Advice on Dye Color for Skirt

A difficult question about the color to dye a skirt:
I found this XCVI ruched skirt in beige which is not my color. It is exactly the same design as this black skirt I have kept for years because I love the shape and the fact it can be pulled up and worn as a dress due to a knit fold over waistband, but I’m trying to get rid of black. This skirt is great for travel.

I want to wear it in the summer with tees or tanks. It’s cotton so should take the dye well although the thread might stay the same. I have different shades of dye as shown in this photo: hyacinth, pearl gray, charcoal gray, Violet, teal, aquamarine, royal blue, navy blue, but keep in mind I could do a custom mix to create a new color like denim for example. My summer shoes are silver and white sandals, denim, “nude,” and pewter metallic. Let me know if you need more information and thanks!

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2 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Oh fun!
I would dye it aquamarine, then do navy over in splotches so it looks like distressed denim...

Zaeobi

(website)

What a lovely skirt - mermaid shaped casual maxis aren't easy to find! Never heard of XCVI before, will have to take a look

1) Ok so are there any colour related holes in your current capsule that need filling?

2) If not, I'd recommend pulling some clothes (in similar colours to the dyes you're considering) & draping them around your bottom half for a makeshift outfit lab, to see what works & what doesn't - e.g. even if you like & use certain colours in your wardrobe, you may find them to look to be 'too much' in a maxi skirt (first possible example that springs to mind is that lilac purple you wear well - you might like it in your wardrobe palette but not as a large swathe of fabric). Better to test that out now than after dyeing!

As gor the actual dyeing process, @Brookyln is the YLF queen of that. Will leave that part up to her, & other more knowledgeable fabbers

Star

The black has been so versatile, it is a dark neutral, so I vote for Navy. Cool skirt.

rachylou

My vote is royal or navy. I think those would be especially versatile. And I’m thinking the lighter blue may not produce light blue…

Runcarla

Blue jean blue!

Anonymous

I would go with navy, as black is so easy for you.

Lana

Thanks Everyone!
Chewy, I think denim is a good option, since I wear so many jeans outfits, it would go with a lot.

Zaeobi, I need to spend some time thinking about those questions which are very good ones. Navy or denim Blue would be good and I don’t have a blue skirt.

Star and Rachylou, some sort of blue seems the most versatile option and seems more summery than gray.

Carla and Quinta, seems like the consensus so far is blue! Maybe a lighter navy like this dress.

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T Tahari Front Twist Crew Neck Sleeveless Maxi Dress

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Brooklyn

Just keep in mind that the original beige colour of the skirt will affect the final result. So I don’t think you will be able to achieve a “clean” light colour like aquamarine. It would probably turn out more of a dirty light blue, like denim. So, if you want to go for a lighter colour, I think it would be best to go for a “dirty” colour that respects the beige undertone. Ideally a colour that has beige in the mix so you don’t have to worry about how it affects the colour. Have you checked out the colour formulas on the RIT website? Eg this crocus flowers colour is nice (similar to your bag). And it has taupe in the mix, which would work well with the undertone of the skirt.

Alternatively, go for a dark colour so that you overwhelm the beige - like dark blue.

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Stagiaire Fash

Ohh, such a fun experiment! I’m curious how the ruching will affect the dye, if it’ll be darker or lighter along those channels.
You know I’m going to lean towards berry colors But if you’re planning to put together a summer capsule that’s as tight as your spring one, then I think you should take a careful look at what colors you have there, so you complement without repeating them.

Thanks Brooklyn, those were my thoughts as well — the beige would affect a light color, but not a dark one. I could try pearl gray and see if I couple achieve a taupe color, and if not go with dark. I have looked at the Rit recipes, it’s just so overwhelming how many options there are even with the colors I have! The threads are another issue since they may not dye at all.

SF, I’ll post how it all turns out, but as you said, I may need to wait till I’ve figured out summer which is my weakest season stylewise.

Indigoprint

I have had beige items take Rit dye denim blue especially well. Sometimes depending on the weave I achieved the light /dark weave that makes denim so special and if the beige stitching could look like the topstiching we see on denim. Plus the ruching offers some opportunities for the dye to take different depths.
That style could make a really unique denim skirt!

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