A plum good capsule? - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

About: My Burgundy Capsule for Fall and Winter

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A plum good capsule?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

The colors in Angie's post today don't work for me, but I am interested in the idea of complementary colors. I've been trying to work out a fall color palette that avoids the oranges and browns by focusing on plum, cranberry, raspberry, etc with the possible addition of blush, but I don't see any combo here that would really work. Do you?

Btw, the squarish thing that looks like a blanket with sleeves turns into a long sweater duster with a waterfall front when I put it on.

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Dressing

25 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

rachylou

Veteran

Well, the complement of purple and plum is yellow and mustard... any bottoms or accessories in yellows?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Yellows? Nope. Not in this wardrobe.

Anonymous

Maybe brown?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I’m more difficult than I realized. Brown isn’t a good color for me either.

Becky

Veteran

I always like purple/plum with various shades of gray.

Jazzy Dance

I wear a lot of plum and purple and also avoid yellow, brown and orange. I usually wear it with black tights or leggings but then I like to throw in a pop of teal or blush in the form of a scarf or hat.

Liz

Veteran

I think, to make a mix and match capsule work, you need to have a solid base of neutrals -- unless you really like mixing colors. Then you add the colors as accents. So I'd revisit your capsule, starting with neutrals. Then you'll have outfits that work. So, for example, you might do a collection based on navy, plum, and olive. Or charcoal, soft white, and plum.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I really like the jumper with the pattern on it,the colour mix in that is good and might give you a starter on your capsule. All of the tops you show would go well with dark denims.Those purples and blues in the other tops all tone well.Other colours that could complement these ,in my opinion,are all the dark blue ish greens ,cobalt blue and various shades of pink.If you want a real pop of colour lime green can really zing against dark purples and blues.I hope this helps!

Meredith

Veteran

Love these colors. I’d wear them with light and dark blue, navy, gray, and black as the neutrals. Complementary colors could be fushia, citron, teal, salmon pink.

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rachylou

Veteran

Uh... so maybe I misunderstood? Complentary colours on the colour wheel are those across from one another. Complimentary, flattering colours could be anything. Angie’s scheme of burgundy and red (tomato) are neighbouring colours.

... so shades of plum, purple, blue are just like Angie’s scheme. To up the pow, you might look in your closet for these colours done bright... dyes vary. Like a cobalt from Dress Barn will always be less bright than a cobalt from Target... it’s their style, to choose less bright dyes... You can mix bright and darker versions of these colours...

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Rachylou, clever! I thought I meant “complementary”, but you are correct that “complimentary” is what I meant. Angie’s post today, with similar colors, is what put me on this path. Neither the colors in her post nor the shades directly across the color wheel from these do me any favors when I wear them. I want to come up with colors that go together the way the ones in her post do.

Meredith, those images are great. Thanks! They have lots of cool combos.

Cardiff Girl, how did I pull that out and not think to use it that way? https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail.....ontosaurus Also, I am digging through everything to find a bit of lime green. That sounds cool.

Liz, if only I had bottoms in those colors! But you give me lots of ideas beyond defaulting to jeans.

Jazzy Dance, I’ve been playing with the idea of blush for a while.
You’ve pushed me over the edge. I found a bunch online, but am not even
going to wait for delivery—I’m heading to the mall tomorrow.

Becky, that should be do-able. I’m mentally going through my closet now.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

It isn’t as exciting as the paintings Meredith posted, but I just realized I have one answer to my own question right here in a drawer: this corduroy skirt.

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Dianna

Veteran

That is a pretty print on your skirt, Fashiontern. Like Becky, I like to wear plum and cranberry with grey, and also with navy and blush.

rachylou

Veteran

Blush is smart - it’s bright. I note that Angie uses tomato red, as well as red, with burgundy. That adds bright...

Jazzy Dance

I found this plum and blush color palette online... champagne looks nice with it too, and champagne glitter if you're feeling super saucy!

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Very nice palette!

Rachylou, good point that red=/=red. I can do straight red, but not tomato-ish.

binkle

Veteran

sorry, maybe I'm a little more dense than usual today - trying to understand your goal. Are you trying to pick one of these items to use as the "seed" of growing a matching color capsule of shoes, pants, bag, scarf, top, etc. (like Angie's burgundy set, only not burgundy). Or are you thinking of using all of these items, as is, as a capsule, and you want thoughts on what colors they'd work with (like how to integrate them into your existing wardrobe.)

