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Color/closet confusion. Help!

nancylee

Veteran

I haven’t been posting much lately because I’m having a major color/wardrobe crisis.

The initial thrill of learning that I’m a Bright Spring and can wear bright colors has worn off, and now I’m just feeling confused. I’ve cleared my closet of the worst offenders--muddy/dusty colors--and tried to educate myself on the kinds of color that flatter. I’ve even bought some bright items that are more in line with my spring color palette.

But...

Now my closet feels like a confused mishmash of my old beloved neutrals and the new bright colors, none of which seem to work together very well. Or at least I’m having real trouble putting them all together. I used to know (or thought I knew) what my basic colors were, so my wardrobe worked pretty well together. But not really knowing what my basic colors even are anymore has really thrown me. I feel like I’m just wandering in the wilderness color-wise, flailing around, and it’s making me question just about everything. I’m having a terrible time getting dressed in the morning and am just feeling really lost and frustrated.

One of the biggest problems is not having my neutrals nailed down. I used to wear a lot of browns, but those are not supposed to be very good for me. I also have a lot of black, but wearing black with brights feels boring and not very fab. (see photo....this is as good as it gets lately)

I want to look my best, and apparently that means wearing much higher contrast and color than I’m used to....but I’m struggling with how much color I actually feel comfortable wearing. Plus, I don’t really know how to wear high contrast or color. This is all completely new territory for me.

Help!

How can I transition my wardrobe toward a palette that flatters and that still feels natural to me while still incorporating the clothes I own?

Dressing

36 replies

Latest reply was from

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Deep breaths. All will resolve. It's okay.

What neutrals did the analyst suggest for you, Nancy? That's a start. Let's take a look at those first.

One neutral that you probably won't be abolishing any time soon is denim -- whether or not it is your official colour palette. And since you can often dress quite casually (though not always, I know) perhaps the next step would be making some great outfits with your denim bottoms and brighter tops or toppers.

As for transitioning to more colour, perhaps you would feel better sticking to a more neutral palette for now with colourful accents (scarves, for instance). And if you find your ideal neutrals, that won't be too difficult.

catgirl

Veteran

I am going through color struggles as well, so I am going to follow along here. I am trying to figure out how to make my wardrobe easier/more neutral and still feel like myself. Maybe we need to do each other's closets?

cade

I do not know what your new neutrals are, but why not wear your old neutrals with your colors near the face until you are ready to replace them? I often use a scarf to make it all look intentional.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

What colour of neutrals do you have in your closet? I sometimes find black hard to pair with anything that is too bright because of the contrast; but what about navy?

Anonymous

Well, now that you've gotten rid of the "worst offenders", can you just mix brights in with your old faves? Or maybe you're like me, and you just don't like to mix brights with neutrals. If that's the case, you could try some colored tonal or color-blocked looks. Denise (Cocolion) and Suz have posted some great outfits in these categories.

Nancy, I feel your pain. I would be in quite a pickle if someone told me I needed to wear mostly bright colors. It would be completely starting over for me, as I'm sure it is for you, since I'm as heavily invested in neutrals as you were!

deb

Veteran

First off, I do not think this top with the black skirt is boring. I probably think that because I wear this formula all of the time. (maybe I am boing?) I also cannot wear browns although, through the years I have tried but ended up always changing before I left the house. How about trying navy blue or one of the greys as your neutrals? The top you have on here would look great with either of these. I added the color card so the others can see your palette.

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nancylee

Veteran

Thanks for the moral support as I wrestle with this. I know I've asked a pretty big open-ended question, but I just needed to vent a little...and explain why I've been somewhat scarce lately. It's hard to give others sound advice when you feel lost yourself!

Suz, thanks for the calming words. Denim is definitely a keeper among my neutrals, and I have been making use of it. Some other neutrals in my "good colors" list are charcoal, grey (after shunning it for many years, that will be a tough one), and ivory/eggshell. I do have a fair amount of ivory/eggshell in my closet but precious little ink/navy and no charcoal or grey. Using scarves to put color near my face had been my plan for fall, but so far the weather's been too warm for them. Soon, I hope.

Una, thanks for sharing my pain. It's tough when all the old rules go out the window!

