Ask Angie (and others): Is there a beige for all of us? - YouLookFab Forum

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Ask Angie (and others): Is there a beige for all of us?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Angie, your recent toffee-colored sweater blog post (and some other recent threads with YLFers wearing taupe/tan/beige) got me thinking, is there a brown-toned neutral for all of us? Do you believe that everyone can find some variation on tan/taupe/beige that looks good and flattering on our skin? And how do we determine those colors? I have pinkish undertones in my fair skin, and I tend to think I don't look good in those type of colors in general, but am I needlessly ruling out a whole color category? Just curious to see what your thoughts are.

Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from Diana

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I'm going to bet there is a nudish neutral for everyone, if not beige specifically. Have you tried a blushy/taupe?

Catnip

Veteran

Certainly not Angie, but I also have pinkish undertones in my fair skin. There's a sort of cocoa beige or light brown that looks OK on me, but it's certainly not my favorite color.

Diana

Veteran

Well, for me, since I have yellow-toned Asian skin, I know I need a warm-toned, golden color that is not too light. A yellowish camel like the sweater in this picture is a good nude-ish color on me but it is hard to find. The pinky or cool beiges, or anything too light, are dreadful on me.
ETA: For example, the pale taupe color of my boots would be terrible next to my face. I like it fine on my feet though!

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Adelfa

Veteran

On me I like a very pale, cool tan that is sometimes called "stone." Not sure it flatters me but it feels like it does!

FlorenceFearne

I look good in ivory, which is pretty close to a nude tone on my ultra fair skin. But beige makes me look like a corpse. Maybe it's a matter of broadening your definition of "nude."

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Ah, yes. Well. Here are some thoughts.

First, there isn't a doubt in my mind that shades of nude, taupe, tan, stone and beige are hard to wear. Cream, off-white, bone and white are much easier to wear - generally speaking. My toffee jumper is toffee - not beige, nude or stone. It's a lot more camel than beige. Diana's jumper is camel and her boots are taupe. Janet, are you asking about camel or tan? They are quite different.

Second, do not see colours in isolation. It's what you wear them with that's key.

Third, you don't need to wear a colour that doesn't make you happy - even if it looks good against your complexion. Hope this makes sense.

JAileen

Veteran

My new favorite neutral is a taupe - tan or light brown plus grey. I suddenly like it since my hair went silver. I used to like cream, but it looks too yellow next to my hair. I think I've been paying more attention to this since I've been on YLF.

I love the color of Diana's boots. I have a quilted corduroy jacket the same color and I LOVE it. However, it was not warm enough by half in this recent cold snap we had, so I've been wearing wool, camel hair, and down.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'll bet there is a good pale neutral for every complexion, but not necessarily beige. Any yellow toned camel type beige will look awful on me, but I can wear taupe (lighter or darker toned taupes both work); a pinkish toned beige; some blush tones (but not if they are too peachy); white (as an accent); winter white; some creams; ivory. And I like what Angie says about not looking at it in isolation. It's how it looks in the ensemble. Plus how it makes you feel.

karymk

Veteran

Janet I found my favorite neutral and will post soon. It's a sort of brown-gray. Looks much better than grey on me. It's sort of a dusty cocoa shade I guess you'd say. Neutrals are hard. Not only do you want to hit the right "color" but also the right tone or shade so you don't end up looking washed out.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Karymk, your neutral sounds like taupe - or donkey.

karymk

Veteran

Angie, It is sort of taupe, but less purply if you know what I mean. "Donkey" I have NEVER heard of lol. Or "Horses for Courses" either! What does that one mean?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Ah. "Donkey" is a shade of very grey light brown - exactly like the colour of a donkey. Too brown to be a grey, and too grey to be a brown. Slap bang in the middle.

"Horses for courses" means that different people are suited to different things or different situations.

Greyscale

Veteran

Whoever posted that Moonbeam color from Ann Taylor found me my neutral, I think. I haven't ever tried wearing anything in the light brown family but I suspect I could find something that would bring out the autumn aspect of my hair.

Alassë

Veteran

Not sure that everyone can wear a beige/tan shade, as Angie said. I can do camel & ivory, but tan/beige/stone/taupe are all awful. I love seeing taupe on Suz, though!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Aww....thanks, Alasse.

Alassë

Veteran

My pleasure. It was a learning experience to see that what makes me look worse can make someone else glow. Therefore, I shouldn't categorically dislike colors; instead I can say I don't like x on me.

Kat

I love the look of camel, tan, and taupe on others -- so chic! But it's draining on me, since my skin is very pinkish and cool. I made the mistake of a taupe J Crew sweater this fall, and I keep it for around the house now because it makes me look like I have the plague. My eye refused to see it until recently! It's weird, lately I've been embracing a cool color story and I've even hesitated about my long time obsession with a taupe or caramel pair of tall boots. Even brown footwear is not quite feeling right these days.

That said, I've had success with ivory, and that's the closest to beige, tan, taupe, and camel I can get!

Mia

Veteran

Janet, from photos I think we have quite similar coloring. I look very poorly in "nude" or blush shades and even "stone".The right shade of taupe combined with a contrast works for me. Sometimes a stripe with black and the less flattering colour does the trick. I have a top with more of a light camel and black stripe and it is not bad.

Still not the best shade on me but can be useful in an outfit.

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I don't know what neutrals I look best in. I have green-ish veins which is supposed to mean I look best in warm tones, but then I have blue eyes which warm-toned people don't usually have.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Lots of interesting observations in this thread. And I had never heard of "donkey" colored either! I suspect I look better in those in-between colors -- the ones in the greyer family -- since I'm pretty confident I look OK in grey.

Some camel items appeal to me, but I haven't tried it on in years. I suspect it's not great on me. But again, like Angie says, it depends on what accompanies it in the outfit.

Diana

Veteran

Ha, Karie, the vein thing has always confused me. If you look at my arm, I have one blue vein and one green vein right next to each other. I do think my skin is more warm toned, as is my eye color (brown) and hair (brownish black, dyed burgundy). I think I look good in both warm and cool tones, and most of my favorite colors are cool. In that case I like the contrast between a dark cool tone and my warmer toned skin/features. However, with very light colors, cool and powdery tones look dreadful on me because they are both lighter than my skin AND too cool toned.