Brain function not optimal today, sorry!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Hi Binkie. Either of those would be great! I’m trying to pull together a collection of items that are tonal matches, similar colors or otherwise work together the way the collection Angie highlighted did. Cardiff and Meredith both posted great visual aids to discovering colors that work with the things I laid out. Seeing that, I remembered another item I have that I can use the same way. Please note that I’m fairly new to this game. Finding a “seed” item as a way to come up with a color scheme is apparently old hat to you, but it isn’t something I would have thought of.

Sisi

Veteran

You sound very much like me, fashiontern! No yellows, oranges and browns in my wardrobe. Thinking of my past and present plum/burgundy items, I realize that I have always paired these colors with black, grey and various shades of blue.

The Cat

Veteran

It seems that you prefer cool colours, so it would be wise to stick to them. Start by choosing your cool neutrals, for instance navy and gray, and be sure to have at least SOME basics (like pants, skirts, jackets, coats, shoes) in these colours. Then you can easily add plum, raspberry, cranberry, etc.

I understand your need for a lighter colour like blush. Just be aware that blush can be warm, cool or fairly neutral. In your case it may be a good idea to avoid the warm (light brown-ish) shades and instead choose the neutral or more cool (pink-ish) shades, which will harmonize with your other cool colours (and probably your personal colours, I guess). Other light colours that will work with your palette and may be great choices for blouses, tops, etc. are lilac (pale violet), lavender and offwhite.

I don't know if you are familiar with the season colour system that was very popular years ago, but if not, your may benefit from reading about it and "recognizing" yourself. To me, you sound like a Summer. Of course, noone needs to follow that system strictly, but it can lead you in the right direction and show you which colours go well together and look great with your personal colours.

The patterned skirt you showed is very beautiful.

By the way, a patterned scarf in your favourite cool colours can be a marvellous "seed" item. You can wear it with anything, and it will tie together different colours in your outfit.

binkle

Veteran

Well, not "old hat" to me by no means. I just wasn't quite sure what you wanted to do.

I was kinda grasping for words when I wrote "seed," but after reading The Cat's comment about a patterned scarf acting as a "seed" - I took another look at your photo. The multi-colored striped sweater can maybe serve your purpose - it combines a lot of (autumnal) colors that work well together, several of which are in your photo already - grey, plums, purples, blues. Think of "seed" as "inspiration" maybe, or even "boundary." Some could find this restricting ("what - only these colors - I need a rainbow") some could find it liberating ("great, I don't have to think about colors I don't normally think about and don't have").

Maybe an exercise could be to create a few days of outfits around the theme of this sweater - obviously not wear the sweater every day, to inspire daily combinations?

One source of color inspiration I like, which is not fashion oriented, are home decor magazines. Great examples of color and pattern mixing One sofa with pillows can combine many colors and patterns that I would't have thought of. I don't deliberately incorporate them into wardrobe choices, but I think alot of exposure to different visual resources gets into your system and acts unconsciously after a while.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

The Cat, my “type” is indeed summer. I’m currently doing a 30-day challenge, including many of these items. You have given some good suggestions for filling out the rest of the 30 items.
You wear scarves beautifully. The only time they’ve worked for me was when I lived in Thuringen. Wearing one here; I think, would feel too “extra”.

Binkie, I tend towards the “what? Only a few colors” side of the spectrum you describe. But then I look at my wardrobe, oversized though it is, and realize that some colors are absolutely represented more than others. A little bit of that may have been intentional, after doing my colors years ago, but even at that point, I was already aware that plain black is not a good look for me; Color Me Beautiful explained it a bit, and gave me the idea that charcoal, very near black, can work for me just fine. It’s interesting you bring up interior decorating. A couple years ago, I decided I had to pull our living room together somehow. Lo and behold, the loveseat I had just purchased, some fabric I bought in Tanzania 20 years ago, the table and daybed I bought in 2010 all fit together very nicely, with a few throw pillows and other details. It was the first time I realized that I may have my own style.

SarahD8

Veteran

Such a helpful thread, fashiontern. Thanks for pointing me this way. You're right, this color palette is right up my alley. I especially love the print sweater (fair isle is my jam).

Have you tried any of the purple tops in that pic with your blush fur-trim vest? I think any of those combinations would be killer. (But not with today's weather probably!)

Staysfit

Veteran

I like purple, teal and blush. Purple, chocolate (cool toned) and blush would also work. Fuchsia, plum and brown or blush could work too. These are all combinations I use when I want to look seasonal because they are in my color palette.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

DB, thanks for following. It sounds like we'll be fashion buddies, at least color-wise.

Staysfit, I was just thinking that I should add in a little bit of brown, even though too much of it can have a negative effect. Thanks for your comment.