Is red really a neutral? - YouLookFab Forum

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Is red really a neutral?

shell

Angie has mentioned a few times that she uses red as a neutral. However, I'm not quite sure I understand this. I know Angie has a blog post about this, but it seems like it only addresses the fact that everyone can wear red, if they find the right shade.

To me, a neutral is a color that sort of stays in the background and helps other colors look their best. They can pretty much "go" with any color because they are so, well, neutral!

Red seems like such a bold color. Even in variations from burgundy to pink, it still catches your attention. So, I can't see it ever taking a back seat to another color. Maybe shotgun, but red's usually in the driver's seat.

And even though red can typically "go" with every other color, you still need to match the right shades to get it right. But with a neutral like black, you could pretty much put any color and shade with it and it would look good.

So, can red really ever act as a neutral? If so, I wanna see pictures!

General

29 replies

Latest reply was from Sveta

Louise

Veteran

I wonder whether Angie perhaps means that red goes with everything not blends into the background like the true meaning of neutral x

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I found this definition online:

"neutral colors....
serve to unify diverse color palettes, and also often stand alone as the only or primary focus of a design.
Neutral colors help to put the focus on other colors or serve to tone down colors that might otherwise be overpowering on their own."

taylor

Veteran

I think she may be referring to tomato red ?
I have found her to be 100% CORRECT...I had never thought red as a neutral, but wow, what a style revelation it was for me and she opened up my options immensely!!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

In my world neutral colors are not colors at all: they do not come from the colour wheel. That's why I cannot really accept red as neutral. If we talk about "going with everything" I think green is more neutral than red
So for me neutral colours are black, white, gray, beige, taupe and brown with all their variants. I even have a hard time to think of navy as neutral because it is dark blue. On other hand when colours are very dark or very light they are easier to mix with other colors...Yes Shell, this is very confusing
Actually i do not think that black and white "stay in the background" at all. IMO they are as much attention grabbers as bright colors!

Beth

Veteran

Yep, yep, yep, red is a neutral in my world!

Cookie

Many stylists consider red to be a neutral when it comes to accessories. A red shoe and/or bag goes well with black, gray, camel, white, navy, and brown. It looks especially great with leopard. Red leather accessories are one of the top ten looks for F/W 10.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

If you are coordinating a red shoe or bag with black, gray, camel, white, navy and brown (i.e. neutrals) I consider the red NOT to be a neutral, but rather a "pop of color."

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Shell, it's all in how you see it. Louise, Beth, Cookie and I see the same thing - they explained my viewpoint well. Red seems to stand alone as a colour that works more magically than any other colour - to the extent that it becomes like a neutral. Across cultures too. Obviously red can be bright - but white can be bright too. You see it differently.That's okay :0). It's a subjective thing.

Steph

Veteran

Although in some instances, I think red can act as a neutral (as in, when people say things like "you can wear red shoes with anything, they are like a neutral"), red is not actually a neutral color, and would not be described as such when discussing color theory.

I think that when thinking about the true definition of a neutral, Sveta is pretty on the mark in saying neutrals are colors that are off the color wheel. With that definition, even navy blue wouldn't be a neutral, although in fashion I think most people would because it is so dark and versatile. (No one calls light blue a neutral, although personally I think light blue matches with pretty much everything in a way that red does not.)

I'm sure that there are artists and designers on this site who know far more about this than I do, so I am certainly open to being corrected. Personally, I don't even really think red is that versatile. There are so many colors I think it looks horrible with, and although I carry a red purse almost every day, there are definitely times where I feel it clashes with my outfit or just doesn't look like it fits. There are actually non-neutral colors that I wear that I do feel go with almost everything I have (again, light blue is the first one that pops up in my mind), but red is not one of them.

Maya

Veteran

I firmly believe all colors "go with everything"--just a question of finding the right shade. So that is the only reason I don't consider red a neutral--because if I did, I would consider all colors neutrals.

Lisa

Veteran

I agree that red is a pop of color to an otherwise neutral outfit. With black, grey, brown or white depending on the shading of each of course. It's obvious neutral or not is a subjective thing.

April

Veteran

I'm finding this a very intriguing discussion, and I'm waiting for Jean to chime in...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Hah! Maya, you used to think red was a neutral. In fact we agreed on this several times! You have changed your mind. That's fine. You can change your mind :0)

Jean commented about this topic on the blog post, April. This reasoning makes no sense in colour theory so Jean is not for it - and others have a similar point of view.

Maya

Veteran

Well, it depends how you look at it. I can agree red is a neutral if all colors are neutrals

I just made that realization recently, which is why I'm on another team. But it's not for the same reasons that others don't believe it's a neutral. These terms aren't really based in true color science anyway. It's like the word "vegetable," which is a culinary term but not a scientific one.

taylor

Veteran

Beauty and fashion is more art than science.!!
Like in my Biz , clients depend on my trained eye to determine certain facts that ~just are~ perhaps they are not scientifically correct or proven...they just work, that is how style and fashion works for me. I learn what works from the pro, even if it scientifically doesn't jive. I see it in play everyday in the salon. It may not always make sense, but it does work.:)

Cookie

What about if you have a red leather jacket or a wool coat? I have always thought women look extraordinary in red coats and I would rather see a red coat over brown or navy than a black coat over brown or navy - even though I know those combinations are considered chic. Does the thought of wearing a red outer garment over black, gray, camel, brown, white, navy, or animal print make a difference?

