Mustard/greens
Women in the Passage worry (mildly, but we do) about looking dated. So, we might buy new clothes, but a wiser update might be via colour— if not the hue du jour, one that is a departure from our usual.
In the windows today, styles deliberately tilted toward classic, but in two current, energetic colours.
Pungent mustardy-gold
The first is a cousin of the yellow family—not the bright safety-vest yellow, or the cheery lemon; this is the deeper gold of burnished brass. It's as if designers had a summit and said, "We have to have a new neutral!", because this one works with chocolate, grey, white, black, navy.
It is more intense than camel, and if camel drains you, try this ambered hue, or a pattern that includes a shot of it.
Clockwise from top left:
1. Boden Elie velvet dress; they call this colour "trumpet".
2. Club Monaco oversized turtleneck in "marigold"
3. J. Crew cashmere mockneck in "golden topaz"
4. Junge down jacket in "mustard"—but not quite as deep as the others.
Nuanced greens
The other update colour is green, in a range from from cool to warm undertones. (A colour consultant recently remarked that not all blues can be worn with other blues, but most greens can. I tried her advice and she's right; greens mix more flexibly.) The newest greens have a life beyond the crayon-box primary.
Left to right:
1. Boden Richmond trousers in "broad bean"
2. L.L. Bean pima cotton turtleneck in celadon; a good winter colour if you live in temperate weather but need a turtleneck.
3. White Stuff pocket jumper, lime green
4. Talbot's horizontal shaker-stitch sweater in "Highland green"; a more traditional green, but not too aggressive.
Certain makers are bettter than others for stepping into interesting colour territory; J. Crew sell some of the best mid-priced ones, especially in Italian-influenced patterns, and now offer a wider size range.
Boden get nods for colour, but most of their prints look thrown down by a computer. Once you level up to Stella MacCartney, Etro, Temperley and other pricey divinities, you will find these unusual hues handled with assurance.
Nuanced greens are rare among the mall retailers, though now and then somebody surprises you...
Mango green leather quilted jacket (limited sizes).
One piece in a new-for-you colour is all you need; yours may be another—violet, persimmon, freesia pink— because you ought to enjoy it.
Nor is a colour refresh necessarily a big investment. Secondhand shops are terrific for trying new colours, even if you wouldn't buy—so are clothing swaps. If your hair is grey or you're thinking of going there, this post at 40+ Style on colours to wear with gray hair based on your original natural colour is worth your time.
Thirty-eight years ago, two girlfriends gave me the gift of "getting my colours done"; I still have my accordion swatch wallet. (And it's a good thing, because the consultant gave me so much champagne that I remembered little.) The assessment was accurate, but that mustard isn't in there—it must be some other season— yet it's a terrific accent.
How about you?
In the windows today, styles deliberately tilted toward classic, but in two current, energetic colours.
Pungent mustardy-gold
The first is a cousin of the yellow family—not the bright safety-vest yellow, or the cheery lemon; this is the deeper gold of burnished brass. It's as if designers had a summit and said, "We have to have a new neutral!", because this one works with chocolate, grey, white, black, navy.
It is more intense than camel, and if camel drains you, try this ambered hue, or a pattern that includes a shot of it.
Clockwise from top left:
1. Boden Elie velvet dress; they call this colour "trumpet".
2. Club Monaco oversized turtleneck in "marigold"
3. J. Crew cashmere mockneck in "golden topaz"
4. Junge down jacket in "mustard"—but not quite as deep as the others.
Nuanced greens
The other update colour is green, in a range from from cool to warm undertones. (A colour consultant recently remarked that not all blues can be worn with other blues, but most greens can. I tried her advice and she's right; greens mix more flexibly.) The newest greens have a life beyond the crayon-box primary.
Left to right:
1. Boden Richmond trousers in "broad bean"
2. L.L. Bean pima cotton turtleneck in celadon; a good winter colour if you live in temperate weather but need a turtleneck.
3. White Stuff pocket jumper, lime green
4. Talbot's horizontal shaker-stitch sweater in "Highland green"; a more traditional green, but not too aggressive.
Certain makers are bettter than others for stepping into interesting colour territory; J. Crew sell some of the best mid-priced ones, especially in Italian-influenced patterns, and now offer a wider size range.
Boden get nods for colour, but most of their prints look thrown down by a computer. Once you level up to Stella MacCartney, Etro, Temperley and other pricey divinities, you will find these unusual hues handled with assurance.
Nuanced greens are rare among the mall retailers, though now and then somebody surprises you...
Mango green leather quilted jacket (limited sizes).
One piece in a new-for-you colour is all you need; yours may be another—violet, persimmon, freesia pink— because you ought to enjoy it.
Nor is a colour refresh necessarily a big investment. Secondhand shops are terrific for trying new colours, even if you wouldn't buy—so are clothing swaps. If your hair is grey or you're thinking of going there, this post at 40+ Style on colours to wear with gray hair based on your original natural colour is worth your time.
Thirty-eight years ago, two girlfriends gave me the gift of "getting my colours done"; I still have my accordion swatch wallet. (And it's a good thing, because the consultant gave me so much champagne that I remembered little.) The assessment was accurate, but that mustard isn't in there—it must be some other season— yet it's a terrific accent.
How about you?
Comments
I recently decided to venture out of my comfort zone and ordered this green sweater. It hasn’t arrived yet, but think it will work with my “colors”. If not, at least I’m ready for St. Patrick’s Day.
https://www.pendleton-usa.com/product/womens-timeless-merino-v-neck-sweater-10041.html?dwvar_10041_color=2390&cgid=women#prefn1=refinementColor&prefv1=Green&start=5&cgid=women
Leslie M: I bet that champagne/colour consult could be arranged ;) Your sweater looks deeper than Kelly green but it would certainly do the job on March 17. Nice cut and it is washable.
And I think I mentioned before that an inexpensive folding bag can be a great way to add or test drive a new colour. https://baggu.com
I do have more trouble with mustard or gold tones - no problem with actual mustard or gold. Many mustard fabrics frankly make me look sick.
I have blue-green eyes and they flash far more when I wear green than blue -denim seems to incorporate blue, a bit of green and grey, making it an easy non-colour for many people. My hair was very dark - almost black - before greying. Like many such women, I had it coloured "reddish black" (a Parisian colour that doesn't exist in nature) before letting it go grey.
Sam: Funny, isn't it, how some manufacturers seem to go all-in on a particular palette? I walked into someplace recently and saw a sea of beige and camel, which I like very much but makes me look embalmed.
I actually bought something at Monoprix in Paris, over 30 years ago - a printed blue dress like an African caftan to wear during an extreme heatwave there. I only wear it at home but it has held up for decades, unlike most of their cheap merch.
How I wish this Pendleton pullover in one of my favourite colours was available here. Find ordering from the US very complicated: WOMEN'S TIMELESS MERINO V-NECK SWEATER dark spruce (most would say forest green). It is at deep discount and would join my other merino pullover in the freezer compartment.