Colors you look bad in - YouLookFab Forum

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Colors you look bad in

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I have found myself gravitating toward neutrals lately (black, white, cream, gray, taupe, navy), even though I tend to look better in jewel-tones. I tend to look particularly bad in most shades of gray (excluding charcoal), but I love gray so much that I wear it anyway if the rest of the outfit is flattering to me.

My question is, do you ever wear and love colors that you know are not the best for your skin tone? And if so, how do you mitigate the unflattering color's effect?

Dressing

29 replies

Latest reply was from L'Abeille

Carey

I generally stay away from colors I look bad in, but I know that some people will add them as accessories, or in clothing items away from the face.

Catnip

Veteran

No, I always avoid colors that aren't flattering, no matter how trendy they are. Why should I? The world is full of beautiful colors that make me look good.

shiny

Veteran

At the moment I'm heavily involved in refreshing essentials and wardrobe workhorses, and so I have a heavy emphasis on neutrals. Black may not be as flattering as ink blue but I have to be realistic here -- as a petite, I'm far more likely to find an essential/basic in black, not ink blue, and when it comes to essentials, FIT is more important to me than color.

That said, if I do find an item offered in ink blue, I may buy it. Assuming it's rich enough. Because not all ink blues are created equal. I have a seriously poisoned eye for flat navy's.

Gray's -- I look good in some grays and not others. Light grey is lovely as can be, and one of my favorites. Charcoal grey can work, with the right touch of sheen. Flat dark grey.. death!

Taupe's are particularly hard. Not all taupe's are created equal. Depends on the undertone, warm vs cool. Whites vs cream... same thing!

Black may not be most flattering but it's EASY. Because it's, well, it's just.. black. But still I do try to add black with depth, texture, sheen. Angie taught me that years ago when I first joined, and I've tried to hold myself to it. If I buy something black, it has to have a little something special.

Then I add scarves... scarves are miracles. Black top with a scarf in a magical skin flattering color - I am set.

As for non-neutral colors, I also look best in jewel tones. I have a list of colors that just do not flatter me at all, mostly anything warm toned/orange based. If they are on trend and I want to incorporate them, I do so very sparingly and away from my face. So for example maybe a clutch or a shoe.

adorkable

Veteran

I prioritize happiness factor over flattering in colors. There are a few where the happiness factor is 0 because they're so unflattering, but many others that make me smile and that's good enough.

As others have said, accents pieces and bottoms can be a nice compromise here!

rabbit

Veteran

I recently got a peach ON cardigan online, that was labelled as 'light pink' and looked blush in the photo. It is a true orangey peach, no pink in it at all. This color usually makes me look very pale/sallow. But I found that if I wore it over a deeper stronger color that works for me (like an ink blue) the little bit of the other color shirt forming a visual collar at the top was enough to make me look more alive. The same thing sometimes happens when I wear a tank under a deep vee necked top, a deep or jewel tank color just visible at my neck can help counteract a gray that is a bit to light for me, for example. Scarves can do the same thing of course.

Also there are neutral colors like taupe/tan/sand that are fine in belts, shoes and pants on me, but do not work as tops, unless I do the cardigan or deep v neck trick.

I usually stay away from colors that I know are awful on me, but if it's a color that's really near to a color that works (like a yellow-green, when I can wear pale pure green) and it's a vibrant saturated pigment, not a muted/grayed hue, I sometimes take a chance and it works out. For some reason the grayed/browned out hues never do.

E

Veteran

I'm very fussy over colour; in fact, it's my number one deal breaker. I'd rather wear an item that doesn't fit perfectly but is in a fabulously flattering colour than vice versa. But I don't think I'm typical in that, and we all have things we're more or less willing to compromise on. I don't worry too much about a lot of traditionally figure flattering goals (i.e.: make my legs look longer, aim for an hourglass shape whenever possible, etc.), because it doesn't affect how I feel. But colour deeply affects me, and I just don't feel good in unflattering shades on me, as much as I love the colours in themselves. Even if I'm the only one seeing myself! Luckily, as I began wearing more and more muted tones (the ones that look best on me), I fell in love with them, so it all worked out for the best. (Now, unflattering/flattering is of course another subjective thing. Someone else with my exact colouring might prefer different colours because they have different flattery goals.)

