Colors and Fashion – Do You Have a Favorite Neutral?
I was thinking about the colors we choose to wear on a daily basis and I got to thinking about neutrals. Ever notice how everyone has a certain neutral color they subconsciously reach for more than all the others? What does our choice of basic neutrals say about us?
My neutral of choice is definitely black. I guess because it’s so classic and goes with almost everything I wear most. Most of my bags are black, I have lots of black shoes, and own plenty of black skirts, jeans, and tops. Whether it’s winter or summer, I pretty much can’t get enough of the color black.
About a year ago, though, I was obsessed with brown. I pretty much only carried brown bags and wore brown shoes almost every day. The other colors I wore were different too – lots more pink, off-white, and pastel colors. I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time, and I’m not sure when or why I switched to black as my go-to neutral. It just seemed to happen.
I’ve noticed other people seem to have a preference for a specific neutral too. I have friends that wear lots of light brown and tan, and others that stick to grays and navy blue. I’m sure if I asked them why they wore these colors so often, they probably wouldn’t have noticed they did it either.
Do you think a favorite neutral says something about a person’s personality, or is it all based on what colors are the most flattering? Have you noticed people doing this, or am I the only one?
I want to get your take. Do you have a particular neutral in your closet that you reach for more than the others, or do you rotate things around? Take the poll or leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
[poll id="32"]
Posted on on April 15, 2009 / Filed Under: Fashion Tips / Tags: Basics, Colors, Neutrals
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kingchic
Charcoal grey is definitely one of my favorite neutrals. I wouldn’t be normal if i didn’t mention black, but charcoal brings something new to the table. I’m one who tends to do all-black ensembles, but doing a charcoal number deters is from gothic connotations, and is a bit more versatile than black in terms of going from day to evening.
[K]
x
Brown because it goes with my coloring the best out of all the neutrals. I also like navy. I actually don’t like black very much.
Fleur
You know, I just recently noticed what my go-to neutral is just a while ago! I was looking through my closet and noticed I had A LOT of navy blue. I also love tan and off-white but I think I wear something navy in one form or another almost every day.
Molly
I started wearing a lot of warm colors, like yellows and oranges, and like to combine them with brown. I think these colors warm up my frighteningly pale complexion a bit. Chocolate brown is my favorite.
Anna
I do own a ton of black, but lately my favorite has been light brown or nude tops and shoes. I guess in the winter i go with black, and in the summer I go with beige!
rachelle
i ALWAYS go to black, but ive been buying new shoes for spring and i have been going with leather browns…so i guess ill have to be switching from my staple black tank when i go out!
Michelle
I don’t think it says a lot about you. I just think there are some colors people can match or wear well with there other clothes and accessories. I know for me my neutral color is black because it’s easy to pull off and it goes with just about everything I own in some way. And I like that poll you have in the post it makes thinks even more interesting!
Kelly
White is definitely my go-to color. I only own two black things (jeans and a cardigan) but have six white v-necks, sweaters, button-ups, tanks, etc. Black really has just never done it for me and I’ve never been attracted to it. But for some reason white, the brighter the better, makes me look tan and it doesn’t compete with my dark hair. After white, I love heather gray and navy blue.
Trendqueen
I really like the black purse and the dress within your post…who is the purse and dress by?
Stephanie
It’s a tie between grey and white. I have a “thing” against black because people assume its the only color that makes you skinny but i have a theory that EVERYONE has one skinny color: mine is red. So i rarely own any black, but lots of red. And i love white because its so light & airy. And grey has so many shades that its just very lovely!
Rebecca
Grey is my ultimate go-to. Everything I own goes with it, and I feel it steps up an outfit into instant class a lot of the time. Grey dresses, jeans, shoes, camis, I wear them all on a regular basis. It helps that most of the other colours I wear are perfect accessories for grey (i.e., purple, blue). I also like that you can pair it with yellows and oranges for an edgy look, and can go crazy with silver accessories.
Liz
Grey is definitely my favorite!
Jessica
My closet is completely filled with neutrals, save the odd purple shirt or two. I’m always so scared to buy colorful things; I feel like they’re going to be “out” in a few weeks and then I’ll have wasted my money.
Zhenya
That is so true, I tend to reach out for brown stuffs. My accessories are usually brown: my bags, wallets, shoes and jewelry. It’s so brown that my friends thought it’s my favourite colour, when in fact, I don’t have any favourite colour. I just happen to buy brown things so that they can be paired with the rest of my wardrobe more easily. But my friends got the wrong idea, and they started buying brown gifts for my birthday. Oh well.
Also, I happen to choose brown stuffs a lot because I love leather, and brown leather usually looks cool. I’m currently obsessed with all things country-ish, so brown leather makes a great choice.
My friend said brown is boring and old-ish. I do not agree!!!
By the way, in my native language, the word for brown and chocolate is the same. Brown all the way!
