Does anyone else NOT have a color philosophy? - YouLookFab Forum

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Does anyone else NOT have a color philosophy?

Maya

Veteran

I'm curious about this after yesterday's gathering. There was lots of color talk going on and it really drove home how very liberal I am about colors. I probably look best in tomato red, but I will also wear cherry red, wine, raspberry, etc. I wear yellow greens and blue greens, reddish purples and bluish purples, mustard yellows and lemon yellows. I don't feel the need to do anything to make them look right either--i.e. wear them away from my face, change makeup, or add a scarf. I'm just not that picky, and to date I haven't been told that I don't look good in any of the colors I wear. When I say I'm not picky, I don't mean I don't care or think I can wear everything. Just that I have a "know it when I see it" philosophy on color. If something looks good on me, I go for it--no real philosophy behind it. Color is subjective after all. No theory or philosophy can PROVE what colors look good together. Color theory only offers a vocabulary to describe color and explain how color behaves, but again, can't explain what looks good and what doesn't. That is 100% subjective.

Am I the only one around here that does this? I feel like I am sometimes, and it makes me reluctant to recommend colors or discuss color here because I know I'll be met with vehement disagreement.

General

18 replies

Latest reply was from Late Bloomer

Kim

Veteran

My philosophy has been, and will probably always be if you *love* the color then you should wear it, (and I'll bet it will look good on you, *because* you love it!)

I just bought a brown and bluish type scarf that really attracted me. I don't typically wear a lot of brown, (I prefer dramatic colors like black, purple, red, and cobalt..)but this one just grabbed me so I'll work it into my wardrobe somehow.

If it makes you smile, give it a go. Life's too short to be frustrated over color!

taylor

Veteran

I could probably wear alot more color than I do. And I think for some you are right, no special color arrangement needed.
But for me, and some I feel like most women do not look good with sweatshirt grey next to their face,unless it is a very rich fabric..That goes for brown next to my face...drains the life right out of me...but black looks fine...the high contrast works better for some.
It can get very complicated and highly personal depending on ones preference.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Hmmm. I think you can plainly see if a color looks wrong on one's skintone. I have no color theory either and go by what looks complimentary. But some peole must need the help -just this week I saw on TV a guy looking like the living dead on Jeopardy. Maybe on Thursday - this guy made both my BF and I say, OMG he looks awful! He was very pale wearing a whiteish coat with a pure white shirt underneath. Scary!

ETA: found him.

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Barbara

Veteran

Maya, as a design student, I can tell you that color theory is equally complex and simple. Fashion color theory is not as complicated.

What colors will flatter you? Easy. Hold the garment up to your face. If you glow, go for it. If you look like a washed out version of yourself, that color is not for you.

I can't wear a solid black top unless I wear it with a scarf in teal, purple, fuchsia, turquoise - my favorite cool, saturated colors. I can, however, wear black pants and skirts. A little common sense goes a LONG way. You are absolutely correct in your "I know it when I see it" approach to color choices.

Mo, I notice obviously wrong color choices ALL the time. Is this a gift or a curse? I can't shut it off! LOL.

Maya

Veteran

I was a design student for 6 years and had took a 6 hour class in color theory every week for a year, so while I'm not confident speaking authoritatively on everything, color is something I am comfortable about.

I just often hear color theory used in misleading ways, as "proof" that certain colors work together. It doesn't really work that way.

MsMary

Veteran

I'm with you, Maya. I totally get that I look better in some colors than others. But I went along for YEARS avoiding certain colors -- heck, whole color families! -- because I had it in my head that they were unflattering on me because "Color Me Beautiful" or some book or some person told me so. Case in point: My mother told me I looked awful in earth tones. Turns out I look fab in earth tones. So these days I wear what I like and don't worry about theory.

Barbara

Veteran

Yep, color theory can be warped and contorted beyond all reason. I strip it down to common sense bareness, which is frightening to some die hard color theorists. You're right, Maya. It REALLY doesn't work that way AT ALL!

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I'm probably not the best person to chime in here, since I'm at the mercy of others, but like you I don't have any hard and fast rules. I tend to avoid brown, but one of my most successful pieces is my brown leather jacket. I've been told it can be hard for me to pull off yellow, yet my yellow and grey summer skirt outfit is widely considered one of my best. I'm open to all shades of red so long as they're not too obnoxiously loud. I hear time and again that jewel tones are fabulous on me, but also hear I glow in white.
I studiously avoid olive green and beige on the top half of my outfit because I've been told to do so over the years, but I'm sure if I could see I'd be exactly like you and just give things a whirl if it took my fancy.

