>> I noticed that when looking through my closet. I think I have mostly warm grey, but I do have at least one cool grey top, and I noticed it doesn't seem to go very well with the pants. I think both greys look ok against my skin, but some of the other cool colours don't.<<
If you find it hard to match the cool gray with your other clothes, you might want to get rid of it. But if you have things you like to wear it with, then it can stay.
Cool colors that don't look good on you should also go, unless you really love them and they can be worn farther from your skin.
>> That bright one is pretty much the colour of pink I have, but I don't have the light shade. I'm not sure it would look good on me and it doesn't catch my eye as much. <<
If you don't like the light pink, avoid it. Hot pink looks fantastic with black and gray, it really pops. As long as you feel comfortable and confident with a color that bold, go for it. Hot pink is one of the very few pink shades I like.
>> I might try the green, but I might need a slightly different colour. <<
Here is a serape showing a Mexican palette of mostly warm, super-saturated colors. Hot pink is at the bottom. A little above that are some bright greens that lean toward yellow, from lime to deeper leafy greens. You might also think of bougainvillea with its lipstick-pink leaves against darker green ones. These might help you find greens that would fit well in your wardrobe.
>>On the other hand, I have enough grey and black to make a 4x4, so I can just wait until I find more of the hot pink.<<
Yay! That's a good idea.
>>I like the cool pinks better, but I think warm looks better against my skin. I am fairly certain I could get away with warm or cool for the darker pinks though, which works out because I like those better than pale pinks.<<
If your skin is neutral or nearly so, you may be able to wear both. Another trick for wearing colors that you love but don't look great with your skin is to use them away from your face. Bottoms usually work. So does a pink belt on a black or gray dress. Try small spots of color on a safe background -- pink flowers on a black or gray blouse, for instance.
>>That scarf actually reads warm to me,<<
That can happen due to differences in personal perception, or computer screens.
>> but I do like the idea of multicolour items bringing things together. I should probably buy them at the same time as other items though, otherwise I'm liable to end up with all different shades that don't match. I like the taupe and pink scarf too.<<
Ideally, yes, buying things together makes matching easier. If you can't do that, try to choose multicolors that use many shades of a given color. Sunset and floral scarves often do this.
>> I have a grey one and and working on acquiring a black jacket. That is proving hard to find at the moment.<<
That's one you have to wait on, then. A fitted jacket needs to fit. With a cardigan, close enough is good enough. I have one in my office for when it gets chilly, and that thing is several sizes too large -- so it'll fit over other clothes.
>> I'm not much for vests, but some long sleeved shirts have the argyle pattern. I might look into those.<<
Check menswear stores right about now. They should get their fall fashions any time. I've got argyle cardigans, maybe a sweater, as well as a vest or two. If you get the kind where only a few diamonds on the chest are the contrast color, that can be any color you like, as long as the background is a good color for your skin.
>>Luckily most of the bright colours I like and have match a neutral, or at least my jeans. They may be less versatile, but it does let me keep a slightly greater variety of colour.<<
As long as they match other things, and you like them, they're worth keeping. It's the stuff that's hard to match which you want to toss out. Here is an example of a black core wardrobe with three accent clusters: one blue/yellow, one pink/peach, one red/green. Each cluster consists of one multicolor scarf, two solid sweaters, and two pieces of jewelry. That makes six accent clusters for the same core wardrobe. They don't match each other, but they don't have to. Another good accent option is a set of four: two garments (such as a sweater set) and two accessories (such as a belt and a necklace).
Try this with your random cool colors and that black/gray 4x4. Can you put together each colorful garment with 1-2 matching accessories and your neutral core, to create at least 2-3 outfits with each? If so, it's probably worth keeping. If you can only do one thing with it, or there's nothing else to match it with, ask yourself how much you really love it if you only have that one piece. If you love it but can't match it, maybe look for an accessory that will. That would encourage you to wear the piece more often.
Because your base neutrals of black and gray take bright accessories so well, consider building clusters of those in your favorite colors. Here are two great posts showing sets of 6 accessories in 26 colors with popular meanings:
>>I went out amd did some shopping, and now I have enough clothes for my neutral parts of the capsules, so I can actually see what's missing.<<
Yay!
>> I need a few outer layers, a few bottoms and accessories.<<
Now is the best time to shop for outer layers, when everyone has them coming in. You'll pay more than you would at the end of the season, but you'll have a much easier time finding specific things.
Accessories: when you buy a new garment, think what you'll wear it with. Do you have a hat, gloves, shoes, belt, scarf, jewelry, bag -- whatever you wear -- that will match it? If not, check they store. They often have things that will match the current clothes, and you'll have the garment right there to match. Do you have jewelry with black or gray pieces? You'll need those for your neutrals. Something to match each accent color is also good. It doesn't have to be expensive. Some of the best hot pink jewelry is done with enamel or nylon cord.
>> I don't actually need many accent colour pieces, so I can take my time on those and find ones that I like and match what I already have. And I shouldn't be lacking for options in the mean time.<<
That's good.