Cade, sound advice. I have a huge scarf collection and buying a new scarf in color is a cheap way to experiment.

Lyn, I agree with you on mixing black with color. Something about it just doesn't work for me....maybe it's too 90's? I'm beginning to think ink/navy is a good neutral to explore.

Claire, I know! Can you believe Neutral Nancy had it all wrong? I think you might be onto something with your statement: Or maybe you're like me, and you just don't like to mix brights with neutrals. I think this might be the case for me.

Deb! Sorry if you took offense at the black + bright comment. I think my eye is just not used to mixing brights with neutrals. And thanks for posting the color chart. I should have thought to do that myself.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Nancy, the other issue may simply be finding pieces that help to unify your different items. So...if you are wearing denim bottoms and one of your new brighter tops...maybe you need a belt that somehow pulls those together. If the top is in a solid colour, perhaps a patterned belt would do good work for you. I find my animal print belt hugely useful because it unites dark and light.

nancylee

Veteran

Suz, that's an excellent observation and a great suggestion. There's been a very "unfinished" feel to my looks lately. It's almost like I can manage to pair a bright color and a neutral, but I don't know how to finesse it into a cohesive look. So, the whole thing looks awkwardly slapped together rather than coordinated. Does that make sense?

A patterned belt. Hm. I've actually been stalking one on Ebay. Might be time to try it.

In the meantime, I've been searching for some way to save my brown tweed blazer and wear it with some color. What do you all think of these Pinterest outfits?

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deb

Veteran

Nancy, I was not offended in the least. I just had to laugh because that may one of my issues and why I am here on YLF. I really love the bright colors next to your face. It makes your face light up. Patterned bags and shoes are also good options to tie everything together.

Anonymous

The jeans are fine in pic#1, but the camel doesn't play that well with the bright yellow. Seems like that yellow is calling out for bright navy or cobalt.

I love the orange and brown combo in pic #2.

Good your colors are brightening up your face. When I tried the Clear Spring colors after my hairdresser suggested that palette, I didn't look that great. Over the years, it seems like I've tried every color under the rainbow. I now know I'm best in muted colors. I'm exploring the Soft Autumn color palette, as Soft Summer is better than brights but still not quite right.

kellygirl

Veteran

Great ideas here. I like the idea of wearing brighter colors close to your face--you can tone them down with a neutral topper--denim jacket, army green safari, camel/tweed jacket. I really like the Pinterest photos you posted. I do think it takes awhile to adjust to wearing brighter colors especially when we are so use to low contrast neutrals! Good luck

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

First off, you look beautiful in this photo! Then, let me guess, did you learn about being a Bright Spring in the height of Spring?

Now, you're probably seeing more muted colors with the changing season. Don't fret, because Deb has shown you a great color palette here and combining two brights, while new territory, could be something to play with as well as the safer route of pairing your brights with some of your neutrals (taupe, navy, grey, etc.).

I really like Cade's ideas here and I agree with Suz about the animal print belt, which seems to make me happy when combining solids that need a little something.

Anonymous

Maybe this will help:

http://www.bing.com/images/sea.....g+color+pa

DonnaF

Veteran

I like seeing you in both your *new* clearer, brighter colors next to your face as well as your *old* neutrals. I'm also thinking that two big blocks of saturated colors (or color + black) might be too much drama for you, but a color + black & white print might work.

As I understand it, you were told to wear clear (vs. muddy) colors, right? So not necessarily highly saturated ones, but tints (clear colors mixed with a bit of white) are okay? If your neutrals aren't too muddy and match one of the many, many colors in your hair or eyes, I would think they would *go* with your colors.

When it is cold and cloudy I often wear a million shades of gray, and when it's hot I often wear a million shades of taupe and beige; both make me feel fine. I get the most compliments when I wear color, but the other day I wore a red trench over red jeans. Red is great color on me, but I found OTT red a bit draining. Does color do that to you?

Caro in Oz

Veteran

http://glamthings.com/clear-spring-color-palette/

These show bright spring colours with charcoal/black. I think the work looks could be translated into a more casual look too. I also remember reading somewhere that building a really great wardrobe takes between 3 to 5
years

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

Colors near your face work best in your suggested colors. That does not have to the case with bottoms , you so much more flexibility than you think.
Brown bottoms with say a cobalt top like i wore recently should be ok..
http://versatilestylebytracey......t-chevron/

not best quailty photos as they were taken by a 7yr old...

