Yes, you can wear brown
...it's just a question of which kind
Welcome to Wardrobe Wednesday, colour analysis based nuggets of wisdom to help you dress with Scandinavian simplicity without moving to a cabin in the woods.
Today, I want to address an email that I got from a self-diagnosed True Summer, which brings up some very interesting points:
I've always been very interested in a person's color season. Unfortunately there's no one very close to where I live that I can get a color draping done. Together my sister and I have zeroed in on my season probably being a true summer and I sort of go by that. But I go a lot by holding up the garment to my face and also how good I feel in it! I think the most confusing part of true summer is that it's cool colors and yet supposed to be muted. To me that equals a muddy or grey color!!! I shy away from muddy colors. I always feel good in something darker colored. Light colors are very hard to find that I like. A soft white and also soft navy is very nice. Red is always a winner unless it's orangey. And I can pull off some brights if its not too much of it. So my understanding is that true summer is not dark but that's where I feel best in. The winter season seems just too stark for me. I can wear black but navy is definitely best. Also I can wear almost any blue. Even a rich dark khaki green looks nice. Is there such a thing as being a summer but looking best in the darkest colors? It seems the colors I think look nice on me don't belong in the same group to each other! I have medium-dark brown hair turning grey. Clear green eyes with a brown ring around the iris. Light skin that doesn't tan easily. Pinkish undertone. Anyway, thanks for reading my ramble! Best regards, Jane
Dear Jane.
First of all, thank you for rambling! I love the way you described your colour journey and it sounds like you have found your colour home!
I think your process of holding up the garment under your face, and noticing how good you feel in it, are two very good methods. My personal tip is to make sure there is natural daylight when you hold it up against your face, in order to judge the colour and your skin correctly.
Personal tip number two is exactly what you say, go by how good you feel in it and not by how many complements you receive from others when wearing it.
People give complements for the weirdest reasons. One reason could be “I personally like that style so would absolutely love to wear what you’re wearing and it has nothing to do with how you look in it”. Another reason could be “I am running out of small talk and I already mentioned the weather, so all I can think of is complementing your outfit”.
Judging from the way you describe the colours you feel good in, I think Soft Summer might be a Season you would feel at home in, colourwise.
Jane and I had an interesting email conversation. In a follow-up email, Jane goes on to say:
… that thing of being too much autumn in there making it muddy could make sense. I once had a corduroy dress in a lovely dark brown that made my eyes and hair look rich and deep. I loved it! Brown is apparently not really for summers, but it had no orangey tone in it. I've worn coral for a wedding and got compliments on it as well. It looked really nice with the grey/taupe that the other sisters wore... it was not a muddy brown coral.
Ah, BROWN for Summers! It can be done, actually. Follow me down a dark alley while we explore brown for Summers: