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Desaturated vs dopamine dressing…

Runcarla

Veteran

Do you subscribe to one or the other?

Though I love the aesthetic of a heavy neutrals based ‘minimalist’ style closet with its desaturated colours (dusty pink, powder blue, sage green, etc.) I’m more of a colour person. I do have a neutrals heavy closet, and restrict my colour palette, but what colours I use are - for the most part - bold!

I need some (bold) colour to feel good in an outfit (dopamine dressing.)

How about you. Do you need colour in your wardrobe. Are you drawn to saturated colours, or do you prefer desaturated versions?

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29 replies

Latest reply was from Ginger

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think you could guess my answer Carla! I need colour too- but interestingly in the past few winters (I think since the pandemic, which I think downgraded my mood in general) I have felt better in subdued colours, greys and blacks, with only the occasional colourful day. But I revert to type in Spring!

Dee

Veteran

I don’t need a punch of bold colour in every outfit, but I tend to like contrast in my colour scheme like with black and white, blue and white, or even grey and navy etc.. I rarely wear the dusty roses, sage greens or those types of colours, not enough contrast for me. Mid tones are definitely my favourite.

Sal

Veteran

I think I am on the fence! I am happy in bold clear colours - but I also have a lot of neutrals and subtle colours too.

On me I am liking high contrast less as I age - I used to wear black and red or black and white pattern - now it feels overpowering. I am more likely to wear brights with denim or or black and navy instead.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I think it depends.l do love a bright pop of colour but sometimes l just want the quietness of neutrals.

Helena

Veteran

For the most part, I am team desaturated ... I love the idea of bright colours but rarely feel my best on them. There are exceptions though, like my emerald green dress which I loved wearing, but I wore that at a very specific occasion that called for bright color. I don't know if I would have felt great in it in a sea of neutrals ...

Irina

Veteran

I crave color at particular time of a year - late in a winter when I’m so tired of it. I might buy a bright summer item. I have to be careful, though or I might regret such purchases. I love to add a few (very few) bright pieces to my summer wardrobe. I don’t feel a desire to do the same in other seasons.

LaPed

Veteran

I'm firmly on Team Muted/Desaturated. I wear a lot of neutral-adjacent colours (blue-grey, grey-green, red-brown) because they're the colours that make me happiest. I've tried jewel tones and brights and pastels, and they don't just don't hit the same note for me. I think I like it best when I can forget about what I'm wearing, it feels like a part of me, and comes across as lived-in and not too crisp. That very rarely happens with saturated colours (though I do have a signature bright red merino beanie that is absolutely a seamless part of my wardrobe!). I like almost every colour better when it's tempered with some grey or brown. That said, I absolutely feel better when I have some black to "anchor" an outfit, and will gladly wear almost any sort of black, from faded and almost grey to very deep and dark.

Indigoprint

Veteran

Team desaturated here. My favorites are soft dark colors. That is one thing that helps me stay focused with my wardrobe, it is easy for me to rule out fabulous items if the color is too bold.

NancyW

Veteran

Saturated color! I no longer feel good in greyed down color. Lighter and brighter are my guideposts with navy as my main neutral.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Team Dopamine, here!

But, I say that, adding that I also have a very neutrals heavy closet -- with navy/ denim, white, and grey the predominant hues, along with a smattering of brighter blues. It's a constant challenge and ongoing project to add to my reds and berry tones, but I don't give up! This year I have added quite a lot of cranberry. It feels like another neutral.

Since earth tones came into style, it's been difficult for me to find a lot in colours that work well for me. Or even neutrals, at times. But there's always been some grey available and it has been tempting at times just to go for the grey item, as the only "colour" that will unfailingly work on me. Except that grey makes me sad if I wear it too often or without enough colour. So I have to balance my desire for the item (often an essentials upgrade), the knowledge that it suits me, and my yen for something to lift my mood.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Hmmm. I am a bit stumped on an answer to this - for myself I say neither. I do not like desaturated color much if it means mauve, dusty sage or seafoam green, military or washed out chambray blue, or very faded blacks.

However, I don’t much go for clear brights like primary red, yellow, blue, cobalt or peacock blue, hot or bubblegum pink, bright orange or salmon. If those are dopamine, then I’m not for ‘em.

An all neutral collection is also not in my closet or future.

My favorites are darker, richer and low contrast outfits, with forest or pine green, burgundy, navy, teal, rust, darker golds, some darker purples, dark to medium grays, and nix the cream, white, or palest grays unless only a small portion of outfit or pattern.