K. Period.

Veteran

Nancy, I love your bright and black outfit. And I can't say how much I love Suz's comment. You'll tackle this!

I think part of what you need to do is to adjust your eye to your neutrals doing their job of being neutrals. Once you start working with them in that way, you'll look back and wonder how you could ever have been stumped. Did you ever react to a classic color combo with shock and disbelief? I did! Navy and tan? Olive and red? Purple and yellow? Black and pink? Every single one of them, I had no idea. It seemed shocking. I know better now.

My neutral progression went: denim, black, gray, olive, tan, navy. I still struggle a little with taupe (I know! Taupe! Somewhere, Suz is having a fit! Choking on her coffee! Taupe? Troublesome? How could that be!).

I like both the examples that you put in your later comment--the two examples of brights with neutrals. They both look great to my eye. The first has a lot of tension in it between the camel and citron, but it still works because the camel coat is a neutral and it is tied into the outfit with the camel shoes. The whole outfit is about letting the citron shirt sing. (But I have to add in the "monitors don't all show the same colors" disclaimer here. Looks great and totally works on my monitor.)

The second outfit is a very pleasing, easy on the eye combo because orange and brown are different intensities of the same color.

What neutrals do you have in your closet that you want to keep, with an emphasis on bottoms, coats and purses?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I like the looks you pinned, Nancy. And I understand completely about that "unfinished" feel an outfit can have. This is a major problem of mine, too, especially in summer where there is little layering. This year was better because I used colourblocking (with a bag, quite often - as one of the blocks of colour!) and I also got patterned belts and a few more patterned tops -- at Claire's suggestion. I am not crazy about most patterns generally and even less crazy about pattern near my face in large swathes (a scarf or a portion of a blouse under a jacket is fine) -- but but but it DOES do amazing things to unify.

The looks you've pinned might be considered colour blocked looks of a sort. I think your brown jacket should work brilliantly with brighter tops but you'll have to experiment.

Another option -- sort of counterintuitive, maybe -- is to go with "your" neutrals near your face (if you can find them) and brighter bottoms. This might feel easier for the first while.

Truthfully, these brighter colours just light you up and make you look vibrant and youthful. But if you are not feeling them, then there is something not quite right. No point trying to be someone you are not, you know what I am saying?

I wear "True Summer" neutrals more so than the colours, if you know what I mean. I do wear colour, too, and adore it (fuchsia, teals, all blues, raspberry, cranberry) but if I didn't have my greys, my taupes, my denim, and my navy/ ink, I am not too sure how I'd manage.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

ETA: overall, it helps to think in terms of "ensemble" dressing. You are making OUTFITS, not just putting stuff together. So everything contributes. From your footwear to your jewelry.

nancylee

Veteran

Wow. Thanks so much, everyone. This is such great advice. Can you hear me furiously taking notes?

Ruth, my brown tweed blazer is more like photo #2...not camel like in #1...maybe that makes a difference? Thanks for the link to bright/clear Spring. Color overload. Now I'm even more scared. haha!

Deb, patterned bags and shoes sound (like Suz's suggestion of a patterned belt) like a good way to create a more cohesive look that doesn't depend solely on blocks of color.

Kelly, thanks for your neutrals rundown!

Donna, this comment of yours really resonated with me: I'm also thinking that two big blocks of saturated colors (or color + black) might be too much drama for you, but a color + black & white print might work. Yes! Maybe this is what's bothering me about that look. Breaking up the black with white is something the color analyst suggested I do. (I so wish I'd jumped on the VC striped tube skirt at the end of the summer when they were selling cheap.) And you may be right: maybe wearing a lot of color at one time does drain me. Or at least it doesn't feel natural to me at this point.

Vicki, thanks for the sweet compliment. I actually discovered my colors at the tail end of August, just as the bright colors were giving way to fall ones. Bad timing! Although there has been an abundance of tomato red and saffron yellow this fall, both of which I'm really starting to love.

