"The Beauty of Versatile Colors"
Neutrals and universal colors… what are they really? And how can they make a difference to your style?
Let me explain in details…
What Are Neutrals?
In general, neutrals include black, white, gray (mix black with white and you’ve got gray) and different shades of brown. Nowadays a color can be called a neutral based on how effectively it can blend in with other colors. Basically, they match with all colors and color combinations – and don’t create much of an emotion.
Examples are: Navy (where would we be without our blue denim jeans?), cream, camel, olive, silver and gold. These go with anything and you can never go wrong with wearing them for various occasions because of their sleekness factor.
They build the basis of any woman’s wardrobe, not just the fashionista’s. A woman needs shoes in black, white (or cream if you’d like), brown and tan. They look boring to many but you can’t ignore their versatility.
Also, neutrals are an indispensable part of any woman’s closet who has a classic clothing personality – wearing neutrals is a way to look simple and elegant!
Similar to wardrobe essentials, neutrals are:
- Trend-proof: They are acceptable to wear for various occasions.
- Flexible: You can wear the neutrals with whatever colors you like without looking too much. It’s also much easier to style because all colors go with them.
- Style savers: Add them to any outfit you want to tone down and bring less attention to.
- Outfit multipliers: You’ll find it much easier to create several outfit combinations with neutrals without having to ask yourself: what color goes with this green.
Basically, this is where you should put the bulk of your clothing budget, as they will last a long time and are timeless in sense of fashion.
They can be worn for all-year-around, but some neutrals tend to ‘boil hotter’ during some parts of the year. For example: black and gray in winter; blues, white, creams and browns for summer.
Note: Depending on your coloring – if you’re warm, you’ll look best in neutrals with a warm undertone. If you’re cool, you’ll look better in neutrals with a cool undertone. See Gold or Silver test
Tips on Buying Neutrals
- Always secure each wardrobe essential in neutrals FIRST before buying clothes in complicated colors and patterns that don’t easily go with other colors
- Your most expensive clothes should always be a neutral to ensure that you’ll get the most out of your money
- Clothes that you wear often or are a part of a dress code at the office that you want to last a long time should be a neutral
- If you’re a warm-toned Spring or Autumn you’ll look best in neutrals with a warm undertone, such as gold, cream and chocolate brown
- If you’re a cool-toned Summer or Winter you’ll look best in neutrals with a cool undertone, such as crisp silver, white, gray and navy
Note: Note: Most Summers look better in soft and off-white because of their muted coloring, while many Springs may look their best in ivory than cream which is slightly less yellow than an Autumn’s cream.
What Are Universal Colors?
They suit just about everyone because the quality of the colors is a mix of a little bit of everything – they are neither too dark nor light, warm nor cool, and not too bright either. All of this is explained in the seasonal color analysis color theory.
Below is an example of why Pewter is considered a neutral – the color of the metal is a little bit of cool and warm:
Anyone can pull them off – they’ll look good on you but not super fantastic either. However some seasons may look better in them than others. Soft-muted look gorgeous in them as their coloring is already a mix of warm and cool.
List of Universal Colors:
- Off-white (it looks best on warmer skin tones though)
- Ivory (not cream which is more suited for Autumns)
- Mid-gray
- Stone
- Taupe
- Pewter
- Teal
- Purple
- Emerald Turquoise
- Lavender
Tip: You can always add silver or gold (depending on your coloring) to brighten up an universal color and make it look just about right. This helps put some **ooomph** to a color to make it look better on you.