Accessories – “warm” versus “cool” - YouLookFab Forum

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Accessories – “warm” versus “cool”

RobinF

Veteran

I have only been around here a few months and this is my first post. I love all the info I have gotten here and have learned a lot but still have LOTS more to figure out regarding my own style. I searched for this topic and didn’t see it anywhere so here goes.

I have this mental “rule” regarding my jewelry and other accessories. If I am wearing warm colors – brown, tan, off-white, orange, red - then my jewelry needs to also be warm, as in gold or brown. And if I am wearing cool colors – black, gray, white, pink, blue – my jewelry needs to be silver. Does anyone else do this and is it too rigid? I’ve tried to break out of it but it just doesn’t look right to me. There are a few colors that cross over –navy in my mind can be worn either with silver or gold – but not too many.

The immediate problem is that I just got some cognac wedges and they
have gold buckles so I feel like I can only wear them with warm colors and gold jewelry but most of my wardrobe is cool colors. So I guess I have two questions.

One – am I correct that I need to mostly stick to these color pairings? Do you all keep gold for with warm colors and silver with cool colors?

Two – should I only wear my new shoes with gold accessories?

Any opinions, advice and information welcome.

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Dressing

42 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

Jane

Veteran

Hello Robin!

Your new shoes sound lovely! I would tend to stick to the gold / warm tones as you suggest but it's always fun to have a play.

I'm sure other Fabbers will have suggestions.

always trying

Veteran

there has been some discussions on this forum from time to time about silver and gold and mixing metals. there seems to be no rules. Some mix gold and silver in the same outfit and others don't. I am the opposite of you in that I prefer gold with navy, black, and other cool colors. I also like gold with white and warm beige tones.

As for cognac shoes I am finding them very neutral and in many cases good substitute for black. This is just me, so others may have different thoughts, but I generally ignore the color of buckles if the shoes go with my outfit best, and just wear jewelry to go with my outfit.

minimalist

Veteran

I only own cool-toned accessories and clothing, to keep things simple. But I've seen mixing that looks fine. So, to answer your questions, one, no need to stick to conservative pairings unless you want to. Two, would need to see shoes, and accessories in question.

BrieN

Veteran

RobinF -- you beat me to it. I was literally composing the same post in my head re: warm colors=gold and cool colors=silver?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Robin, I vote no colour pairing rules. Wear the metals that you like best with the palette, or match the metals within the outfit (although there is no need to match metals either).

My personal strategy:

I prefer to wear gold most of the time, and happen to wear warm colours a lot too. But I love to wear cool whites and wear those with gold or silver. I wear a cool cobalt, ink blue, pearl grey or black with gold all the time.

It's more important to me to match the metals in my outfit than it is to match warm and cold colours.

I wear silver ONLY when I am matching the metals and hardware in the outfit. Otherwise I always wear gold.

El Cee

Veteran

I think that color pairing is a matter of personal preference, and I say you should wear what makes you feel comfortable, confident and happy. I, personally, am firmly in the "no rules" camp and will happily mix warm and cool tones in the same outfit according to my mood, but that is within my comfort level. I like all metals equally and have jewelry pieces in silver, gold, rose gold, copper, bronze, brass and gunmetal… and have been known to mix metals within an ensemble. My favorite watch combines both gold tone and silver tone metals. When I wear this piece, it sort of gives me permission to go either way with my jewelry metal choice or mix it up. I agree with always trying and think you can treat cognac as a neutral -- and wear it with warm or cool colors.

RobinF

Veteran

Thanks for your replies, it kind of sounds like I need to just play around some more and try to break out of my self-imposed rules.

Amy K - I thought they would seem more neutral to me too but then when I try them I see the color.

Brie N - so funny that we were thinking the same thing. I have just been kind of stumped by this lately.

Angie - thanks so much for your input. I don't know why I have such a preference for silver, my wedding ring is gold so it seems like I would lean that way. Interesting gold with gray, I have always avoided it. I'm going to have to try it.