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Actually I do not believe that ANY real neutral color "goes with everything". Black does not look good with every single color. It may not offensively clash but it does not harmonize - e.g with pastels. I think when neutrals do not go together they whisper, not shout like colors - that's why it is more difficult to see the problem.
Also I do not believe that EVERY neutral goes with ANY OTHER neutral. Their undertones can make them clash too! Just look at beiges and greys - it is so easy to get the combination of them wrong!

Mellllls

Veteran

In my world, red ACTS as a neutral in many instances, even though it is a color. Does that make sense?

Also I agree with Cookie that a red coat goes with black, gray, camel, brown, white navy, animal print. But so was an eggplant coat in my opinion. Both would look better than a black coat with brown pants.

Maya

Veteran

This is what I tried to explain in Brianna's thread, and countless threads before it. There is nothing exact and absolute about color. I know women want to believe there is to make life easier, but it just isn't the case. I'm not saying you shouldn't restrict your color palette, but you need to keep an open mind in order to find what that color palette is.

shell

What interesting responses!

I can understand that red goes together with other colors, but, like Maya said, pretty much all colors do if you find the right shade. Awhile back, I was raving to my hubby about the color pink because it goes with pretty much everything! (I think I was trying to persuade him to let me decorate our apartment pink... I rattled off all the classic Roy G. Biv colors with the color pink and decided they all worked! Then I realized my beloved color pink wasn't alone - it worked for all of them.

I guess when it comes down to it, it's probably just a question of semantics.

Louise

Veteran

When did you get married? The last I heard was the engagement pics! x

stringy

Veteran

I tend to think that red can act as a neutral in the same way that the letter Y is a consonant but can act as a vowel if need be. It's flexible

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I think this is a fascinating discussion; I agree with Jean (who hasn't even chimed in on this thread, LOL) in that red is not a neutral as is understood in color theory. Actually, what I find striking is that all the colors that have been mentioned as "going with" red are all neutrals themselves! So isn't it the neutral that is doing the "going with", as it were?

I guess because red is probably the color I wear the least I don't see its magical qualities. I feel that way about royal purple -- that it goes with almost everything -- but when I think about what it goes with it is usually neutrals. The exceptions to that are how it goes great with mustard yellow, olive green, red, and dark blue. (Hmmm, okay, maybe THAT qualifies it as a "neutral"? Nah.)

Itari

(website)

Royal purple goes well with yellow (and olive, which is actually dark yellow that seems greenish; this is called Purkinje effect) because they're, more or less, complementary colours. Red and purple (same with blue and purple) are analogous colours

I wouldn't really call red "neutral", it's just an extremely versatile colour. For example, it has both warm (tomato, scarlet) and cool (crimson, ruby) versions, while orange, for example, is just warm. It can be paired with many, many other colours.

My shades of red are all saturated, but not really warm (not warmer than strawberry). While I'm very attached to my black and grey, I just have to admit that red goes well with my dark hair and pale skin. It helps to bring out my eyes (which are um... teal?).

Vix

Veteran

>>I tend to think that red can act as a neutral in the same way that the letter Y is a consonant but can act as a vowel if need be. It's flexible

I'm voting, and it's Stringy for the win!

Aqua is my faux-neutral. Amazing with brown, grey, white, tan (beige) and bone, navy, olive, purple, orange, red, and more....

greenglove

(website)

Veteran

Red is not a neutral when it is in its pure state on the color wheel. Red can be made made more or less neutral by mixing its opposite (green) to the color. Then it is a neutral red. Neutrals are relative to each other. Eggplant is a neutral red violet. Terracotta is a neutral red- orange. Any color in its pure state (right out of the tube) and on the color wheel is considered bright and pure.
I think the word neutral is used differently in fashion. It means more interchangeable and versatile. In that case I do see that versions of red can complement most colors. Neutral in that sense makes more sense. Make sense? But many shades of gray are versions of blue which can also complement outfits. Who knows?? I think the color theory argument is a different deal.
I do not see bright red as neutral but do as versatile.

shell

Haha, Stringy, your comment made me chuckle, but it's a perfect analogy!

Greenglove, you are the color theory queen!

Lisa

Veteran

Jean I found your color information quite well interesting and informative! Thanks for adding your point of view!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Looking at my new red Hinge jacket today I found another point about red not being a neutral. Everybody calls this jacket red (including me) BUT in reality the tweed fabric is of equal amount of grey and red. However it does look red! Why? Because grey is a neutral and plays a supportive role allowing red take the stage. Red is never a supportive player, always a star (unless it is very muted or light)