So rather than either soft and desaturated or colorful dopamine, I have to claim darker, richer colors and low contrast to be my preferred palette.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Team Dopamine. BRIGHT, acidic, sour!

I crave my colours - like I do vegetables, tea and cake

That said, I wear a lot of neutral blues, denim, and whites too - and some earth tones

rachylou

Veteran

I love colour. I like to mix saturated and unsaturated!

SarahD8

Veteran

Color for me please! Though I do like to flirt with neutrals from time to time. My colors can sometimes be saturated and sometimes muted, but I like them to be difficult to describe, not too primary (or even secondary). Is that a bluish-green or a greenish-blue? I revel in the ambiguity.

nuancedream

Veteran

Color my world bold, please! And throw in some patterns for good measure. Although I have been wearing more neutrals, especially cream, white and ecru, this year, I'm a color maximalist.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well both, but I don't shy away from bright pink or bright blue. Some days I am just black and white though.

Star

Veteran

Like JenniNz in recent winters I prefer neutrals, not colours, but I still like saturated neutrals. I need contrast in any form. Summer I enjoy colour again.

bj1111

Veteran

I consider navy a color so there you go…

In february tho, a bright scarf is so welcome

Olive Green

Veteran

I switch back and forth…recent infusion of brighter colours is giving way to more muted versions. A deep warm autumn, mainly. I was seasonally typing people from their responses to this question.
Latest colour, which I have almost never worn before, is a hot honey gold capsule. Almost traffic stop yellow, and it loves the warm browns and greens and dark denims.

Anonymous

Team desaturated (DA) mostly these days. I still have a couple of brighter things- but ever since covid, I've preferred neutrals and quieter colors.

Staysfit

Veteran

Per Angie, I am Miss Midtones and fall between the two extremes. Not too saturated and not too quiet. I enjoy colors because they add warmth and uniqueness to my otherwise simple style aesthetic. If there is a choice between a classic long sleeve cashmere crew in grey or a color in my palette, I will always pick the color.

Bijou

Veteran

Team all, I like brights, mid tones, pastels and neutrals!

Dottie

I'm a soft autumn in coloring, so I prefer dusty colors and think they look best on me.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Muted colors are my dopamine! Haha! I am not a minimalist in style, though. Today's outfit is a prime example of the muted tones I love to wear. Grayed-out blush pink sweater over blush-pink washed blackish jeans.

AllSaints Ridley Cropped Sweater

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Joy

Veteran

Team Dopamine. I need color with my mostly neutral closet. Color varies with the seasons I am about ready to put away most orange, browns and mustard and get our reds, black and white and bling as well as long warm pants and coats. Bling and red get hung in the back of the closet after December. Pastels come out mid February, still warm for cold days. Brights come out for summer.

Lee

I’m firmly 50/50. I generally wear both in the same outfit.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I like an outfit that is mostly muted but perhaps with a touch of more saturated color. Cobalt blue, red, emerald green, teal… I’m quite happy wearing a neutral wardrobe for the most part, but I am always drawn to pretty, colorful prints in particular, so I suspect I’ll never own a minimalist wardrobe of neutrals and muted shades. When I look at my recent WIWs, this holds up — fairly subtle color palettes but with some color or pattern mixed in to keep me from feeling dull.

Ket

Veteran

Team Dopamine. Though if the neutral color is very good my heart pitter-patters. Also, on low energy days, I will definitely reach for neutrals, since they feel comforting and easy. I don't know that some people find dark autumn colors bright per se? But they are definitely more intense than very soft or dusty colors.

When I was a winter for 10 years, I used to think I was a neutrals person. When I discovered I was dark autumn coloring, the door was blown off my neutral-dominated closet. All the colors I naturally loved over the years were dark autumn. I had denied myself color because, despite being a supposed winter, winter colors were difficult for me to wear and felt "off". So I found myself wearing a lot of black and grey. Long story short: I now own and wear quite a bit of color. I'm still adding more color, actually. I'm also replacing my black with chocolate/brown and camel.

Ginger

Veteran

I may be on the bench. I'm definitely not Desaturated, but if Dopamine = bold colors, I'm off that as well. I'm all about midtones. Not too pale, not too gray, not too primary, not too bright.

My only real neutral is white. I can use warm golden tan/whiskey/cognac for footwear, but I'd prefer to match a color.

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