ALeigh

You do not NEED to stick with those pairings. You CAN experiment, and I definitely recommend checking out Pinterest to find a few things that you may just find you like. Try it on yourself or find people of similar coloring to you and see what they do.

Unlike Angie, gold is a terrible , clash-with-me idea with my coloring, so I'm the reverse of her advice! Everyone is different.

. I do mix my silver and rose gold bangles for example - warm spring and cool colors - and it's something I'm personally fond of.

Some times it just won't suit an outfit, or a skin tone, and that's perfectly OK. Its all about having a go, trying things out. Plus, Colour mixing is definitely more of a casual wear than a formal wear style.

Added some less-bold but still different ideas for color matches.
First is simple silver and rose gold. Second is a cool blue-grey and sunny yellow. Third is bold summer yellow and deep blue. Fourth is deep blue, red and brown. Hopefully you look around a bit more on your own!

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carter

Veteran

I love the look of gold with cool colors, especially black, stark white and medium gray. However, I don't love silver jewelry with warm colors. Go figure.

Regarding the shoes, for me it would depend on how prevalent the hardware might be. If it's front and center/part of the design of the shoe, it matters to me, and I'll be intentional about matching or mismatching. If it's just utilitarian, maybe on the side of the ankle, I disregard the metal color.

RobinF

Veteran

Thanks Aleigh and Carter. I do mix colors like gray and yellow so not sure why jewelry stumps me. I'll do a Pinterest search and just copy something until I am comfortable coming up with my own looks. Carter, the buckle is on the side at the ankle but it's pretty large. I will take a picture and post it when I get home.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I mix it up a lot - and in fact one of my favorite bracelets has gold, pewter and a copper color all in one so it acts as a "bridge" between other metals in my belt, necklace, handbag or shoes. I was wearing a lot of silver for a while, but have recently been back enjoying gold tones. I love wearing my double gold pendant necklace with a charcoal tee and white bottoms and white shoes.

Sometimes I think an unexpected match is more interesting like wearing a silver pendant against a bright yellow, but it just depends on the outfit and what you like I guess.

Gigi

Veteran

I am like you--I wear gold with warm colors, and silver with cool colors. To mix them up just doesn't look good to me--it seems to clash. But sometimes this reaction is just a result of doing things a particular way for a long time. I would experiment for a while, mixing things up, and see how you feel. If you still don't like it, you can go back to what you were doing...but maybe you will find that you have opened up a new area of style for yourself. I'm going to try this and see what happens.

lisaflex

Veteran

i mix it up....lol i wear what feels right on that day...regardless of hardware, shoes, etc....i also mix real and costume (i know, the horrors..lol)

Zibbets

Veteran

I think I used to have rules like that that I wasn't even quite aware of. Recently, I've been experimenting more with color/metal pairings and I love it.

I still don't mix metals, although I think it can look great on others.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Interesting! I don't have any rules really. I wear mostly warm colours and neutrals but will wear both silver and gold tones. I love gold with black and also think it can warm up grey. I agree with carter about the shoes.
My wedding ring is gold. I don't take it off but I sometimes wear it with extra bands (silver and white) so that it can coordinate with other jewellery.

RobinF

Veteran

It's so interesting to get these different opinions. I think I just assumed everyone felt like I did :). Hearing how you all decide what to wear is helpful.

Gigi, I have a sister named Gigi so it's funny we feel the same , haha.

K. Period.

Veteran

LOL! I knew Angie would say to mix! I know because she has gently encouraged me many times to not get hung up on mixing cool and warm. I am exactly like you. I generally (not always, but generally) keep my accessories cool because I like cool colors best on me. I do have some warmer colors, which I find a little harder to mix in. However, I find that they work really well to make an outfit more energetic. I wear blues with golds or oranges, for example, when I want a vibrant outfit. Similarly, I think adding warm accessories to gray is a good way to keep gray from being to basic and boring.

