The best colours for your capsule wardrobe: which colours suit you?

Dec 13, 2021 | 2 comments


Which colours suit me? Which colours are considered most “safe”? And which colours should you invest in for your capsule wardrobe? That’s exactly what we’ll discuss in this post. Colours are a mystery to some people – for others it is a tool often used as a mood booster. And I must admit that I, until quite recently, probably fell in to the former category. For several years the basic, monochrome and neutral colours have been my primary choice for my wardrobe. Today I am a trained colour consultant through Color Me Beautiful, and although I am still just as obsessed with neutral colours as I have always been, I have learned to expand the concept of what exactly makes up a neutral colour. Because even neutral colours are not just neutral colours. They come in many versions.

So what exactly is a neutral color? We especially look at the following colour terms:

  • Neutral colours: these are the basic colours that you typically choose when investing in wardrobe staples and you want to make sure that the colour choice is also a sustainable investment. And they come in many variations: warm, cool, soft, deep, etc.
  • Accent colours: the real colours in your wardrobe, also called “fashion colours”. Like the neutral colours, these also come in many different variations.
  • Universal colours: colours that go across color types and suit most people (purple is an example of a universal color).

DK: Hvilke farver klæder mig bedst? Hvilke farver er mest “sikre”? Og hvilke farver giver bedst mening at investere i, til din capsule wardrobe? Det skal vi snakke lidt om i dette indlæg. Farver er et mysterie for nogle mennesker – for andre er det et redskab hyppigt brugt til, at løfte humøret. Og jeg må indrømme jeg indtil for ganske nyligt, nok er faldet mere ind under førstnævnte. I flere år har de sikre, monokrome og neutrale farver været mit primære valg. I dag er jeg uddannet farvekonsulent gennem Colour Me Beautiful, og selvom jeg stadig er ligeså tosset med neutrale farver som jeg altid har været, så jeg har i dén grad fået udvidet basis-farve begrebet. For selv neutrale farver er ikke bare neutrale farve. De kommer i mange versioner.

Så hvad er en neutral farve egentlig? Vi kigger især på følgende 3 begreber: 

  • Neutrale farver: dette er basis farverne, som du typisk vælger når du investerer i din garderobe og gerne vil sikre dig, at farven også er en holdbar investering. Og de kommer i mange afskygninger: varme, kolde, bløde, dybe osv.
  • Accent farver: de reelle farver i din garderobe, også kaldet “fashion colours”. Ligesom de neutrale farver kommer også disse i mange forskellige afskygninger.
  • Universelle farver: enkelte farver, der går på tværs af farvetyper og klæder de fleste mennesker (lilla er et eksempel på en universel farve).

Dominant colour types. What are those, you might be wondering?

Colour Me Beautiful has moved away from the traditional 12-season colour system that some of you may know. Today we work with ‘the tonal system’ instead, meaning you have a dominant colour type + a secondary and tertiary colour type (which are added during an advanced analysis). This gives us 24 different colour types in total, not just the 6 dominant ones! This method ensures that you get an understanding of why some colours suit you better than others, and it’s also a way to ensure higher flexibility – because not only do we look at a person’s colouring, we also take into consideration your personality, style preferences and profession to ensure getting a palette that works for you on every level of your life.

With the new system comes a higher focus on how to wear the colours rather than just what colours to wear. Many stylists still use the seasons approach (and other approaches can be found out there too), and it doesn’t mean that they are wrong, or that I’m wrong for using this method either for that matter. Most colour analysis methods have similarities in the way we analyse, but there are some things that differentiate them. With the tonal system we have 6 dominant colour types that you can learn more about in the video below. Whether you fall within one or another colour type is determined by the relationship between your skin, your hair and your eyes. And when the colours you wear on your body harmonize with your natural features, something wonderful happens. These will be your best colours. Even a neutral, basic colour is not just a neutral basic colour, as mentioned before. The 6 dominant colour types are based on Munsell’s colour theory. The beauty of Munsell is that it can be used to describe a person’s colouring (the relationship between your hair, eyes and skin colour as mentioned before), and specify which colours to then wear and how to combine them. The aim is to create harmony and balance between your colouring and choice + combination of colours. The 6 dominant colour types are as follows:

  • Light
  • Deep
  • Warm
  • Cool
  • Clear
  • Soft

Bottom line is that everyone can wear any colour: but the version of the different colours have a huge impact on your appearance, and certainly also the mental state you enter when you put on these clothes. A colour palette for a soft colour type can thus be just as colourful as for a clear colour type, although the former looks best in the muted versions of colours. I think many of us have tried buying an item in a colour we’ve seen on someone else, only to find out it didn’t work for us at all. Colours you both feel and can see with your own eyes are right for you are also the colours that will last longer in your wardrobe. That’s why it’s important to talk about the right colours for the right colour types when building a more conscious wardrobe. It’s not about generalizing or pigeonholing yourself. It’s rather a form of limitation art, which paradoxically will make you feel more free – open your eyes to your best possibilities, rather than focusing on the limitations.

