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Adding a new color to wardrobe

anchie

Veteran

I just bought a new coat, it is a dark brown and cream houndstooth/plaid. I don’t have anything else brown in my wardrobe, but i have a lot of cream - bag, shoes, scarf, hat, gloves so I will be able to make this coat work. But I have an urge now to add more dark brown just to satisfy my matchy matchy nature and I am trying to resist.

I am curious how you deal with the one off color in your wardrobe. Do you wear it just on its own, or do you try adding more items in the same color? If you add more, do you stop at one or two items or do you build an extensive complement? Do you have different approach if color is neutral like brown in my case, or if it is some accent color? Or you never buy color that is not already in your wardrobe?

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39 replies

Latest reply was from JAileen

Roberta

Veteran

I have a true rainbow in my closet, but I still find myself a couple of times a year hunting the perfect color. Right now I want a rust, burnt orange, reddish brownish orange-ish sweater. I have many of those colors in my closet already, but they're not matching the Platonic ideal color in my head.

When this urge hits I have to strongly remind myself to go back and rummage through my closet to see what I have that satisfies that urge. Second, if I do find that perfect thing, I know I'm going to want to buy several new items to go with it. Because I just like new stuff.

So that's my answer to your question - think carefully before I purchase a "new" color, and think even more carefully before I buy new things to go with it. Also, try not to get hypnotized by the new Pantone colors of the season.

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phoebe

I rarely wear more than 3 colors at once although I might wear shades of the same, and I categorize color by something like function. Brown would be "casual" so I might also wear it with navy or olive.

Maybe this makes it easier to add a shade of a color as it need not match?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I’d wear that with red, including cherry & raspberry. Bet it’d be good with forest green too. I don’t make much effort to limit colors in my closet, because my tastes are pretty much set around a certain set of colors that doesn’t change much. See the purple velour top I thought was a 1-off that matches half the stuff in my closet

Irina

Veteran

I’m also a matchy-matchy kind of person but I try to resist and the most, I would consider adding accessories in a new to me color. Like a hat or a scarf, a bag, shoes. In this case, if you are planning to wear this coat with cream, maybe buy a pair of dark brown gloves?

CarolS

Veteran

When I look at your finds, I can see lots that will work beautifully with this coat -- so unless you bought it with the desire to add a whole brown capsule, I don't think you MUST. (I do like the idea of brown gloves, but even that might not be necessary.)

I love this paired with cream and almost any colour in your closet -- red, pink, robin's egg blue, yellow. Yummy!

Runcarla

Veteran

You can get away with a ‘one of’ because of all your cream. Many colours can work, as can neutrals like black or navy. You are making a commitment of a sort to brown, because you are investing in outerwear - which lasts several seasons. When I experiment with a new colour, I usually look at a mini capsule of 4 items total. If I grow to love the colour, I’ll expand the capsule.

My lilac capsule started with a spring weight rain coat, and expanded. Sometimes I do matchy-matchy, but sometimes I don’t!

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Sal

Veteran

I think it depends on the colour and the piece. I have added in navy, olive over the years with no issues.

Sometimes one piece does lead to more though - if I enjoy it. That happened with yellow and blush.

I am keen to add cobalt blue or kelly green but have struggled a bit. I went off the footwear in these colours. I would be more likely to add a summer dress or a top (to wear with white or denim) as that's easy. But if I was adding - say - winter trousers in kelly green - I know I don't have a coat that works, and only one sweater, and only one pair of boots, so I would consider that carefully.

This brown I would wear with pinks, creams, blacks, reds and some blues and greens - depending on the undertone.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

That's a gorgeous coat. It's going to work well with all your brights, as well as cream. Lovely! I think in this situation I might consider brown footwear or bag and a scarf with some brown in the pattern before going any further down the brown road.

I have added a bit of olive in bottoms-- it's difficult for me, in fact, because I don't have enough tops that work with it, and it isn't good near my face unless it is a very cool, sagey olive. So I might eventually phase it out.

I haven't truly added a new colour to my closet for ages and my wardrobe is almost entirely blue, white, and grey, which does get a bit dull at times. I'd like to increase my reds, berries, and even lilacs.

slim cat

Veteran

I rarely add new color and usually like to have something in very similar shade. Got dark green faux leather jacket recently ( good with my black work pants ) knowing that I have a graphic tee with some dark green in the mix, pendant with dark/medium green, and bunch of turquoise jewelry to add the contrast. Accessories are the best for my mixing of colors ( earrings usually, bracelets, maybe printed scarfs ).
Your new coat is lovely and doesn't need extra brown pieces - unless you are interested in new gloves, small crossbody bag or new brown boots. Post some looks later .

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I think the print makes this more versatile than 'needing' to match the colour. Especially since it's a coat, meaning it's supposed to be thrown on *over* whatever else you're wearing - so long as your trousers & shoes don't clash with brown (& which colours do, honestly?) you'll be OK.

I can see this working with your saffron (orangey yellow) & blues (cobalt & baby).

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I don't think this coat needs matching pieces, but I do find that once I am interested in a certain color I start finding other pieces that match. So I would say there is not rush but if something comes along...

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I love color and over the last few years have added a few pieces in bright intense purple without really intending to do so! I don’t think it’s my “best” color but I do like it , and the pieces all go together well.

Star

Veteran

Totally agree with Zaeobi that this is a thrown and go piece, and will go with everything. Treat it like a neutral!