RobinF

Veteran

I think you're right K which is one reason I think I need to push myself to mix it up.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I have a cool toned complexion and ash blonde-turning grey hair. I wear cool toned clothing exclusively -- soft white, grey, charcoal, taupe, denim blues, ink, and navy are my neutrals. My colours are different blues, raspberry, cranberry red, fuchsia, teal, plums, orchids, and black. (Yup. Black functions more like an accent colour than a neutral in my palette.)

But here's the thing. I have a pair of cognac sandals that I love. What do I wear them with? My denim blues, whites, grey, ink, navy, black. Fabulous pairing!!! The cognac adds some interest to the cool tones and spices them up.

Most of my other footwear is on the cool side, but another favourite is a pair of leopard print slip on sneakers. Again, they look great with the above neutrals.

When it comes to metals, I also mix. My wedding band is silver and rose gold. I wear gold gold also sometimes, though my fallback is silver toned jewellery.

If an article of clothing or a bag has obvious hardware I usually try to match it with my jewellery. But if it's in an unnoticeable place (like a shoe buckle at the back of the heel) I don't worry about it a bit.

RobinF

Veteran

Thanks Suz. I love all the colors you named, maybe I should also be focusing on those. It could be I lean toward silver because those are just the best colors for me. I can see how the cognac would add a punch and shake it up a little.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I generally do match metals in my jewelry, but I often wear a belt or shoes with minimal hardware that doesn't match my jewelry.

With colors and gold or silver, I know what you mean, and I do have some wardrobe items that I prefer to wear with one or other other. Some browns I like better with gold-toned jewelry, for example. But it's not hard and fast; it's more about the cast of the color, to me. Some browns I prefer with silver. And I'm a metal-mixer--like Texstyle, I have some jewelry that mixes metals, and I like to use them to pull different metals together in my outfit.

I feel I pay more attention to whether the metals in my outfit match each other or complement the outfit in terms of tone or mood: rugged or refined, classic or quirky, etc.

Suz makes an excellent point about how well cognac tones can work as accents with cooler colors. I think you'll find these gorgeous new sandals will be very versatile.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Angie has some great ensembles that demonstrate mixing it up:

https://www.pinterest.com/youlookfab/ensembles/

Helena

Veteran

I think warm with cool looks very modern, especially warm accessories with a cool outfit.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I have no rules either. I wear mostly cool color tones but ALOT of my jewelry is gold. Like Angie - I'd rather match metals in my outfit than match cool & warm tones. That too isn't a hard & fast rule....I happily pair gold & silver together in my accessories.

Anonymous

Another Team No Rules. I like mixing it up. Love silver with yellow and citron and gold with berry reds and with blues. Trying for all the same metal in an outfit would drive me crazy, but I do often emphasize one with major pieces of jewelry, like silver cuff and watch with shiny sliver loafers.

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I dare you to try "breaking " the rules. It feels uncomfortable at firs. I had to start small like a couple of bangles but then I became used to the idea of not matching.

dakotacheryl

Veteran

I mix my metals almost every day...from rose and yellow gold, silver to heavily oxidized silver.

RobinF

Veteran

Thanks everyone. I don't have much problem mixing metals if I have something on with both in it. It is more mixing metals with the "wrong" color clothing. You all have given me permission to shake it up and go against my rules (not sure where I got these rules, they just sort of developed over time).

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

This may not be the best example, but it is an example of how I am willing to mix cool and warm tones in an outfit. Gold pendant necklace, charcoal gray tee with white jeans that have a light gray print, a pewter belt (that leans towards a champagne gold in my eye), and white sneaks with cognac accents. My skin tone is fairly tan (caramel) in summer so that adds more warmth to the outfit as I roll the jeans and the short sleeves show my arms. My hair is blonde and has warm and cool tones in it. I might add a mixed metal bracelet but forgot to photograph it.

ETA: I should add that I might also consider wearing a white belt with this outfit instead of the champagne colored one. It has a white and silver buckle so it doesn't stand out too much as "silver."

And I guess I should say that silver jewelry might indeed "go" better - I'm not sure, but I just like having some interest in the color scheme.

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