Colours that are only acceptable for certain garments: is this weird? - YouLookFab Forum

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Colours that are only acceptable for certain garments: is this weird?

Aziraphale

Veteran

Here's an example. I don't generally care for purple. I would never buy a purple shirt, or get a purple handbag, or purple shoes. But, weirdly, I would totally wear a pair of purple jeans. (I don't have any, but if I found some great ones, I'd be tempted). What's up with that?

Another example is red. I love red shoes. I have several pairs and wear them a lot. But I never, ever wear a red shirt. I've had a few over the years, and they have all been wardrobe failures. Certain reds are great with my complexion, but when I wear a red shirt, it just feels wrong. And it's not that the colour is too bright, because I have a couple of hot pink tops that I like and wear quite often, especially in summer. In theory I should love red shirts, but in practice, I just don't like 'em.

Has anyone else noticed that they do this, or is it just me?

Dressing

35 replies

Latest reply was from patsymaloo

Thistle

Veteran

For me, I will wear a lot of colors on my top half. For bottoms, I prefer ink blue, navy, black, and grey. Not a fan of color on the bottom. For me, this is all related to figure flattery having been pounded in over the years.

I will also wear certain shoes or handbags that is traditionally unflattering colors on me (red, yellow, orange - anything in that family!). But this is all about flattery issues.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Mine's not a flattery thing. Red looks good on me (as it does on most people). But I don't feel right in it. I'm trying to figure out why...?

carter

Veteran

Sure sounds weird when you put it into words, but I do the same thing! Zebra stripes for one...love them in shoes and belts. Although I have several black and white tops, a zebra top would feel too "out there" for me. I have several tops in leopard...go figure. Yellow is another one that only works for me in accessories.

Diana

Veteran

Well, I definitely have certain colors that I think only work for leather. Cognac is a big one. I'd never wear a cognac sweater, but for boots, belt, or leather jacket, it's great.

I do like and wear red clothes, but I agree with you that red LEATHER is to die for.

There's also certain blue shades that I only like as denim. (Especially the medium to light washes). I think this is because they need the texture and some distressing to look good to me.

Helena

Veteran

I do the same - I love red shoes but never feel right in a red top. I have all kinds of issues with gray. Not sure why, but I can empathize at least!!

celia

Veteran

Yes. Every time I try to wear a yellow shirt (no matter if that yellow is flattering or no)I always feel out of place.
I don't like to buy true red clothes in fall/winter.

On the other end of the spectrum from you , I like purple dresses and tops but would never wear purple pants.

deb

Veteran

Red clothing may be too bright and call attention to you where it does not do that when you wear red shoes.

rachylou

Veteran

To be honest, even tho Big Bird Yellow is my colour right now, I am very weird about yellow. Most days, I don't want to wear it. I find it *acidic.* Not even to look at, just to wear. But here is where I get weird. I had the cutest all yellow outfit. Well, I'd barely wear the skirt, or the ballet flats, and definitely not the shirt... but the cardigan, now that was ok. That saw a fair bit of wear. I can't explain.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Deb, that's not it. As I said above, I have two hot pink tops that get a lot of wear. They are even brighter than red. Go figure?

El Cee

Veteran

Yep… purple shirts are usually a "no go" for me. (Wearing one today as I got it as part of a "uniform" for a recent fundraiser. Will probably end up in my donation pile.) Don't really know why I am averse to them. I have purple jeans and a deep purple (eggplant) handbag that I wear often. I just am never drawn to purple tops. Go figure!?

Aziraphale

Veteran

El Cee, maybe it's that purple pants have an element of "cool" to them (although I can't explain why I feel that way), whereas a purple shirt doesn't. To me, a purple shirt says "I really like purple" -- whereas purple pants say "I dare to wear purple pants". Does that make sense?

Alassë

Veteran

Ah, that makes sense for you.

El Cee

Veteran

That's exactly it, Aziraphale! (You are a genius to have figured it out.) I think I subconsciously associate purple shirts with the "I Love Purple" folks. I have a friend who is a self-declared "Purple Lady". It is not that I have anything against her true love of that shade. I just do not embrace it with the same fervor. But yes… I proudly "dare" to wear purple pants.

Nicole D

Veteran

That is weird because I adore red as well, but somehow a pair of red shoes or a red handbag never gets worn as much as it should. But red pants are in regular rotation (in summer anyway).

April

Veteran

AZ -- move over and make room on the weirdo bench because I'm right there beside you.

I don't particularly care for true red but love it in handbags, wallets, and sometimes in shoes. NEVER in clothing. I love purples (not intense electric purple, something more muted) but don't particularly care for purple handbags or wallets. And I may be the only woman on planet earth who loves neutrals but never warmed up to the whole nude-pump thing.

High five, my friend.

Aziraphale

Veteran

April -- I don't understand nude pumps either! I mean, I totally see how they elongate the leg line, but I don't find them appealing at all. If I was going to go for low-contrast shoes, I'd choose a pale metallic instead. Or even pale pink.

Return high five.

rae

(website)

Veteran

My theory for myself is that items of clothing worn near the face/heart are psychologically entwined with identity - like tabards, modern day sports jerseys/hats/tees, or sigils/ID tags. If the color doesn't resonate with you, you feel that dissonance more because it is close to your core, whereas shoes and pants and bags and things are just for appendages. Much more incidental.