If I had to wear an unflattering colour, first I'd try to keep it on my bottom half, as most people look at our faces when we're interacting with them. If I had to wear it on my top half, I'd add a scarf in a flattering colour to at least keep a nice shade right around my face for the same reason. But since my problem with bright colours is that they 'wear me' (the eye goes straight to the bright colour and ignores my face entirely), even that wouldn't help too much. I suspect it's easier for those who look best in bright colours to fudge & wear muted colours instead. I can fudge with wearing slightly warmer than ideal colours sometimes, depending on what I combine them with (we perceive colour differently based on what it's next to), but even then I don't 'glow' the way that I do in my best colours. And I like that glow .

JAileen

Veteran

Since I let my hair go grey last year I've been thinking a lot about color. My hair used to be light brown with red and gold highlights. My bad colors were black, grey, and white. I really didn't have any grey. My best colors were olive, turquoise, pumpkin, cream, and brown. Now, my hair has a lot of white in front, and grey in the back. I just bought several tee shirts in shades of grey and navy. And of course I've recently bought a grey leather jacket, and a couple pairs of shoes in grey and pewter. It's quite a turn around!
I've noticed that cream looks bad, and of course beige. I love taupe, however. I'm really looking forward to wearing my new grey things!

Gigi

Veteran

This is a timely post for me! I have had this strange attraction to pinks and mint green, both of which make me look like death warmed over. For the pinks, I am going to look for something more in the coral or salmon territory, but mint green is mint green, you know? To be honest, I think my heart wants the pretty feminine pink, not the orangey pinks that would actually look good on me. As to what I'm going to do about this, I sure as heck don't know. I like E's suggestion of keeping it away from my face and wearing it on my bottom half.

Angie had a post on this:
http://youlookfab.com/2013/09/.....-you-back/

Jeanie

Veteran

Black does not look great on me any more but I still have a lot of black pieces. If I wear all black, I wear a scarf by my face. Or I just wear black on the bottom.

MRL

Veteran

I look terrible in shades of burgundy so I avoid that color. It's much easier to avoid than black/white or other neutrals, so I am fortunate.

leopardluxe

Veteran

I've been known to wear a color that isn't well suited to me if the structure or style of the piece is so great that I like how it looks (or it's a rare/awesome piece of vintage).

Usually, the reason I won't like a color on me if it is neutral (like bone or ivory or certain shades of gray) is because it has cooler gray-green undertones to it or is a shade of green or yellow that is on the cool side (i.e. lemon yellows or chartreuse or citron/acid green). Because of my warm coloring these have a tendency to make me look sickly or washed out if worn up by my face.

The way I've countered this is to wear either a scarf or high neck shirt (like a turtleneck) in a more skin-tone-flattering or brighter color, which often helps mitigate that sickly effect.

For example, I have a BCBG cropped leather jacket that I really like the cut and style of (it's a bit on the dressier side, unlike most of my leather jackets) but the shade of gray of the leather is a very greenish gray. So I have to wear it with something that counteracts that sickly effect.

I also have a vintage Versace jacket in ivory wool and python skin (with super cool mod purple squares on it). I love the mod style and it's a rare design for Versace, probably a runway piece, judging by the labeling. Unfortunately, the shade of ivory/bone on it really washes me out, and even the warmer python collar and purple squares on it can't seem to counteract that effect. So I have finally decided to sell it.

I've shown photos of both. THe BCBG jacket I've shown styled as part of an outfit I wore last winter (note the colorful striped scarf and red rhinestone vintage cat eye sunglasses to counteract the washed out effect of the green-gray). The Versace is shown with a basic white t-shirt in order to photograph it to sell it.

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April

Veteran

Cool taupe is good for me; warm camel is out.

Cool pink is good for me; salmon is out.

Cool chocolate brown is good for me; warm reddish brown is out.

Notice a trend here?

EveningMood

I'm no use here, I wear every color except for pastels, and I wouldn't strive to incorporate pastels, because I do not like them, no matter how trendy they become

cinnamon fern

Veteran

I am really fond of pale and heathery greys - like standard sweatshirt grey. But they make me look tired and washed out. I try to stay away but am not 100% successful.

I guess it's lucky that most of the colors I'm drawn to also work on me. This is not at all true for silhouette.

AnnieMouse

Veteran

I'm with E - I'd rather wear something in a colour I adore that isn't 100% perfect in terms of fit than wear a colour I don't love. Saturated colours make me happiest, then icy, then dusty; but never, ever yellows (including most tans/ taupes/ camels/ browns) and very rarely greens (though olive gets a pass). I just find that if they don't flatter me, I don't want to wear them, so it's almost never a problem.

