I found that my preference for all browns & black waned after I let my hair go grey. The browns became harder to work into a look & black feels very hard especially in daylight. Great post.

Like a lot of people above, my main color preferences are pretty stable. But I've definitely been influenced by trends to try colors or color combinations I wouldn't have thought of before.
Sometimes this can be really good. (I didn't really think of wearing black and cognac together before it started showing up everywhere a few years ago, and now I love it. I also have a few tangerine accessories that are really fun to wear.) And sometimes it's kind of meh. (I have a lilac cardigan that I bought last spring because I decided it was probably the least unflattering to me of all the icy pastels that were everywhere. I wear it sometimes, but probably won't bother to get anything else in that color.)

Yes, and no. I like the same colors consistently (blues, purples, magentas and other jewel tones), but like others have said, what's in fashion can limit their supply in the stores. I love deep, rich brown, but haven't been able to find it easily lately. I am tempted by what's in fashion, too. Mint intrigued me, but just didn't work, although I gave it a small try since it was everywhere for awhile. Orange tempted me...but no, I didn't give in.

Sometimes, a new color will just fall into favor with me - not sure why, but I'm really into navy blue lately.

Hi Faith! What a great thread. I'm slapping myself around for missing it yesterday (lightly). You are such a great writer and have teased us with ideas for future posts, which I am already looking forward to!

Okay so about color. I think I like the same categories of color, but I love it when a "new and improved" version comes into favor with designers. The slight tweaking of hue, value or chroma (just throwing big words around here, for all I know two of these are synonyms) makes an old favorite seem so fresh and delicious. My favorites are cool, soft blues, cool, soft berry reds (kind of in between red and pink), and turquoise (as long as it's not too green). So I'm kind of influenced by fashion as far as what's available and looks current, but I'm not going to fall for a color I don't like, or doesn't look good on me. I love neutrals and wearing them with other neutrals. This is a fairly new concept for me, and I think it's been sort of "in" to do this for the past 10 years or so. As usual, I'm bringing up the rear!

What intriguing questions and thought-provoking replies, Faith. For what it is worth, I greatly enjoyed your tome!

The question you posed that most struck me and that I struggle immensely with personally was this one: Have you found your color loves and hates--try if possible to put aside the question of flattery here--to remain constant over the years, or do you find your heart swayed by the colors of the season?

It's funny, I often adore new seasonal color trends and happily use them in home decor, paint, flowers, etc. Those can easily sway my heart. Just not near my face! I feel like with my hair/eye/skin tones and lack of contrast, I'm extremely limited in what I can wear without looking drawn and practically sickly. So, unfortunately, the dilemma for me is often that what I love and what flatters end up worlds and worlds apart!

Interesting question! Chalk up another member of Team "Stick with What I Like." Basically I have set ideas about the colors that I think look best on me (cool blues and variants of the red or purple families) and that I like most, and I buy whatever's closest to those colors when I'm shopping. There are times when there's nothing in "my" colors, and I'll end up skipping a season. I've found over the years that if I buy colors outside of this range, even if I like them, I just end up not wearing them or struggling to match them. I guess it's sort of a capsule approach, where most of my wardrobe is a color-coordinated capsule.

@ceiele - that's so funny, I recently dyed my hair a bright unnatural burgundy, and some of my old color stand-bys are failing me! I'm having real trouble wearing true reds anymore, and have had to switch to garnets and burgundies. I also can't stand the sight of myself in purple anymore. I noticed I'm wearing a lot more greens than before, too.

Regarding the actual question here, I don't think a trend is likely to win me over to a color I can't stand, but I do buy more of colors I like when they become trendy. That may only be because there's suddenly a much bigger range of styles in that color than before. For example, I've been buying oxblood like crazy this season, because it's everywhere. When cobalt was really trending, I bought a beautiful cobalt lace top. It still has tags.

I've been pretty consistent with my color preferences ever since I was a teenager, although back then I tended towards more purples and reds than I do now -- now I gravitate towards more blues and greens. I've always been much more into black than brown. I've never been much for wearing yellow or orange. One color I have embraced that I avoided for years is navy. Now I love it!

If a color trend appeals to me and falls into a color category I already like, I'll snap up items in that color while they're trending (mint green last year, cobalt this year). But I don't know if I'll be swayed into baby blue and light pink next spring -- I doubt it. Pastels have never been my favorites.

I have been very consistent since I was a young adult and commenced working. I have worn and loved black for years. I would say I am rarely influenced colourwise by fashion but availability which is tied into what's fashionable plays a role. For example, I do love deep inkly blues and cobalt but it really hasn't been popular until recenlty hence I have been able to stock up a bit.

What Claire said is true for me, too:
" I think I like the same categories of color, but I love it when a "new and improved" version comes into favor with designers. The slight tweaking of hue, value or chroma (just throwing big words around here, for all I know two of these are synonyms) makes an old favorite seem so fresh and delicious. (...)
So I'm kind of influenced by fashion as far as what's available and looks current, but I'm not going to fall for a color I don't like, or doesn't look good on me. +I love neutrals and wearing them with other neutrals".
(sorry for not having my own original words for it :-))

Not really. I got annoyed when I watched an episode of TLC's WNTW in which Stacy and Clinton told a woman that her black-and-blue color combo was outdated. Yes, the woman was wearing '80s style clothing that clearly dated her, and the color combo didn't suit her personal coloring. But that's beside the point. The point is that black and blue is a great color combo on certain people. I'll wear the color combos that I like and that I feel look fab on me. It matters not to me if someone else thinks they're outdated.

fascinating topic! I adore playing with color. It appears that my color preferences happen to flatter me the most ( I know that's not the question -- I digress). I have been playing around with colors and color combinations since I discovered color theory in my studio classes while working on my fine arts degree. Fashion seem to influence what is available, which a good amount of the time runs counter to what I want at a particular price point. Right now I am looking for 2 high quality colored cardigans in deep dark red probably oxblood is the exact color I want but definitely red with blue undertones (not purple!). I am also looking for a deep plum which also had more red than blue but is not purple. Purple seems to always be avaliable but not in shades I would consider for myself. I also know what you mean about falling in love with a color. It seems to happen in just that way. Right now pale aqua with touches of fuchsia seems to fascinate me especially when grounded by navy. Not sure if I even have a truly pale aqua in my wardrobe but I have been looking, not actively, but certainly it's in the back of my mind as I consider color options. So I guess my answer to your question is yes fashion does influence what colors I wear by virtue of not providing wparticular colors that tickle my fancy in either my size or price point.

@Florence -- you too, eh? It did surprise me how much my wardrobe shifted with hair color, since I've always thought of picking colors based on my skin tone instead of hair. Good excuse to buy new clothing, I guess

Love this discussion! As many hours as I've spent poring over color theory, seasons and all, at the end of the day I generally will wear any color as long as its black. I occasionally go crazy and buy something gray, but I usually regret my recklessness! (So, Gryffin, you're not alone!)

In truth, I do usually pick up one or two colorful pieces per season, usually a scarf or inexpensive top, in one of the seasons trends, but I only do so if it's a color that I already know works on me, and I generally get very little wear out of it, so its really just so I can say that I participated in a trend.