You speak of neutrals which raises yet another color question. I always thought that gray, white and black were the only true neutrals, however, I’ve always thought stone should be included in that list. I also read in some fashion magazines where they indicated that teal and coral were colors that looked good on everyone, as they were neutral, because they were not too warm or too cool. So are there certain colors that look good on everyone? And what are the true neutrals?
Firstly, Teal and Coral aren’t neutrals, and yes teal is a universal colour but coral isn’t (it’s always warm and doesn’t suit cool complexions).
You are right about stone being classed as a neutral. Neutrals are those colours that aren’t really on the colour wheel, or are really dark colours – such as navy. Or colours that have a lot of grey in them so that they stop being obviously colour, kind of forgettable, which is why they are great staples in your wardrobe as they go with lots of colours and people don’t notice that you’re wearing the same pair of pants over and over!
These are just a few of the thousands of neutrals that you might find in clothing. Ideally warm neutrals (tan, camel, warm browns, khaki, grey green) are best for warmer complexions, whilst the cooler neutrals (black, grey, navy, rose beige, dark chocolate) are best for cool complexions.
I never heard that dark chocolate color was a cool neutral, but I’ve been wearing it quite a bit lately and it suits me. Makes sense, since other cool colors work with my skin and hair.
I love that you’ve chosen so many asymmetrical jackets for your polyvores in this post!
I think almost any color can be a neutral if you really know what you’re doing. I think it comes down to the other elements and patterns you pair with it. My favorite neutral to wear is a deep maroon. As long as I wear it only in solids, it doesn’t take away from or clash with the pieces of my outfit that I’m trying to highlight. I don’t have the skill to make bright yellow be a neutral, but I have to image there are a lot of people who could make it work.
I have to disagree. Yes dark colours like maroon are more wearable than accent colours like orange or pink, but they are still more noticeable tahn neutrals. Neutrals really blend into the background and are more forgettable. Think about a man wearing a maroon jacket vs him wearing a grey jacket – which is more forgettable and neutrals?
Yes, when you put it like that. But that’s also like saying cerulean is more of a color than mint because mint is more blendable and forgettable. Colors aren’t purely neutrals when compared to each other. Neutrals don’t necessarily have to blend into the background, they just have to let the element of the outfit you are trying to highlight without clashing.
Imogen,
I’m not sure what color is rose beige (?)
Thanks!
Joyce
In the light neutrals set the middle row the jacket on the far right or the one next to it are lighter and darker versions of rosé beige.
Thanks! I never thought I could wear beige but maybe I’ll look for this shade & see if it works for me.
Joyce
hi Imogen
so what is maroon good for?, as a basic? or pop up ? warm? or Cool?
thanks
There are warm and cool maroons as there are any many variations. It’s a staple, not quite a neutral but a great basic.
Are the neutrals grouped in any way to help a color newbie figure out which are warm and which are cool?
It seems like most of the light neutrals are warm (except maybe the top row,) and all of the medium neutrals seem warm (to me,) but most of the darker neutrals seem cool?? I’m a cool girl and do best in a darker or medium dark neutral. Otherwise, I look washed out (this all occurs if I wear neutrals close to my face, that is.) I CAN wear white, though:-)
Read these posts Jenny
https://insideoutstyleblog.com/2013/01/what-are-universal-colours.html
https://insideoutstyleblog.com/2011/10/how-to-choose-neutrals.html
https://insideoutstyleblog.com/2009/05/finding-your-neutrals.html
https://insideoutstyleblog.com/2013/03/whats-your-best-neutral-brunette.html
This actually helps explain why I always look so bland. All my go-to “colors” are technically still neutrals. Olive, some navy, grays, khaki type colors, and denim shades.
My conundrum is that the colors I like look bad on me and I dislike the colors that look good on me. So I end up sticking with neutrals, but I always feel that my outfits are lacking something. I need to find a way to train my brain to enjoy more colors!
You probably look better in more monochromatic outfits – so only one colour at a time instead of multi-coloured will work best!