Do you wear warms and cools? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Do you wear warms and cools?

jussie

Veteran

Hi all,
Just a topic of general interest really. How many of us have clothing from both the warm AND cool families in our wardrobes?

How often do you wear
cools alone?
warms alone?
warms and cools together?

I probably have about 70% cool, 30% warm. I mostly wear cools alone, or warms and cools together. I rarely wear an entirely warm outfit, as warms don’t suit me so well, and an entire outfit seems to be pushing it a bit. However one warm colour, such as olive green, worn with a cool white or a blue denim seems to work ok.

Thanks for any chit chat!

General

40 replies

Latest reply was from Kari

Joy

Veteran

I have mostly warms but a few cool colors have slipped in. I wear them mostly away from my face and or a mixture of warms and cools.

I am required to wear certain cool colors sometimes for certain meetings. So then I wear an all cool outfit of neutrals, but that is rare.

Tanya

Veteran

I am very similar to you, Jussie, only a bit more extreme.

I only suit cool colors, by the seasonal typing I am "Cool/True" summer. I'd say that 95% of my large wardrobe is in cool colors, and only about 5% in warm. I do like some warmer colors, but since they don't suit me at all, I am careful to wear them away from my face, or in a pattern with my better, cool colors, etc. I'd say that about 90% of the time I wear cool colors alone, and the rest (10%) I wear cool colors mixed with some warm ones, in strategic ways. I never wear an entire outfit made out of warm colors only.

cat2

Veteran

I have just a few cool taupe things; I can wear them out by pairing them with warm colors, so will be wearing them out. I don’t plan on replacing them. Ditto a few crisp white tops.

LJP

Veteran

The only cool coloured clothing I own are a couple of steely grey cashmere sweaters . My wardrobe is likely 99% warm tones with 1% cool .

Janet

(website)

Veteran

My wardrobe is probably 85-90% cool colors, and I wear warmer colors mostly in prints or in solids away from my face. There are colors like orange, rust and olive that I love and enjoy wearing in small amounts, but they don’t look great with my coloring. When I do wear them in something like a jacket, I try to soften the effect with another color or patterned scarf or top to mitigate the unflattering effect. I also wear warmer neutrals in accessories — I have a nice complement of cognac and tan bags and footwear. Those mix and contrast nicely with my blues and greens, and even my cooler neutrals like black and grey.

Irina

Veteran

Most common color in my wardrobe is black
I wear warm and cold colors, sometimes together like navy plus cream or beige. I actually like some combinations of warm and cold, like beige and grey. I can wear both as long as they are in mid tones. Although as a Soft Autumn, I should be more comfortable in warm colors, between a beige and a blue dress, I would pick a blue one. Fortunately, I have and wear both.

always trying

Veteran

Both, but more cool,.

Dee

Veteran

My wardrobe is 90% cool tones, 10% warm. I really never wear all warms in one outfit and I usually wont wear warm near my face or if I do I’ll break it up with a cool tone scarf or a cool tone jacket with collar.

SarahD8

Veteran

My wardrobe is mostly cool colors. I enjoy wearing warm colors from time to time, but mostly on my bottom half. (I have a strong affinity for color mixing, and don’t mind “breaking” my outfit in half - I actually am not much drawn to column of color looks.). Or, cool toned clothing but warm toned accessories— a cool plum sweater worn with amber jewelry is a favorite autumn look.

I find that I can wear a lot more greens across the warm/cool spectrum than I “should” be able to, so sometimes I milk that. (I don’t really care for olive though - partly because I can wear a lot fewer browns than I “should” be able to, so any shade that has a lot of brown in it is kind of a no-go for me.)

The other day I wore a new Breton sweater that I was really excited about because of its cut - my beloved scoop neck vs my old Breton sweater that has a high slash neck that is not the best on me. Well, I felt “wrong” in it all day! Could not figure out why and was so disappointed! Finally realized that the white stripes are actually a warm, creamy off-white. Lesson learned! I really have to stay away from warm whites/creams. I always have the old 1980s color advice in my head - as a Summer, bright optic white should not work on me. And yes, my best white is a softer but cool toned white. But optic white will be way better on me than anything with a yellow/warm tinge! So I should really prioritize staying away from those warm whites in the future.

Val

Lately I’ve been seeking out colors that skate the line between warm and cool. Certain charcoal grays, beigey tans, magentas, teals, just the right white that is neither optic nor creamy… .

slim cat

Veteran

Cool tones most of the time - warm ones are making me pale and sickly in appearance . Some black, navy and lots of denim.

Star

Veteran

I have more cools than warms although not sure percentage wise. Now my hair is natural silver I will only add cools. Some other posters have commented on grey and navy being cool. I believe you get warm versions of these colours as well. Actually all colours have a warm and cool version. Except black because technically it is not a colour. Recently I wore a cool taupe knit with warm beige/camel cords and a navy puffer. It was fine until I took off the puffer. Horrible mix, will never wear them together again. As for whites I used to look best in bright white and not so much any more (strangely) so still undecided on the way forward with that. Bright white is making my hair look a bit yellow. Big learning curve underway.

Indigoprint

Veteran

All cool. I look noticeably not good in warm colors..in the past if I did wear a warm color, people would ask if I was unwell.

Irina

Veteran

Jussie, I think you look really great in saturated or bright colors. They can be warm. I imagine you would look wonderful in a bright orange top with beige or cream jeans or trousers. Perhaps you can try it when you are out shopping in a mall, just to see the color combinations and your reaction to it.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

My wardrobe is almost entirely cool with just a smattering of warm colours, mostly in patterns and accessories. I LOVE warmer tones but they do not flatter me.