Luna
Tie between gray and black. I love them both. And navy blue comes in next. I wear quite a lot of neutrals.
Chelsey
i love love LOVE black. i just feel more confident wearing that color and neutrals in general. blacks, whites, browns, tans, they all look great on women imo. I often reach for black clothing when I’m out shopping but have to force myself to buy a different color so my closet isn’t all one shade lol
Courtney
i love grey :)
it just goes with so many colours and shades – you can’t go wrong with grey.
navy blue comes next, white also near the top.
i’m not actually a big fan of black.
i mean, i wear it occasionally,
but its only a small minority of my wardrobe.
interesting ideas :)
x
Caitlin
I probably own the most black since its so basic, and lots of brown too, but I LOVE grey and want to get more of it. I don’t have as much white since I always manage to get stains on it, but I have a few pieces. I’ve always stayed away from navy because its a shade of blue, and since I have green eyes I always thought it would be weird to wear blue. I’m starting to realize its definitely not that big of a deal though, and navy looks good with my blonde hair, so I’ve been meaning to try it out :)
Has anyone else avoided wearing a certain shade cause of their eye colour, or have I just been weird? Since I have green eyes and it looks good on me I wear a lot of green, do any blue eyed girls stay away from green? (not that green is a neutral, so I guess its off topic but I’m curious :P )
claudia
black is definately my go-to match-with-anything colour!
btw, where’s that bag from? i like :D
AJ
My closet is mostly neutrals. I have to make myself buy non-nueutral colors. My closet is equaly navy, brown, and black for about 60% and the reamaining 40% is blue, pink, green, white and grey.
I buy accesories and shoes in neutrals like white, black, and brown; however I do make an exception with flip-flops and I buy those in fun colors. Bags I keepy basic canvas such as ll bean or AE.
I will have to start incorporating purple into my closet because my schools scrub colors are purple and white and white scrubs are shall we say difficult to maintain.;-)
Brittney
This is such a tough question, because mostly all I wear are neutrals. I’ll go through phases when it comes to purchasing them (I’m currently in a gray phase), but I find myself always going to black when I don’t know what else to do. So I guess black is my favorite.
Taylor
I tend towards black, navy and gray. I was never really a khaki or a white girl. They make me look big, since I’m 5′10. Its a lot of light colored fabric, bad idea.
Dark colors make my height dramatic.
Kaitlyn
Charcoal gray is definitely my favorite neutral. A few years ago it was brown, but I just love charcoal gray. It is very sophisticated. I have been wearing more black than I used to. After years of being force to wear black pants for work, I stayed clear of it!
Peggy
Black has always been classy, so I stick to it. But other than that, I really like green. For some reason, I just have a tendency for it, but I guess it doesn’t qualify as a “neutral.” But if I had to make a list, it’d go
Black
Green
White
Brown
keigee
i dont usually intend to buy GREY stuff. but yeah, i checked my closet just now and i have ALOT of grey stuff. not so much on purses and shoes but, grey pants, leggings, tights, cardigans [i have atleast 5 grey cardigans but different cuts], my grey shirts are just overflowing!lol i have 4 grey dresses. i think i need to get some brighter hues now. hahaha
its just that grey is so perfect for fall and winter and here in canada, thats like 8 months every year. lol =)
Lay
I have a lot of black and grey but I like grey better. There are colors that don’t really look nice with black (like yellow) that I can pair up with grey
Jamie
Black and brown are my favorite neutrals, with gray coming in third. I love that I can put on an all black outfit then add any color I can imagine to make it look amazing.
Abi
I really don’t think I wear that many netutrals. I like bright colours too much! If anything I suppose you could even say maybe denim. But I do like grey as it ‘goes’ with black things and navy things too…
Arielle
Blah…I’m not a big fan on neutrals at all really. But I do like black, grey and especially charcoal grey. All the other neutrals kind of make me feel queasy for some reason! lol I would never wear tan, or navy blue. It’s just not for me. And I try to stay away from brown
Ashov
I say out with neutral and in with color. As much as I am a fan of black… I really like seeing designers dive back into color. Like Emanuel Ungaro- his last collection was genius. Nearly ever color was present, and yet he remained as classy and elegant as ever.
Check it out:
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/show.aspx/full-length-photos/id,6716
Alice
Definitely brown. I look great in most shades of it. Fits well with most of the other colors in my closet.
gina
GRAY.
Definitely. Almost all my neutrals are gray. I mean, I have some black, but I just think it’s too harsh for certain outfits and combinations. And I barely wear any brown for some reason.
Plus I think gray brings out my eyes more. (:
Alicia
My favorite neutral shade to wear is ELECTRIC BLUE!!!
Grace
I adore black honestly…Its edgy and sophisticated. At the same time….but If i had to choose another I would choose grey. I love pairing it off with a bright rainbow color.
Karen
I love black and gray!