Friday 25 September 2015

Building my capsule wardrobe - which neutrals?

Although we are fortunate enough to still be enjoying good weather in Spain, I have started thinking about creating my capsule wardrobe for autumn (fall to my American friends!) and winter. A forthcoming trip to London next month is adding to my sense of urgency, as I should be able to buy a few clothes in petite sizes there to include in the capsule.

A quick glance at my existing wardrobe shows that I have three neutrals from last year that could form the basis of a capsule wardrobe: navy, grey and brown. I also have a few items in olive green that could be used as a neutral. I'm phasing out any black items as I realise they no longer flatter my colouring.

I've been following Project 333 for a long time now and, although I do bend the rules a bit, I try to adhere to a 33 piece capsule wardrobe for each season of the year. My Autumn 33 therefore is due to start at the beginning of October. My initial reaction to Project 333 was "Wow! 333 items of clothing!", however the idea is to restrict yourself to 33 items to cover 3 months, which for some of us is quite a challenge.

I have learnt that having a good number of neutrals in my wardrobe will give me greater flexibility than my original rainbow-coloured wardrobe did. If I choose the right accent colours and neutrals, in theory every top should go with every bottom in my capsule.

Now I'd like your help! Below I show pictures of myself wearing the different neutrals and I'd be interested in hearing which one(s) you think flatter me the most. First up is navy.


 

What I've discovered is that navy on its own is a bit dark for me, though the lighting makes these navy items look slightly darker than they are in real life. I definitely need some contrast and I think the red is probably the best contrast in the outfits above.  Next up is grey, with three (not 40) different shades of grey.


 


I also have grey trousers, however I'm looking here for the effect each neutral has when it's close to my face. The last photo is charcoal grey so may look like black.

I don't have many olive clothes, but I'm wondering if the top and cardigan in the following photos are flattering on me and whether I should consider making it one of my key neutrals.

 


The last photo above is a combination of brown top and olive trousers, which neatly takes me to the final option, which is of course brown. When I was younger brown featured in my wardrobe on a regular basis but then it went slightly out of favour when I was told I was a Jewel Winter, with no browns in my swatch.  I've re-introduced it recently, so do you think it should make my short-list of neutrals?



There are different shades of brown in the photos above so you may feel that one shade is more flattering on me than the others.

If you are unsure which neutrals look best on you, you might like to try a similar exercise. Take some photos of yourself wearing different neutrals then look at them carefully to discover which colours flatter you the most. Studying the above photos, I think two of the neutrals suit me more than the others. I'd love to hear what your thoughts are though to see if we agree!




16 comments:

  1. First, disclosure: I'm on Team Rainbow.

    I think brown loves you the most. The brown top is just wonderful on you. I think the olive is nice, and it goes well with brown. The navy is fine. I love the navy with the slim print pants - a good look for you. My least favorite is the gray.

    How many neutrals do you think is appropriate in a wardrobe? I tend to think I have too many and that I should simplify, but it seems you have at least four.

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    1. First, at heart I'm a Team Rainbow girl, but I'm beginning to see the value of neutrals - though with a pop of colour.

      I have too many neutrals, partly because of my different experiences with colour analysis. Ideally I would like to get it down to 2 or 3 for autumn/winter and 2 or 3 for spring/summer. Not necessarily the same 2 or 3, but ones that will blend with each other.

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  2. I don't have the best colour on my monitor, but I like the olive on you a lot, as well as the brown. While the navy isn't as good, in my opinion, it still looks nice and appropriate. There is always something classy about navy and it could be a good substitute for black. I agree with the other commenter that grey is not great on you. I am discovering that a warm brown/grey is better on me now that I am older, rather than the traditional sweatshirt grey. I would be interested to see that on you as well. Love your blog, by the way! Molly

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Molly. I'm definitely leaning towards the brown and olive myself. I think I'll keep some navy because, as you say, it is a good substitute for black. You are right of course in saying that a warmer grey would be more flattering - I'll have to look out for it!

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  3. Lovely blog. In Australia we started Spring in September. I liked the brown on you. I had another look at your swatch and there are quite a few different darks in it. I liked the neutrals (in pictures) that matched the value of your hair and eyes. So the pale greys were perhaps too pale. But matched up with a darker colour they may have looked good. I have read in places that people have dark neutrals and light neutrals in their wardrobes. That might be good for your high value contrast. Just looking at the picture with red bag, in hotter months your skin is a perfect light neutral. Hope you enjoy your neutral exploration. Carol S

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Carol. As you say, it's not only the actual colours but also the best contrasts for individuals. I know I need high value contrast but low colour contrast, so I'm still learning how to put together flattering outfits.

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  4. I feel the navy and grey don't flatter you as much as the softer brown and green.
    The navy is just too dark for your soft coloring. Isn't it amazing how we can't be self critical with ourselves yet others see the issues immediately?!

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    1. It is difficult to see ourselves critically, but I definitely think it helps to take photos and then study them. Doing this, I could see (like you did) that the brown and green were more flattering on me. I'm getting there!

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  5. I like the middle brown best. While I am definitely not an olive person, I like it on you. I love grey and navy but feel the navy is the least flattering to you, followed by the grey. That's on the basis of a photo on a tablet; in real life they are probably all very nice, particularly with flattering accessories. I might have to try this; I'm not keen on the shades in my swatch, though. I've had a skin problem with my face, getting better now that there's less sun, and I haven't yet discovered my best shades through 7 steps as I didn't want photos of my face! So vain! Soon I hope. Good luck with your autumn wardrobe.

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  6. I like the middle brown best. While I am definitely not an olive person, I like it on you. I love grey and navy but feel the navy is the least flattering to you, followed by the grey. That's on the basis of a photo on a tablet; in real life they are probably all very nice, particularly with flattering accessories. I might have to try this; I'm not keen on the shades in my swatch, though. I've had a skin problem with my face, getting better now that there's less sun, and I haven't yet discovered my best shades through 7 steps as I didn't want photos of my face! So vain! Soon I hope. Good luck with your autumn wardrobe.

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    1. Thanks, Anne. I think brown and olive are definitely the winners here. Not all of the photos are exactly the same as in real life, but I think they're reasonably close - though as you point out it also depends on your monitor. Be brave and post on 7 steps, as it's a private group (double check before you hit enter that you are sending to the 7 steps group. I once got it wrong and then hastily deleted the photo!). The ladies there are really helpful and understanding. Well they were very kind about my make-up-free close-up, which believe me was truly frightening! I'd definitely not post it here for the world to see!

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  7. Love the red bag. xx
    www.assessorise.com

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    1. Thanks, Victoria. It's a Longchamp bag, purchased in duty-free so a good price.

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  8. Shared here wonderful collection of dresses with us. I really liked them. Such a great wardrobe.Thanks for sharing here with us.

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  9. I agree: the olive and rust-brown are excellent, the grey much less so. The navy with the red is good, but solid navy a bit too heavy. Other colors that might work well are deep jewel tones such as purple, emerald, and ruby or mid-tones like sage, rust, deep rose. More important, though, is that the capris and narrow-leg trousers look much more flattering than the straight-leg or flared ones in your photos, which make you look much shorter and heavier. Show off those attractive ankles and shoes!

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    1. Thank you for your helpful comments. I've just ordered a pair of slim leg ankle grazer trousers on-line, so I'm hoping they meet your criteria!

      My latest post covers the navy items in my wardrobe and you will see that I say I need a pop of colour with them.

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