Kristine

Veteran

Not everyone can look in a mirror and see how colors look on them. I can't see it on myself for some reason, but I can see how colors work on others. If you have that ability it's probably hard to understand how difficult it is for some people. I don't see a lot of difference in how I look from one color to the next, although I pay more attention now and I think I'm improving. I find color theory or seasons to be a helpful starting point but I don't follow them religiously either.

Lisa

Veteran

One thing I learned from the discussion on Saturday, everyone sees color differently. Every time I wanted to call something one color, someone else may want to call it a different color. I think this is part of the problem with colors. Since we all perceive different, no standard color rules will apply and suggestions are tough because of personal bias (again from individual perception). I think the only way to circumvent this would be impractical, to have clothing labeled the same way say, Almay eye shadows are (ie coded for blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes etc). Clothes would be coded for skin tones marked similar as foundations.

Jonesy

Veteran

I don't have a color philosophy. I buy whatever I want, if I like it, and don't think too much about the color. I *do* gravitate toward colors that are "muddy" rather than clean, clear colors (e.g., a barn red, which is a deep red with brown in it, vs. a bright stop sign, primary red), but not necessarily because I think they look better with my skin and hair, just because I prefer them. Bright colors remind me of primary school classrooms and kids' plastic toys.

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I don't have a color theory. I wear colors I like, that make me smile or make my cheeks pink or just feel like a mood I am trying to convey.

I do avoid certain colors because I think the color itself is ugly (pastels come to mind), but I don't have any hard rules about it.

marianna

Veteran

I don't have a color philosophy at all, and I really don't give it much thought at all. I wear colors that I like and feel good in. No rules here.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

My colour theory is my eyeballs and my heart. Both for myself and for my clients. Does it look good and does it make me feel happy? As this forum knows, I do not adhere to colour theory rules at all. But that doesn't mean that I don't have strong opinions

Kari

Veteran

Me neither - not really, anyway. I simply like color, and I'm especially drawn to saturated rich or bright colors, both on the "warm" and the "cool" side, and some that I'm just not sure about. Usually if there's a shade that I don't like, such as pale pastel pink or carrot-colored orange, I don't inherently think it's because it's a muted color that would do nothing for my coloring - I'm simply looking past it to another garment that has a color that I'm crazy over. I'd guess that I'm probably an "autumn" in the Color Me Beautiful school of fashion color theory, but if so, I also break an awful lot of the rules.
On the other hand, I do find color theory and analysis fascinating and somewhat liberating. While I was growing up, I was always asking my mom and my sister, who are both artists and not only have a greater knowledge of color theory than I do, but also more discerning eyes. I really had a hard time wearing several bold or bright colors together until I started reading & learning more about style, and tried to emulate examples of other bloggers who paired multiple bright, saturated colors together in a way that worked perfectly. The Academichic features on color theory particularly helped me see the wide range of possibilities in terms of what colors I could pair together without clashing, and really broke through a lot of the inhibitions I had about being creative with different colors.

Scarlet

Veteran

I think that not everyone has an eye for color, so having some kind of "rules" helps people to orient themselves. I think by trial and error I know which colors look best on me, but I don't stick to them because they are usually hard to find.

Anonymous

I cannot choose colors to wear or colors to paint the house. I need help and guidelines. I think I am somewhat color challenged. In the past, I would wear what ever color was trendy or that the sales person said looked good on me. Some were big mistakes that I couldn't see until I had them for awhile and realized that when I wore a certain color I felt like an Easter egg. I am a person who needs to learn about color because it doesn't come naturally to me. I guess I like all colors, but I should not wear all colors. I am more emotional in choosing anything. I always say that I will tell you if I like something after I've had it, lived with it, used it for a period of time. I never really know until then. All of those mistakes get expensive.

Late Bloomer

(website)

I am continually surprised at colors I can wear that I never thought I could. I also find I can wear colors that don't usually look good on me if they are mixed or layered with other colors. On the other hand there are some that look awful even if the theories say they should look good.Especially as I've gotten older light pastels just wash me out.