others have really inspired me to delve into color analysis on a much deeper level than I ever have before. I've certainly thought about my colors in the past, but I've never thought HARD about my colors, if you know what I mean! Here was my initial post:</p> <p><a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/could-i-be-a-soft-autumn-difference-between-soft-and-warm" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....t-and-warm</a></p> <p>There are some very wise women in the ways of color here on YLF who were very generous with their insights, but I have to confess that--as a color newbie--I needed a little time to process their advice and do some wardrobe examining. So, as I was doing that, I did a little YLF archive diving and came up with some very helpful nuggets from:</p> <p>Suz: who talked about eliminating "visual noise" from her closet (yes! I want to focus my closet so the colors are cohesive)</p> <p>Vix: who said "both the Soft Autumn (neutral leaning warm) and Soft Summer (neutral leaning cool) palettes are approved for silver and gold tone jewelry" (yes, I'm a neutral!)</p> <p>MsMaven: who said her "best colors are slightly muted, not too bright, not too pale or powdery, and not too muddy" (me, too!)</p> <p>After doing a lot of closet examination and comparing colors against my skin, and studying the many seasonal color theories out there (on sites like 12 blueprints and chic fashionista), I have come to the conclusion that I am indeed a Soft Autumn, or, as Vix puts it a "Neutral leaning warm." This means that Soft Summer is my "best friend" season and I can wear some of those colors as well. </p> <p>This whole concept of me being a "neutral" really makes sense, and goes a long way toward explaining why color analysts could never quite peg my season. I'm learning that I need to wear muted (not clear) colors since my own coloring is muted and neutral. I'm also learning that warm is better than cool for me, although my "soft/muted" qualities are more dominant than my "warm" qualities. I really can't wear super strong autumn colors like rust, for example.</p> <p>Here's my DIY analysis:</p> <p>For starters, here is my makeup (neutral as can be!):<br /> Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in “nude”<br /> YSL Touch Eclat in #2 “luminous ivory”</p> <p>My best (Soft Autumn) colors:<br /> Chocolate brown/Medium browns<br /> Cognac/Terracotta<br /> Olive/Army Green<br /> Mahogany<br /> Aubergine<br /> Coral<br /> Amethyst<br /> Dark Amethyst<br /> Green Aqua/Turquoise<br /> Muted Teal<br /> Ivory/Eggshell</p> <p>My best (Soft Autumn) neutrals:<br /> Ivory/Eggshell (light)<br /> Browns/Cognac (dark)<br /> Army green (mid-tone)<br /> Denim blue (mid-tone)</p> <p>Soft Summer colors I can wear:<br /> Navy (ink blue or navy that is not too grey)<br /> Taupe (if not too grey)<br /> Burgundy<br /> Periwinkle</p> <p>So-so colors (I can wear these, but they need to be broken up/softened with accessories or another color):<br /> Black<br /> White</p> <p>No-no colors (these wash me out and never look good):<br /> Jewel tones<br /> Pastels<br /> Sour brights<br /> Neon</p> <p>So, that's where I stand in my ongoing quest to discover my best colors! Feel free to weigh in. I'd love to hear from other "Soft Autumns" and "Soft Summers" so we can compare notes. </p>