I like a mix of warm and cool, too -- for instance navy and cognac. But for me, the cognac has to be confined to accessories or at least stay away from my face.

I indulge my love of warmer tones in my home decorating. Golds, reds, rusts, and other autumnal tones are therefore heavily represented in our decor and art.

Jussie, I think you suit brighter, lighter, and mostly cooler tones best but could also wear some clear spring colours, like turquoise.

ETA: Adding that I do wear reds (but not an orange red -- anything from burgundy to clear fire engine red/ true red) and I also wear bright or rich berry tones and fuchsia. These are "warm" in general terms but the undertones of those I pick are on the cool to neutral side.

Jules

Veteran

Definitely prefer warms but also like some cool blues - so both, to some extent. As a general rule I don’t wear purples, reds or pinks so that eliminates a lot of cool colours (the warmer the purple or red the more likely I am to consider it). Patterns or outfits that include both warm and cool colours are at the edge of my comfort zone in a good way - I can love or hate the effect and enjoy playing around in that zone.

LaPed

Veteran

I feel happiest in a mix of the two: black/white/olive, navy/rust/cream, etc. I seem to be able to go pretty far in either direction — warm or cool — and also like both very dark and very light colours (and a mix of those, for a high contrast look, works well too). What I’ve learned to steer clear of are very saturated colours: brights, jewel tones, etc. Whether warm or cool, they are the hardest for me to wear and style.

Sal

Veteran

Mostly warm but lots of black, navy and shades of white.

I can wear both but am better in the warm shades - I think I am a warm/true spring. But some grey blues and navies garner compliments.

View Info

View Info

View Info

Kate

Veteran

I can wear a lot of cool and warm colors. What I can't wear are jewel tones and colors that are super saturated. My own coloring is too soft for that.

jussie

Veteran

Thanks everyone, I am fascinated! Actually what I’m most surprised about is that everyone had distinct preferences. I thought there would be a large chunk of people who wear warms and cools equally, with no particular favorite.
But not so. In fact I don’t think anyone said that. Some people played with the warm and cool tension on purpose though, which I find very intriguing.
Thank you to Suz and Irina who made colour suggestions for me… I love it! Will certainly keep experimenting. So much fun.
I think for me the issue comes with availability and practicality… I have made black and cream both fairly prominent in my wardrobe, although they are not ideal for me. It’s just easier though… and I find if I pair them with a better colour it seems to be alright. Well, by my standards ;).
Seems like most people have definitely been thinking about the same sorts of things as me, trying to mostly build a wardrobe in their best “temperature”. Also it seems like navy or white are a popular way to “cool down” a warm outfit and make it more neutral.
Another combination I quite like, is cream paired with medium or light blue. Even creams and mid-light blues mixed in a print is good. They balance each other out nicely, resulting in a kind of neutral overall temperature.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think I have been drawn to warm colours since the 80s when I was in my 20s and the “Colour Me Beautiful” Carole Jackson book came out. I was immediately drawn to the “Spring” pages and colours, and still am. So much of my closet is warm, but I also have a black base especially in winter and feel just as good in that. Partly because I feel a bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder in winter I suspect and so the black fits with my more somber mood. Also going grey has cooled me down in colouring somewhat so I now wear either gold or silver jewellery or mix the metals.
I don’t plan purchases based on warm vs cool at all deliberately.

rachylou

Veteran

I don’t really wear warm colours. Even if it’s ostensibly warm, like orange, it will be a ‘cool’ orange. Fabric dyes are their own thing.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Mostly cools for me but a bit of warm in patterns or bottoms mostly. Interesting responses!

BlueJay

Veteran

I am the same as Suz with my reds, no orange reds for me, but burgundies, pinks, cranberry, true red fire engine red. So warm, but undertones of cool or neutral. My hair colour is a very dark brunette, different from Suz! I don't mind wearing red, or any of these from head to toe!

The rest of my wardrobe is mostly cool, shades of blue, green, purple, black. I wear white, but I think cream suits my skin tone better.

Bijou

Veteran

My colouring is soft summer, so I wear cool colours best, but have quite a bit of warm in my wardrobe as well - my split is likely 65% cool toned, 35% warm, I prefer wearing gold jewellery. The warm colours I wear are often honey and gold toned, and I wear all shades of red, from raspberry to tomato red. I like wearing a mix of warm and cool tones together. This is a dress in my wardrobe that works well for me because it has a mix of warm and cool tones.

View Info

View Info

View Info

jussie

Veteran

Ooh Bijou that’s a pretty outfit. Thanks everyone for the responses, it’s been really interesting.
Of course…. Black is almost a default in winter for many of us, not due to any particular preference but because it seems to fit with the mood!

Olive Green

Veteran

I kinda blinked and went to look at the closet. I used to have a lot more cool greens and browns and over the last 4 years went to the warm side with a vengeance. Even stopped wearing some lovely silver jewelry and now just wear a single gold pair of earrings.
So now it is about 50/50, and I do enjoy wearing them together. A hot pink top and shorts with dark green shoes or sandals. Bright orange pants with a cool dark green shirt, and so on.
I do notice that my coats are all, without exception, neutral greens or a very cool taupe. Grounding. Serious, lol.
I had so much blue and it’s all gone, except for dark denim.

Anonymous

I have both, but feel much better with mixed outfits. When I wear all cool tones, like black + teal, it feels harsh with my coloring (I'm moving away from teal for that reason). All warm tones end up feeling drab. Black + camel or olive, navy + brown, or cool burgundy + rust are my favorites to wear these days.

ChristelJ

Veteran

Cool dominates my closet but I do wear patterns with warms in them. I am also drawn to some pieces in very warm reds, oranges or cognacs which I do wear to contrast with the cools, now that I think about it.

12