Helena

Veteran

I am always wondering about this. I am currently testing out the 80/20 rule for this - so in other words, if a piece is 80% just right, then it can be 20% not perfect - so a perfect color can compromise a bit on perfection of fit; a perfect fit can compromise a bit of perfection of color, etc.

That said, I do stick with mostly cool colors as they are most flattering. I stay away from purely warm tones altogether.

I saw a tip recently that if you have a cool skintone and want to wear warm colors, you can try to bridge the gap with makeup - in other words use a peachy-pink blush and lipstick - which will then play up whatever warmth you may have and harmonize better with the "off" color.

Thanks for posting this; I love these color threads!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Mostly I wear noncolours that I look pretty good in. I love black and grey and army green, what can I say? Once in a while I will wear a real colour that I like and I know looks particularly good on me, like kelly green or pale blue. Even though I usually prefer neutrals to colours, I'm aware of the power of a fantastic colour. I don't, however, wear those colours -- ever! -- that make me look a bit ill.

Echo

Veteran

I look like death warmed over in icy blue or pastel blue. It just drains all colour from my complexion. The effect is so dramatic that I never, ever choose to wear a piece of that colour, even if I could mitigate the effect with a scarf or other colour near my face; it just isn't worth it. Most other colours I can work with and put accents of flattering colours nearer my face.

LACeleste

Veteran

Warm Spring here. My absolutely worst colors are deep berry/radiant orchid. They make me look sick. I've gotten better about not buying them.

Peri

Veteran

I'm with E. Color is so important to me that I just never buy colors I look bad in. I will sometimes buy colors that aren't my absolute best...like blueish purples, when my best are orchid purples. But the blueish ones don't look bad, just not best. I don't even like the colors I look bad in...yellow, peach, mint...hence my current shopping issues. There is no temptation at all because they have no appeal to me on any level.

The one exception is black, but I will always try to put a scarf with it or some bright jewelry. So for that one, yes to your question...but only that, and I don't buy a lot of it.

Sara L.

Veteran

Beige makes me look like death and most yellows make me look very pink, and not in a flattering way. I stay away from those colors but most others look ok on me. Some may be less flattering than others, but they don't look horrible like beige and yellow.

shedev

Veteran

I like cooler colors better than warmer ones on me. My worst colors are brights and neons.

kkards

Veteran

well, i wear a lot of black (but signficantly less than a year ago).
for me there are colors that i know look good, but i just don't wear. like green, i've worn a few items in the past, i and know it looks good, but its just not a color that i like.

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

Hmm...I might wear colors that don't work for me sometimes, but it makes me not love them. It really does detract from enjoyment for me if a color really doesn't work.

I have this one crochet top that has a pattern and fit that I really like, but I knew buying it (on extreme sale) that the color was just awful--a peachy-salmon-pastel-something that I just hate. And yes, the color looks as terrible on me as I knew it would. The color nauseates me a bit, even.

I intended to dye this item, but of course never got around to it. Maybe I should do that this year. I wonder if I could get a nice ink blue out of it...

El Cee

Veteran

I look dead in beige, taupe and in most pastels (baby blue is the worst). With darker hair and fair skin, I need more saturation.

Thistle

Veteran

I look awful in red, orange, yellow, and anything with yellow undertones. Awful.

Still, I wore red for Valentine's Day for DH

Alassë

Veteran

Gigi, I hear you on wanting "pretty, feminine pink". I don't like orange-y corals, and I've not yet developed an internet shopping eye for my pink (the coral one I recently wore) - I keep trying way-too-bright peachy corals.

purple8

I have no idea. Maybe I need to take a bunch of selfies wearing different colors to see what works.

L'Abeille

Veteran

I wonder if your colouring is like mine? I look best in jewel tones--and in pure black and pure white. I look sallow and tired in mid-tones, including grey . But I like a lot of grey pieces. I have learned that I can get away with a grey top if I layer it over a turtleneck or collared shirt in black or white, so the more flattering colour reflects against my face, or if I add a scarf in a jewel tone. I was inspired after Angie's early -fall palette to build on my black and grey capsule, and ended up finding some new sweaters and scarves that incorporate both black and grey; they seem to add back the contrast and depth of colour that I need.

In fact, I thrifted a decent (Gap) pea jacket in grey, disappointed it wasn't black or navy; but it worked out perfectly, because invariably I am wearing it over black or navy, and this gives me some contrast.

I do like some taupe, and with my thrifting gene, sometimes I end up with a piece that is actually Soul Sucking Beige. I can only get away with this on my lower half--pants, skirt, or footwear.