>>I did do some cleaning of my closet before starting all this and I think it's actually in pretty good shape.<<
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancing_serpent
Re: Capsule Wardrobes
Date: 2019-08-20 06:43 am (UTC)If you find it hard to match the cool gray with your other clothes, you might want to get rid of it. But if you have things you like to wear it with, then it can stay.
Cool colors that don't look good on you should also go, unless you really love them and they can be worn farther from your skin.
>> That bright one is pretty much the colour of pink I have, but I don't have the light shade. I'm not sure it would look good on me and it doesn't catch my eye as much. <<
If you don't like the light pink, avoid it. Hot pink looks fantastic with black and gray, it really pops. As long as you feel comfortable and confident with a color that bold, go for it. Hot pink is one of the very few pink shades I like.
>> I might try the green, but I might need a slightly different colour. <<
Here is a serape showing a Mexican palette of mostly warm, super-saturated colors. Hot pink is at the bottom. A little above that are some bright greens that lean toward yellow, from lime to deeper leafy greens. You might also think of bougainvillea with its lipstick-pink leaves against darker green ones. These might help you find greens that would fit well in your wardrobe.
>>On the other hand, I have enough grey and black to make a 4x4, so I can just wait until I find more of the hot pink.<<
Yay! That's a good idea.
>>I like the cool pinks better, but I think warm looks better against my skin. I am fairly certain I could get away with warm or cool for the darker pinks though, which works out because I like those better than pale pinks.<<
If your skin is neutral or nearly so, you may be able to wear both. Another trick for wearing colors that you love but don't look great with your skin is to use them away from your face. Bottoms usually work. So does a pink belt on a black or gray dress. Try small spots of color on a safe background -- pink flowers on a black or gray blouse, for instance.
>>That scarf actually reads warm to me,<<
That can happen due to differences in personal perception, or computer screens.
>> but I do like the idea of multicolour items bringing things together. I should probably buy them at the same time as other items though, otherwise I'm liable to end up with all different shades that don't match. I like the taupe and pink scarf too.<<
Ideally, yes, buying things together makes matching easier. If you can't do that, try to choose multicolors that use many shades of a given color. Sunset and floral scarves often do this.
>> I have a grey one and and working on acquiring a black jacket. That is proving hard to find at the moment.<<
That's one you have to wait on, then. A fitted jacket needs to fit. With a cardigan, close enough is good enough. I have one in my office for when it gets chilly, and that thing is several sizes too large -- so it'll fit over other clothes.
>> I'm not much for vests, but some long sleeved shirts have the argyle pattern. I might look into those.<<
Check menswear stores right about now. They should get their fall fashions any time. I've got argyle cardigans, maybe a sweater, as well as a vest or two. If you get the kind where only a few diamonds on the chest are the contrast color, that can be any color you like, as long as the background is a good color for your skin.
>>Luckily most of the bright colours I like and have match a neutral, or at least my jeans. They may be less versatile, but it does let me keep a slightly greater variety of colour.<<
As long as they match other things, and you like them, they're worth keeping. It's the stuff that's hard to match which you want to toss out. Here is an example of a black core wardrobe with three accent clusters: one blue/yellow, one pink/peach, one red/green. Each cluster consists of one multicolor scarf, two solid sweaters, and two pieces of jewelry. That makes six accent clusters for the same core wardrobe. They don't match each other, but they don't have to. Another good accent option is a set of four: two garments (such as a sweater set) and two accessories (such as a belt and a necklace).
Try this with your random cool colors and that black/gray 4x4. Can you put together each colorful garment with 1-2 matching accessories and your neutral core, to create at least 2-3 outfits with each? If so, it's probably worth keeping. If you can only do one thing with it, or there's nothing else to match it with, ask yourself how much you really love it if you only have that one piece. If you love it but can't match it, maybe look for an accessory that will. That would encourage you to wear the piece more often.
Because your base neutrals of black and gray take bright accessories so well, consider building clusters of those in your favorite colors. Here are two great posts showing sets of 6 accessories in 26 colors with popular meanings:
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/04/lharmonie-des-couleurs-and-13-accessory.html/
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/04/part-2-lharmonie-des-couleurs-and-13.html/
>>I went out amd did some shopping, and now I have enough clothes for my neutral parts of the capsules, so I can actually see what's missing.<<
Yay!
>> I need a few outer layers, a few bottoms and accessories.<<
Now is the best time to shop for outer layers, when everyone has them coming in. You'll pay more than you would at the end of the season, but you'll have a much easier time finding specific things.
Accessories: when you buy a new garment, think what you'll wear it with. Do you have a hat, gloves, shoes, belt, scarf, jewelry, bag -- whatever you wear -- that will match it? If not, check they store. They often have things that will match the current clothes, and you'll have the garment right there to match. Do you have jewelry with black or gray pieces? You'll need those for your neutrals. Something to match each accent color is also good. It doesn't have to be expensive. Some of the best hot pink jewelry is done with enamel or nylon cord.
>> I don't actually need many accent colour pieces, so I can take my time on those and find ones that I like and match what I already have. And I shouldn't be lacking for options in the mean time.<<
That's good.
>>I did do some cleaning of my closet before starting all this and I think it's actually in pretty good shape.<<
Go you!