Aug 22, 2008 @ 2:37pm

Would You Break Up With A Color?

Walking on Madison Ave. the other day, post-Rhinelander visit, I overheard a princess of the Park Avenue variety espousing her distaste for gray.

She didn’t like it, didn’t wear it, didn’t get it. Needless to say, I was kind of freaked out by her fervor.

Banishing a color from your wardrobe indefinitely; really?

Obviously, there’s the classic New Yorker cliché - an aversion to color and a preference for black a la Delia Deetz. But even then, it’s more about convenience: black always goes with black.

But living life without the full color spectrum can’t be fun. Building a wardrobe without a color would be like building a person without a kidney or a liver. Especially a shade as inoffensive as gray, which to me is the perfect foil to something really crazy like chartreuse.

I’m wondering, have you given up a color after a bad experience? Did a school dance gone awry in lavender put you off pale purple for life? Or did your mother dress you in pink poufy dresses for the duration of your childhood, causing you to live in anonymous Yohji now?

—BRETT KANE

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posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 2:49PM

I have a hard time wearing bright orange because it was part of both my high school and university's colors. It just reminds me of pep rallies, school spirit dress up days, frat boys and racist mascots. The fact that it's not a terribly flattering color on me probably also has something to do with it, but most of it is that I feel like a jerk.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 2:55PM

what about the opposite? only wearing one color. That would be difficult.

http://nymag.com/fashion/08/spring/44210/

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 2:57PM

i find myself buying alot of khaki and camel tones even though it makes me look pale. So i've put a stop to that, for now.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:07PM

I can't wear certain articles of clothing after something bad happens to me while I'm wearing them...

I also don't own anything 100% red or orange because I hate those colors for no particular reason.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:14PM

I've given up everything navy because I wear alot of black. Black and Navy together to me, welp, it looks like a big ol' bruise! So no more Navy Blue for me!

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:17PM

Although I will wear pretty much any colour if it is adorning a piece I love, when I have a choice of many colours, I will NEVER wear pastels. Pastels have been and out, but I can never really stop associating them with my Grandma (bless her heart) and her pastel pantsuits with shoulder pads..
Also, when a colour begins to be associated with a trend, I back off. For example, purple became the staple colour of nearly every skinny jean, ballet flat, beret and oversized tote wearing girl in my city.. Not that the look is bad, it's just that when it is so overdone, I begin to think of it as 'too mainstream' (at the risk of sounding like a snob), and the same goes for specific colours..
But, banishing it forever? Never!

posted by anonymoose

Aug 22, 2008 3:19PM

i have naturally jet black hair so i stay away from orange especially right next to my hair (tops, scarves) b/c it's too halloween-ish for me.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:24PM

I have banished grey, orange, teal, magenta and pastels. They all look bad on me so why wear them?

posted by bananahana

Aug 22, 2008 3:25PM

I personally adore gray. It pretty much goes with anything and compliments my light tan skin perfectly.

On the other hand.. orange, any shade of it makes me look ghastly. It might be just me who thinks so but that doesn't matter. I'll never buy anything in just orange.

posted by karmacamilleon

Aug 22, 2008 3:32PM

I only wear black, gray, white, with a little brown, and a little pale pink. Solids, too - I don't really love patterns. I love color in nature, in art, and on other people, but for me wearing such plain colors is peaceful, and simple. Nearly everything goes with everything. I will not banish color forever, though. Using the words "never", or "forever", usually results in eating those words.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:32PM

Will not wear brown... it's too "natural" and "earthy" for me. Anything in the black - grey - white spectrum is the best, and occasionally pink or salmon or those kind of warm colors. I try not to wear more than one color at once, I don't want to look like a rainbow.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:38PM

i avoid green...
but i don't banish it.
"never say never"

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:45PM

RED!!! I can't do pieces of clothing in red but I will do accessories such as shoes, scarves (it is the summer of the scarf..lol), belts...etc!!! I think it's because I work at Target (by the way the new Go International is bananas!!!) and we wear red and khaki and I work all the time!!! I have had a cute tops in Grey Navy and Red and I will not wear the red for nothing!!! LOL Crazy Right!!!

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 3:46PM

Few of us white guys can truly look good in bright and vivid orange, yellow or purple (though I do love lavender, but that's not purple) so I stay far, far away from them.

posted by Fassion

Aug 22, 2008 4:03PM

I own too much gray now, couldn't stand it in my younger days, but it must be medium heather/charcoal because light colors wash me out. I also love to see other people in red, but I don't own any red clothes for some reason. Sometimes I think color can make certain clothes look less expensive (I know that's crazy).

