What are Neutral Colours?

Neutrals are basically the non-colours.  They are created by either being achromatic (the absence of colour – eg. black, white and grey) or by mixing lots of colours together until there isn’t any distinguishable rainbow colour left eg brown tones such as sand, camel, honey, beige etc.

Neutrals will never be the most exciting colours in your wardrobe but they can be  great building blocks for creating stylish, flattering outfits that will stand the test of time. There are no absolute rules on how to wear them but a reasonable guideline for most women is that they should form at least 30% of your wardrobe. What works best for you though will depend largely on your style personality and your colouring type.

As well as the “standard” neutrals, your colour palette will also include a few additional colours such as teal, navy, pine and olive which we also classify as neutrals because they work well with so many other colours and are relaxing to the eye. During a colour analysis we identify your best neutral and accent colours and how to combine them so that you will look your very best.

Neutral colours don’t tend to date and this, combined with the fact that they team so well with other colours, makes them great choices for key investment pieces that you will likely want to keep for many years. So, a designer handbag in one of your best neutrals will  be a thing of joy forever. Likewise, if you’re looking to invest in a Winter coat that will see you through years to come, a neutral such as camel or navy will be a safer bet than the latest fashion colour that will soon scream “past season”. After all, you can always ring the changes with a variety of scarves in different colours and prints.

Neutrals to suit your personality

The colours we choose to wear can say a lot about us.  Extroverts and those who like to be noticed (Dramatics, Creatives) are often not that keen on neutrals as they consider them  a bit boring. They will generally make an exception for black though as this holds a certain allure and drama and combines well with the vibrant and primary colours which are likely to appeal to them.   Introverts and Naturals and City Chics, on the other hand, tend to favour combinations of low-key neutrals such as taupe, pewter and camel with maybe a pop of  an accent colour from a scarf or belt.

Neutrals to suit your colouring

Neutrals work especially well for some types of colouring. If you’re a Soft who looks good in tonal colour combinations, wearing a mix of subtle neutrals can look sophisticated and enhance your natural colouring, whereas a vibrant Clear will just look washed out in tone on tone neutrals and needs to inject some contrast into her outfit with a striking combination such as black and/or pure white worn with a bold accent such as scarlet or cobalt blue.

If in doubt as to which neutrals will work best with your colouring, a good starting point is to be guided by your hair colour. If you have very dark or steely grey hair, dark navy, pine and black are likely be flattering to you, whereas if you have light or mousy hair, neutrals such as taupe, light navy or cocoa should work well. Redheads will look good in neutrals with a warm undertone such as olive, chocolate or camel.

My own colouring is Soft & Warm with little natural contrast, so I never wear black (It’s much too harsh and  ages me by at least ten years!) and I opt instead for browns, stones and taupes etc worn with fairly soft accent colours. My colleague, Sarah Harris, is the opposite to me; Clear & Cool with lots of contrast in her colouring (dark hair, bright eyes and pale skin) so, as you can see, she looks stunning in the contrast afforded by pure white teamed with fuchsia.

If you’d like to feel confident in your colour choices and understand more abut how to choose and wear neutral and accent colours so that you look your very best, why not book in for a colour analysis?