Bijou

Veteran

I agree with Zaeobi that you don't need matching pieces for this coat, it can be worn with anything. The question, that only you can answer, is how much do you like brown to make it a more significant part of your wardrobe?

I generally add colours in complements, but only if I find the colour flattering and feel that it is evolving my style in the right direction.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Jaime, Zaeobi, and Suz all make good points — since this is a neutral, classic pattern and you own plenty of cream items, I think you’re already well set. But yes, when I resurrected my taupe-ish tan suede boots this year, I decided to get a casual handbag to coordinate because it’s not a color that I wear much, although it pops up in my printed items. I say wear and enjoy and see where it takes you!

Anonymous

I can see adding a complement of dark brown accessories, cause I'm on team matchy too, but of course you can stick to cream.
I have a couple of one offs, a mustard skirt and an avocado green tank. I may end up adding more eventually.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

ST, those sound like good colors for you in springtime, when you get that urge to buy all the light colors that show up in stores. Maybe honey wheat too.

RobinF

Veteran

I find that when I add a color, I tend to think I need a few more pieces to make it work, but that depends on what the item is. If it is a topper, for instance, I can wear it with neutrals and it works fine. But if it is bottoms I need more to pull it together. I think this coat will be great on its own or with some complimentary footwear or accessories. But it will definitely be fabulous with cream anything.

celia

Veteran

That is a beautiful coat. I echo others that adding to the cream colors you have some red, burgundy and even yellow would look good with this beauty.
Regarding adding a new color to the wardrobe , generally speaking I too have the matchy-matchy bug. Whenever I see a new item with a new color I do want to make at least a small capsule on this color( like my recent forest green try). Usually I don't have to look hard because if I see a new-to-me color it is because that color is available on retail for the current season.

Joy

Veteran

I would get brown boots and bag or cream to wear with the coat as well as scarf, gloves, and hat or beanie or both. If you wear mostly pa to or jeans, get brown ones. That coat will be fun.

Joy

Veteran

It is rare to add an off color to.my wardrobe but I did add some burgundy last winter after finding some burgundy Ponte pants.
I have made a mini capsule adding a heavy Iceland burgundy cardigan, long velvet burgundy skirt, a sale (Consignment) mixed media jacket, a silk burgundy sleeveless shell.. I had flats and booties and large bag. I have found the color useful with browns and most dark neutrals.

I like Runcarla's idea of aiming for a grouping of four items.

SarahD8

Veteran

I agree with others that because the brown is a neutral you can just throw it on and go without needing to match. I think it will look great with a lot of your brights! Maybe you could match shoes and bag to satisfy your matchy gene (at least until you have a brown complement in place, if you do decide to build one)?

Maybe a printed scarf featuring brights and some brown would be a nice way to tie things together -- and could be worn with other outerwear too.

I bat for Team Color Contrast rather than Team Matchy, so sometimes I find that a one-off item in a color that isn't otherwise represented in my wardrobe can be really versatile. (Usually warm colors that provide a punch of contrast to the cool shades that are my staples.) I have to think carefully about how and where on my body I want to wear a particular color: sometimes it makes sense to build a complement/capsule in a particular shade, but sometimes One really is Enough.

The Cat

Veteran

Generally, I dont feel that I need to repeat a neutral somewhere else in my outfit.

I don't feel that I have to repeat a non-neutral either, provided that the coloured item is somewhere in my portrait area.

However, if the non-neutral item is below my portrait area (e.g. footwear, pants, skirt), I want to repeat the colour in my portrait area (e.g. in top, scarf, eyewear, earrings, necklace). And when I purchase non-neutral footwear/pants/skirts etc., I make sure that I have at least 3 matching items that I can wear in my portrait area. This gives me many outfit possibilities plus the cohesiveness/harmony I like.

kkards

Veteran

i'm very slow to add new colors, but when i do i generally start small. if i wear the new item in the new color than it suddenly makes me "see" the color more often when i'm out and about and so i'm open to adding more of it. then i tend to see colors that are adjacent to the original color, for example olive green lead me to sage green.
there are some colors, like brown, that i will add/wear in accessoires that i would not wear in clothing.

Minaminu

Veteran

Over the last 2 years, I have been working on my colour palette and wanted to add pink, starting from accessories to begin with.

I found this video very helpful

(2) Capsule wardrobe guide: how to add more colors! - YouTube

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Lovely coat!

It will work well with your creams, navy, turquoises and reds

Lesley

Veteran

So, I am not a matchy-matchy person, but I deliberately love to choose a color that's not from my normal palette for accessories like a coat because I know it will always be complementary rather than suddenly, say, I have a bunch of different shades of brown that I'm wondering if it's too much. I never wear tan in a top or in bottoms, but I have lots of tan shoes, a few tan bags, and I have a long cardigan that's navy on top and tan on the bottom. I have looked for a tan leopard coat for years for this very reason. I love how it brings in a new color while I can play with all the rest of my palette in my normal way. (I also find it's a great way to play with a color that I love but that doesn't love me back!)

anchie

Veteran

Interesting responses. It seems that most of you are set with your color palette and are good with sticking to it.

I am resisting the urge to add more brown for now. I think I have enough options already in my closet to make this coat work.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

anchie, I added this NAS moto. Kind of a peachy-toffee. It's become an Autumn workhorse! I JUST WEAR IT, with everything, and I don't have anything else in the same colour. I wear it with my brights like the picture next door

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