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 4:17PM

I also hate navy and brown. Maybe I just hate neutrals that aren't on the black-grey-white scale.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 4:39PM

Light blue. An ex-boyfriend did it. Thuogh I'm now getting over it.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 5:08PM

i had extremely rosy cheeks as a child, which in turn, made me swear off anything red, fuschia, maroon for YEARS!

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 5:28PM

No pink, no pastels. And I do know of people who wear exclusively one color. Neil Gaiman, for one, wears black and only black, partly because he's Neil and he can do that, and partly because, as pointed out, black will always match black. Generally black Armani jeans and a variety of nice t-shirts, as I recall. And he has crazy enough hair and a nice enough disposition that he doesn't come off all gothed-out and moody.

posted by andremichael

Aug 22, 2008 5:43PM

hmm.

i personally have a STRONG disdain for brown. i can't explain it. i KINDA understand it as the color recalls dirt, number #2s & the like. but it's purely personal... kinda.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 6:25PM

I don't wear orange because it looks awful on me. I have light red hair and orange makes me look like a carrot...it does look so nice on tan, dark haired people though. I can add orange through bangles or bags though.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 6:52PM

I avoid a color I call "piggy pink." I think this color makes people look like they have gained 10 lbs. It's ok as an accent, but not as the main color in an ensemble. Also, I tend to stay away from army green colors b/c my dad was in the military and anything dark green/camoflauge colors brings back memories of military functions we had to attend growing up...they were not particularly fun events. Still, most shades of green look good on me, so I'm trying to get over that and integrate it into my wardrobe.

posted by MonaVox

Aug 22, 2008 7:00PM

I'm not big on color to begin with. But I own absolutely nothing orange or yellow, and maybe 1 pair of red shoes. I just don't dig warm colors. Earth tones go so much better with my skin tone, hair color, etc. I don't like being flashy!

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 7:50PM

my friend ruth gives up wearing color for lent every year and wears only gray, black, white, and brown tones. it strikes me as miserable, which, i suppose, is why she does it. chartreuse! orchid! i love you.

posted by iedwards

Aug 22, 2008 8:05PM

Rhinelander? Rhinelander, Wisconsin??? or could it be too good to be true?

posted by Halie

Aug 22, 2008 9:33PM

poop brown. may god save us.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 10:30PM

I've banished yellow from my wardrobe, not because I hate it, but because it looks TERRIBLE on me. Which makes me so sad because I always find the cutest yellow dresses in the summer but never can wear them.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 10:41PM

orange and brown, i can't/won't wear them.

i don't own anything in either of those colors.

posted by lacherig

Aug 22, 2008 11:02PM

iedwards: I'm from Wisconsin too and that was my first reaction. Haha!

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 11:11PM

Because of my red hair and fair skin, I tend to avoid kelly green, because it makes me look like Poison Ivy.

posted by guest

Aug 22, 2008 11:20PM

#22: "piggy pink?"

posted by ellekay

Aug 22, 2008 11:51PM

i avoid pale yellow and pale green at all costs. i'm so fair-skinned that they make me look anemic. almost anything else works ok, though.

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 1:02AM

lol. i actually don't own anything that's orange, yellow, or brown.

i've very pale and i have white-blonde hair, those colors have never looked good on me.

i wear mostly black and white with some random bright colors thrown in

posted by nida89

Aug 23, 2008 1:33AM

I don't wear yellow. actually, I just don't like the color yellow.
we all have our issues.

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 1:43AM

I don't have any red in my closet because it does not suit me at all.

posted by sam alex

Aug 23, 2008 1:55AM

Baby blue creeps me out

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 9:58AM

I think it's fine to have a wardrobe made up of only certain colors. If you know what you like and what looks good on you, why mess with that? I don't like purple or orange, so why would I want to wear those colors? I think it's more stylish to limit your color choices to ones that you like and that suit you. I do that, and I don't think it's boring at all.

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 12:47PM

I used to never buy navy because it reminded me of my elementary school uniform.