Day Vies

Veteran

I think it depends on the color's tone and undertones. It doesn't make sense to wear red (in your case) close to your face if red generally doesn't love you back. It takes a lot of trial and error to find your shade of red or any color for that matter.
For me I love and adore lime green/chartreuse I realized after buying a few tops in those colors that I look almost dead (or at least like I need more sunlight) when I wear it close to my face. I have lime green accessories, shoes etc, etc, but the tops I still have in this color are not worn alone. I "cheat" by pairing the tops with a sweater or scarf in my best colors. (cool neutrals and jewel tones).
Colors tend to influence each other when they're put next to one another. Example: blue makes cream look white, So maybe you need a cool neutral or a blue tone to make red near your face work?

E

Veteran

How interesting! I don't think I do this; when I love a colour, I want to have it in a blouse, cardigan, and skirt or trousers (how often I manage to find it in all of them is a different story), I think so that I can mix it in many different ways. I used to prefer only neutral trousers (though I'd wear colourful skirts), but the coloured skinnies trend has had my eye adjust to that one. But I loved reading about everyone else's reasons, and I can see why you're influenced by the coolness factor.

(And I never wanted a pair of nude pumps either!)

April

Veteran

Rae, that makes complete sense. But what happens when it's a color you adore and love to wear close to your core, but are sort of "meh" about in other things? (Like my not caring for purple handbags or wallets, even though I love purple.)

It's completely logical that I don't wear red or yellow, but completely illogical that although I love AND wear purple, I don't like it much in leather goods.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Makes perfect sense, Elisabeth. I would probably not buy taupe or chestnut clothing - but love wearing taupe shoes and a chestnut belt.

EveningMood

It doesn't sound weird to me, we naturally tend to have this kind of inexplicable relationship with color. I think I love every single color, and I can wear almost anything (neutral undertones), but for example I can wear green tops but not green bottoms or green accessories. And I have no idea why!

ETA: I thought of something, I remember from the visible lipstick thread that you wear bright lipstick like me. When I wear red tops, I struggle with lipstick color, and have to go with nude which is not my best look. I think I am actually phasing out red tops too!

Anonymous

It's weird, but I cannot seem to do brightly colored shoes and bags. I love them in theory, but then I feel all sorts of awkward and conspicuous when I'm actually wearing them. The purse thing I sort of get -- it's a security thing for me. I irrationally feel like a bright color screams "take my bag!" The shoe thing, I cannot explain. I just know that they never feel quite right to me.

Yet I love color. (scratches head)

Gigi

Veteran

This is interesting...haven't read all the responses, but I like the idea that the purple top means you love purple, while the purple bottoms say you are daring to be different. I am a bit the same way with red. I'm not excited about red tops, but I've been looking for a pair of true red ankle pants (Angie, just gloss over the word "ankle" so you don't faint). I guess it depends on how you think of the item. A red top isn't that unique, but red pants are.

I also like Rae's idea of being more psychologically in tune with what you are wearing on your heart and core. I'll have to think about that one for a while!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Day Vies, that's not it at all. Red loves me. It looks good near my face. And I love it back -- but only in small doses, like for shoes. I'd carry a red handbag too (although I don't have one). But I don't like red shirts (or dresses). It's somehow -- I don't know -- too much red?

EveningMood, maybe you're onto something. It's true that red lips + red shirt + an awful lot of red! And I do like red lips. Or dark lips. But then, like I said, I do wear hot pink.

Rae, that's a fascinating take on it. You might be right. Or partly right. I don't feel psychologically connected to purple at all. But I do really like red -- although clearly only little bits of red, not a large expanse of red.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I totally understand this even if I can't explain it any better than you all already have. For me some color/clothing combinations are too attention grabbing even though I prance around with giant hats and unusual for the environment get ups every day.

karymk

Veteran

What a great thread. The only way I would wear purple is in a shoe, even though I know certain shades of it look great on me from the waist above.

Catnip

Veteran

Funny, but I've only had one pair or red shoes in my life and I didn't like them much. But red shirts and sweaters, yes!!! What could possibly be better for me?

shiny

Veteran

Purple... I adore. In core/heart items and down to my appendages too.

Red.. are we talking true red? Or cranberry (a blue-red)? Cranberry is one of my best colors and I have it all over my wardrobe. And also in lipstick too. And yeah even toes. True red isn't as flattering on me, but I would like to add true red into my wardrobe as an accent, like in shoes or a bag. This has been on my fashion wishlist for years now. And I do find stuff. And yet... I never wind up committing. Even while adding more cranberry shoes and bags. Go figure!

Sometimes I wonder if it's mapped to early childhood/teen/adult emotional experiences?

For example...
My sister and I use to fight in high school over this perfect teal top...
I met my first love, while wearing a soft cranberry sweater....
My first business suit was in a beautiful light blue-gray ...
My DD at age 4 only ever wanted to wear this certain purple turtleneck, so to streamline busy mornings trying to get her dressed I bought her 5 identical purple turtlenecks...

etc, etc...

Likewise, I have lots of emotional soft spots for colors my mom wore when I was a child, but which just look horrible on me. It was hard to face up to that - I am cool toned, not warm toned like my mom. But I admit I'm still drawn to those colors, which include salmon and pumpkin.

P.s. I LOVE NUDE PUMPS!

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