And therefore the answer to which colours are best to invest in for your capsule wardrobe is simply the colours that compliment your dominant colour type the very best! Fun fact: many people are actually naturally attracted to colours that go well with their color type and temper without being aware of it. It’s a good example of how colours can be included in your wardrobe both as a design element and an expression of personal style, but also something that is an extension of you as an individual. I am, for example, a soft colour type, and in terms of personality, I actually also think that the soft, more toned down colours fit better with my personality and my temper. Of course it doesn’t always have to be this way, but I still think it’s quite fun to think about.

DK: Dominante farvetyper. Hvad er det, tænker du måske?

Colour Me Beautiful er gået væk fra det traditionelle 12 sæsoners farvesystem, som nogle af jer måske kender. I dag arbejder vi i stedet med hvad vi kalder ‘the tonal system’ hvor man har en dominant farvetype + en sekundær farvetype (de sidste to tilføjes gennem en mere avanceret analyse). Det betyder, at vi faktisk ender op med hele 24 forskellige farvetyper og ikke kun de 6 dominante! Denne metode sikrer, at du får en forståelse for hvorfor nogle farver klæder dig bedre end andre – men det gør også metoden super fleksibel. Vi analyserer nemlig ikke kun ud fra dine fysiske træk, men også baseret på dine stil præferencer, din livsstil og din profession. Det betyder at du får en palette af farver, som fungerer for dig på mere end ét plan.

 Med det nye system er der også et højere fokus på hvordan man kan iklæde sig farver, mere end blot et fokus på hvilke farver man kan bør gå efter. Mange stylister bruger stadig sæson-systemet når de laver farveanalyse, og det er der ikke noget galt med. Det betyder ikke at det er forkert, eller at andre metoder er forkerte for den sags skyld. Det er blot forskellige tilgange til, at sammensætte farvepaletter for vores klienter. Ifølge Colour Me Beautiful’s ‘tonal system’ findes der 6 dominante farvetyper, som du kan lære mere om i videoen nedenfor. Om du falder indenfor den ene eller anden farvetype afgøres af samspillet mellem din hud, dit hår og dine øjne. Og når de farver du bærer på kroppen harmonerer bedst muligt med dine naturlige træk, så sker der altså noget fuldstændigt vidunderligt. Det er disse farver, som teoretisk set klæder dig bedst. Selv en neutral, basis farve er ikke bare hvilken som helst neutral basis farve, som nævnt før. De 6 dominante farvetyper er baseret på Munsells farveteori. Det fantastiske ved Munsell er, at dette system netop kan bruges til at beskrive en persons farvetræk (samspillet mellem hår, hud og øjne som nævnt før). Målet er at skabe balance mellem dine farvetræk og dit valg/kombinationen af farver når det kommer til beklædning. De 6 dominante farve typer er:

  • Light
  • Deep
  • Warm
  • Cool
  • Clear
  • Soft

Bottomline er, at alle kan gå i alle farver: men versionen af de forskellige farver har en kæmpestor betydning for din fremtoning, og helt bestemt også den mentale tilstand du befinder dig i, når du tager tøjet på. En farvepalette for en soft kan således være ligeså farverig som for en clear, selvom førnævnte tager sig best ud i de mere nedtonede versioner af farverne. Jeg tror mange af os kender til det dér med, at købe noget i en farve vi har set på en anden, blot for at finde ud af det slet ikke fungerer for os. Farver du også føler og kan se med egne øjne er rigtige for dig er også de farver, som vil holde længst tid i din garderobe. Lige netop derfor er det vigtigt, at tale om de rigtige farver til de rigtige farvetyper, i forbindelse med holdbar garderobeopbygning. Det handler ikke om at generalisere eller putte dig selv i en boks. Det er en form for begrænsningens kunst, som paradoksalt nok vil få dig til at føle dig mere fri – åbne øjnene for mulighederne, fremfor at fokusere på netop begræsningerne. 