Pastels are colors I normally avoid, but I wouldn't say they're banished.

posted by xnoelle25

Aug 23, 2008 1:12PM

#2, i definitely know someone who is completely orange all the time.

posted by JennyJenny

Aug 23, 2008 2:06PM

I'm with the non-orange wearers. I'll wear reddish orange, but not regular pumpkin orange. I don't care much for wearing yellow, either, except maybe as an accent. Those colors just don't really flatter me. And the gray has to be a soft dove gray (almost bluish) for me to be into it. I LOVE chartreuse, though! It's one of my favorite colors to wear. In my bedroom the color scheme is turquoise accented by bronze and chartreuse...

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 2:08PM

I think people just have a preference for certain colours and tend to go with those that they look good in (or think that they look good in). I love colour so I don't really banish any. Maybe skin tones because I think it's a little redundant and can blend to well with your own skin tone.

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 6:03PM

for a long time i bought a lot of black, until i realized one day that it kind of made me look like crap. and you know what? it was kind of freeing.

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 6:11PM

Ugh. Mustard yellow (harvest gold, squash, baby-poo yellow, whatever you want to call it). It's just a hideous colour. Rust and pea-green are pretty goddawful too. I don't think they're of any use to anyone.

But grey? Soft dove grey? Steely charcoal grey? I can't imagine. Just goes to show you money can't buy taste...

posted by guest

Aug 23, 2008 7:03PM

Mustard yellow makes me look gray. I've got my English / Irish background to thank for that.

posted by guest

Aug 24, 2008 1:28AM

Look in my closet and you won't find a single pink piece of clothing. I don't wear it anymore b/c i feel way too girly in it and i dnt find it flattering on me. But I can definately see someone exiling a color from their closet.

posted by guest

Aug 24, 2008 8:59AM

my boyfriend absolutely completely cannot stand yellow, which i find offensive. why give up the happiest color? i dont not wear it because of him, but i am always consciously aware that i am wearing a color that immediately repulses him.

posted by guest

Aug 24, 2008 6:14PM

I absolutely can not wear anything yellow, orange or the yellowy side of green as I have pale, olivey skin so it just makes me look jaundiced. I do make exceptions for accessories though and do own a pair of yellow shoes but they're as far away from my face as possible so don't have the same effect.

posted by guest

Aug 25, 2008 9:29AM

Purple. I have a visceral reaction to the color & just can't stand it. This fall is going to be torture for me.

posted by guest

Aug 25, 2008 9:47AM

Forest green. I wore it once in high school and noticed in the mirror that I too looked green. Never again. Also banned: maroon and chartreuse.

posted by guest

Aug 25, 2008 10:02AM

No blue, except for denim, and NEVER near my face. Never ever. It doesn't look good on me. The purple worriers don't need to worry. Designers have been trying to foist this on us for several seasons and its just not catching on.

posted by guest

Aug 25, 2008 10:37AM

im pretty much shades of gray all the way... i get particularly ecstatic when i find a particular shade of dark blue-gray.

there's so much visual detail in textures and sillouhettes - to me colour seems like too much to add in the mix.

as for hated colours i would have to say those awkward, off beiges that aren't cream but arent brown

posted by guest

Aug 25, 2008 11:04AM

Rhinelander? anonymous for a reason, keep it to yourself dude.

posted by A Girl

Aug 25, 2008 12:01PM

I only wear black...I have a few pieces in dark purple, hunter green, and the occasional gray. Black is my color of choice and it goes with everything. It also emphasizes my fair skin, which I love. I NEVER wear white... worst nightmare ever is having something stain your backside - the horror!

posted by i hope

Aug 25, 2008 2:03PM

I look best in warm colors because of my hazel eyes and red brown hair but honestly wear whatever color attracts me at the moment. I'm really into deep teal, eggplant, charcoal, and orange red at the moment. Pink is the one color I don't wear, unless it's a peachy shade, and black is always a staple.

posted by guest

Aug 26, 2008 11:44AM

I really don't like warm autumnal colors -- orangey red, olive green, etc. I think it's probably because they don't look good on me.

I love grey, and I'm afraid that it will become less available soon, because it doesn't look as harsh on my fair skin as black.

And I agree with the previous poster who said that sometimes a color can make garments look cheap. I think it depends on the fabric, but sometimes a bright color cheapens cottons. But the opposite is true with silks -- cobalt and purple silks look really luxe, while the sheen doesn't show up as much in black.

posted by guest

Aug 26, 2008 2:01PM

I NEVER buy or wear brown. I have chestnuty brown accessories (shoes, bags). But kill me if you find me in any top, dress, skirt, or pant that is brown.