Screen color versus real color

FindingMyWay

I was surprised by the color of several of my NAS items when they arrived. They were quite different in real life from what I had expected from seeing them on the screen. The Vince Camuto faux wrap top was much more green, for example. I might have chalked the difference up to natural variation between garments, but I've had the same experience with a purse. I just saw a Dooney and Bourke purse in the store that I liked, and now when I see it online the blue is far brighter than I remember. I'm now a bit leery of ordering things online unless I've seen them in person first.

I'm not generally aware of the colors on my monitor being "off." Have I had just a few odd experiences, or is this a common problem? And is there any way to test or correct for bias in what I see on the monitor?

Nordstrom

Vince Camuto Faux Wrap Top (Regular & Petite) (2 for $69)

$49.00

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Macy's

Dooney & Bourke Dillen II Letter Carrier

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9 years ago

Shopping

5 replies

Latest reply was from Von

Deborah

Veteran

I bought a pair of boots that were what looked to be a lovely blonde tone on the screen. The actual colour was much darker and not what I wanted. This ha soy happened to me once or twice but it's the risk you take with online shopping I think:). Tho with the quality of technology I do expect the colours should be reproduced as accurately as possible.

9 years ago

Anonymous

THIS has been a problem for me this past July. In the past when I ordered, I usually ordered black, white, true red. That type of thing. This past July I ventured out into the world of color and tried many things outside of my normal range. I was thrilled with the experiment, but shocked when the items arrived. Sadly, they all went back. I don't have a solution for this. I just realize now that it can be a problem.

9 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Yes, this is one of the hazards of shopping online. That's why I never shop places without a good return policy. Still shopping online offers much more variety than B&M stores, especially when one does not live in a big urban center with good stores.

9 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Yes sometimes they can be quite off, in one case I don't think the same item was even photographed. I ordered a 'light pink heather' (marled, cool pink) sweater and got a solid pale peach one. The tag sewn into the garment even said 'light pink heather'.

9 years ago

Von

Veteran

I usually do a Google Image search of said item + the exact color name and see as MANY different versions of the color that I can. That way, I'll know if the range is acceptable for me, or not -- because shopping online, you need to be in range, at the very least. The very best measure of the color isn't the professional white/background floating photos, it's the "for sale on ebay" photos you see in all sorts of weird light. They let you see just how good or bad they can look.

I just got finished doing a very detailed color search for some boots in my radar. I couldn't find enough photos of said boot to ensure they weren't going to be a tragic mistake ( they were a "burnished" boot...I need to know what they mean by BURNISHED!). I couldn't find enough evidence to assure myself they would be fine, so I didn't purchase.

I will say though, I have that same bag in Kelly green. I purchased it this spring, and I LOVE it. It's a great size with lots of inside organization -- though when I bought it, the entire line of them were skittle-colored though. The green was the least bright one I could find. I can imagine how bright yours might be, if it's in the same range as my green.

Below is the range I found when I searched for your bag. Some I'm sure are VERY off from what you have, some are probably closer. Discount anything in the wrong material (leather, in this case).

I searched "Dooney Aegean Blue"

9 years ago

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