Fashion Faux-Pas

magenta321 · #1 02-25-2002, 01:56 PM

I remember being a little kid, and everything seemed to match, especially if they were of my favorite colors. Therefore, red and pink, or red and purple were fine color-combination choices. I didn't understand when adults told me that these combos "clashed" and I thought they were crazy.

I grew up and learned the rule. Now, I don't like colors much anyway (I'm a black, white, grey, or beige kind of girl anyway). Bright colors always look bad to my eye, in general. However, some things look horrible, like the clashing colors mentioned above.

Now I am noticing something strange. A co-worker wore a red top and pink pants to work yesterday (they were scrubs). It hurt my eyes. I didn't want to look at her. And just now I saw a commercial on TV for Payless. The chick in the commercial was also wearing pink and red (I think a red shirt with a pink shirt over it).

Ug!

Isn't this one of fashion's biggest faux-pas? And silly rules aside, isn't it just down-right ugly?

Sorry. I don't claim to be the fashion maven, but DEAR LORD!!!

**lynnzop**[$] · #2 02-25-2002, 02:00 PM

When I was younger, I would refuse to ride in a car that clashed with my clothes.

Used to drive my mom nuts. She had to buy a beige car so we could go anywhere.

Lynn
who still has to match everything PERFECTLY

magenta321 · #3 02-25-2002, 02:05 PM

Let me also add that the color pink was the magenta sort of pink, not the baby-ish pink.

Magenta and red. ARUGH!

Also, I want to pick your brains. What do you think of the color combination of black and navy?

Everyone my age I've asked says they clash. It was a rule we all learned. Everyone my mom's age and older that I've asked thinks it matches fine

When did the black/navy combo rule change?

On a related note, we have a beige carpet in our home now, because beige goes well with other beiges, or so we thought. Did you know that grey-beiges clash with yellow-beiges. I had no idea until I saw it for myself. OMG!

frazzledspice · #4 02-25-2002, 03:39 PM

I was always told that black or white go with everything, so black and navy would be OK with me.

My daughter had a red dress that she wore with pink shoes, and got lots of compliments.

Personally, I think that things like stripes and plaids or clashing patterns are much worse, fashion wise, than clashing colors.

vania · #5 02-25-2002, 03:45 PM

Black and navy is one of my pet peeves. (Denim doesn't count as navy, of course!)

I hate navy pants and black shoes! I hate it!

sylvanb · #6 02-25-2002, 05:21 PM

Almost anything can look great if it's put together by someone with a true color and design sense. Pink and red can be lovely - provided they are cousin-colors. Think a vase of roses. Navy and black (or other neutrals together) don't clash, they're just boring and certainly un-cool. But black with electric blue is stunning.

My daughter the artist gets away with the most astounding things. She has what I call "visual perfect pitch." She can walk into a store and say, "That won't match, but this will," speaking of something at home. The human eye/brain can discern millions of colors, but it takes a certain talent, plus some training, to handle color skillfuly and creatively.

So people like me, and apparently you, need to stay a little closer to the rules - better to be boring than to frighten the horses in the street.

Dani257 · #7 02-25-2002, 08:12 PM

I have no sense of color. I couldn't tell you which ones go together or not. As for shoes, I ususlly only have one pair at a time, basic black, that I wear with everything. I'm probably a fashion nightmare.

pisces · #8 02-25-2002, 09:00 PM

I'm thinking it has to do with economics. Like how in bad times everybody grabs loud, bright colors to cheer themselves up. Hemlines go down, as people want to wrap themselves in more material.

As opposed to the preppy 1980's, supposedly good economic times, when miniskirts came back, less fabric, and everybody was wearing sort of muted, khaki, or neutral colors. In general.

Don't you think that people that try to match EVERYTHING in sight including matching the color of the lipstick to the purse and shoes....look sort of dumb? I mean, it's like they are trying too hard! Matching everything and anything in sight just looks too contrived--like you had nothing better to do and people just think, "Get a life."

I think what's in today is sort of an effortless simplicity. You are not supposed to come off like you spent oodles of vapid hours putting too much thought into it! Even though we all do!

FAVORITE COLORS: I'm wild about blue in any shade. I adore powder blue, but royal blue also. I love blue and grey combos. Blue is so soothing and a very lucky color. I'm a big believer in the blue dot!

I'll never wear black, I always opt for navy instead, and make that my basic black. I love navy and pink.

LEAST FAVORITE COLORS: It's a tie between green and orange. I'm looking at these green bars on my screen right now, and, actually it does sort of sooth the eyes.....but only on a computer screen! Not against the skin. I've never liked anyone, even redheads in green! And, there's no shade of it that I like. All shades of green in clothing look putrid to me, against the skin.

Same thing with orange. I find orange to be a very disturbing color--at least in clothing. I remember the days of those ghastly orange-y lipsticks. Very bizarre!

kurt_messick · #9 02-26-2002, 08:54 AM

I just stick with basic black. Goes with anything...