K, your comment about letting neutrals do the job of neutrals is really intriguing. I wish I had a fraction of your color savviness; I feel so inept at understanding saturation, clarity, etc. Right now, I'd like to hold onto the following neutrals: black, ivory, white (in small bits), navy, taupe, denim. I'm thinking I might want to add more navy--ink might be even better since it has more clarity--and possibly charcoal to replace some of the black. I'm not a big fan of grey, although it's suggested for my palette.

Suz, good advice all around on creating overall ensembles. I do think some level of discomfort with color is at work here. Thanks for reminding me that you do rely quite a bit on your palette's neutrals. It helps to remember that I don't have to dress like a bowl of jelly beans at all times, despite my color palette.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Reading this thread is an education in itself and I wish I had something useful to add, but I will be following along as a learner. I have been phasing the brown out of my wardrobe (I don't think it was ever my best color but now with salt and pepper hair it really doesn't do anything for me), and letting in softer colors like pink and light blue, but I am feeling completely haphazard. For what it is worth, Nancy, I have always loved your outfits and your neutrals work beautifully on you. You don't always have to wear brights!

Ariadne

Veteran

I don't have any real wisdom to add, but I wanted to say that I think you look gorgeous in the image you posted in the OP--not boring or unfinished at all. I love the bright coral blouse on you.

Anonymous

Nancylee, your color palette will continue to evolve. If your best colors are those in the chart that Deb posted, they are not all brights. There are several near-pastels, especially in the top 2 rows, left side. There are also midtones, which may be easier for you at first.
I also have trouble with making outfits with brights, especially with black. O e tip I picked up from Angie's posts is to add white to the mix. E en a little makes a big difference. I don't think ivory works as well with brights. White is a bright neutral. Besides white and navy, the neutral that seems to work is a clear light grey like the grey on the chart in the top left corner. It needs to be a clean grey with no muddy tones...like optic white with a little black added...no green, blue, yellow, or other underlying tones.

FlorenceFearne

Everyone else has already contributed so much, so I guess I'll chip in with one tidbit. I wear scarves all year. Yeah, not too profound, really. But scarves are the very best way I've found to "match" disparate colors, to wear colors that aren't really me. In the summer, I just wear gauze-y summer scarves, or twist them up into a rope so I can wear them as a necklace.

Something like this would pull the whole outfit together.

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/.....yjrxpu_Few

Jeanie

Veteran

Looks like you have a lot of good suggestions. I do like your Pinterest pics and you look great in the picture above.

Deborah

Veteran

Nancy, I haven't read all the comments so I apologise in advance if this has been covered. My question is how do you feel about the colour assessment? Are you bringing these colours into your wardrobe because someone said they are what you should wear, or do you actually really like and enjoy them? I am not discouraging your wearing of colours, but as a neutrals girl myself, I have found it works well for me to combine a few colours I really like myself in (coral, red, cobalt) with my neutrals (black, grey, white, navy). I also bring color in by way of footwear, scarves and Jewellery, while keeping my base palette neutral. This means that much of my wardrobe works together and provides a lot of mix and match opportunities. Btw, I love this outfit you have posted. Nothing boring about black and colour together:)

Lyn D.

Veteran

I agree with Deborah, Nancy- IMO shopping and dressing should be fun and enjoyable. When you look in your closet it should not be stressful or confronting, and the colours you wear make you feel happy.
Your confidence and a smile will do more to make your skin glow than sporting colours from a chart that aren't necessarily your first choice
.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Have you tried camel as a neutral? I read somewhere it's a great neutral for Springs.

Just an observation, but when I look at a color palette for many seasons and especially Springs, I feel intimidated. For thousands of years, people choose NOT to dress in head-to-toe color. When they do, if not well executed, they can look like an old lady trying to appear youthful (because neutrals are so draining don't you know), a clown, or someone off to Burning Man. (Or maybe that's just my baggage and not wanting to stand out a lot.) I hope no one who likes a lot of color takes offense. All I'm saying is, there's a reason people prefer neutrals in our society. I look at a color palette that may or may not be "mine" (let's just say it's light spring) and while there are some colors I would like to introduce into my wardrobe, it is unrealistic that I will wear the brighter colors as much as the neutrals. My wardrobe may be concentrated in 4 dots, not all 100 in the palette.

I'm not sure that's at all helpful as I am still baffled by color.

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