Og derfor er svaret på hvilke farver, der er bedst at investere i til din capsule wardrobe ganske enkelt de farver, som komplimenterer din dominante farvetype allerbedst! Fun fact: mange mennesker tiltrækkes faktisk helt naturligt af farver, som passer godt til deres farvetype og temperament uden de selv ved det. Og det er et godt eksempel på, hvordan farver kan indgå i garderoben både som design element og et udtryk for personlig stil, men altså også noget der er en forlængelse af os som individer. Jeg er for eksempel en “soft” farvetype, og rent personlighedsmæssigt synes jeg faktisk også, at de bløde, mere nedtonede farver passer perfekt til min personlighed og mit temperament. Det behøver naturligvis ikke altid være sådan, men jeg synes nu alligevel det er ret sjovt. 

These are just a few examples of the dominant colour types – but it’s important to keep in mind,
that even within the different colour types people can look very different! Especially eye and skin colour vary a lot.

When you know your dominant colour type, when you understand exactly which version of the colours you should look for, it will also be much easier for you to put together lovely colour combinations. It all just kind of makes a little more sense. You can make your wardrobe just as neutral or colourful as you want, because again, it all just depends on the version of the individual colours, how you combine them and how they compliment your eyes, skin and hair combined. And I promise you, you’ll look at your current wardrobe with brand new eyes! I myself had a few colourful items in my storage boxes that I haven’t worn for quite some time, but suddenly I was inspired to actually start wearing those again. So when you know your colour type, start with what you have and start small: focus on a few items you can wear close to your face (e.g. tops, scarves or similar), because this is really where you will see and feel the biggest difference. Bare in mind, that if you e.g. dye your hair a new colour you could move into a different colour type – so you’re not necessarily the same dominant colour type for the rest of your life.

If this sounds like exactly the tool you have been missing to make your capsule wardrobe even more tailored to you, your style and your preferences, give the video below a watch as I will be giving you an introduction to the 6 dominant colour types. If you want to take the next step, you can learn how to determine your own colour type via my online course HERE (lesson 4), or book me for a colour consultation where I will help you through the process to determine your colour type from start to finish. They take place both online and in-person. Read more HERE. Both options include a colour palette (a physical wallet or PDF) tailormade to suit your dominant colour type.

Enjoy! 🖤

DK: Når du kender din farvetype, når du forstår præcis hvilken version af farverne du skal kigge efter, så bliver det også meget nemmere for dig, at sammensætte lækre farvekombinationer. Det hele vil ligesom give lidt mere mening. Du kan gøre din garderobe lige præcis så neutral eller farverig som du ønsker, fordi igen så afhænger det hele blot af versionen af de enkelte farver, hvordan du kombinerer dem, og hvordan de komplimenterer dit hår, hud og dine øjne som helhed. Og du vil med garanti se på din nuværende garderobe med helt nye øjne! Jeg selv havde items i mine opbevaringsbokse, som jeg ikke har brugt i noget tid, men som jeg pludselig fik fornyet inspiration til igen, at tage i brug. Så når du kender din farvetype, så start med det du har og start i det små: fokusér på enkelte items du kan bære tæt på ansigtet (fx toppe, tørklæder og lignende), for det er virkelig her du vil se og føle den største forskel. Én ting der er vigtigt at nævne her til sidt er, at hvis du fx farver dit hår, så kan du med stor sandsynlighed flytte dig fra én farvetype til en anden. Så det er meget muligt, at du ikke forbliver den samme dominante farvetype hele livet.

Hvis det lyder som lige netop dét redskab du har manglet til, at gøre din capsule wardrobe endnu mere skræddersyet til lige netop dig, din stil og dine præferencer, så se med i videoen nedenfor, hvor jeg kommer med en introduktion til de 6 dominante farvetyper. Ønsker du at tage skridtet videre kan du lære, at bestemme din egen farvetype via mit online kursus HER (lektion 4), eller booke mig til en farvekonsultation hvor jeg hjælper dig gennem forløbet med, at bestemme din farvetype fra start til slut. De foregår både online og fysisk – læs mere HER. Begge dele inkluderer en farvepalette (et fysisk hæfte eller en PDF), med de farver der passer præcis til din dominante farvetype. 

God fornøjelse! 🖤 

2 Comments

  1. Lotte

    Dear Signe,
    I would love a post on shopping tips. I am a soft cool type and I think it is quiet difficult to find pieces in muted, cool colors. Maybe, because they do not look very appealing in bright white store light, whilst warmer subtones make clothes look good on a hanger in a store?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Celsa Muniz

    I like what I see. I do have a Question, i am in m late sixties. And I am retIred . Those the master class Be helpful for Me? I am n happy with my wArdroBe , to many pAttern .

    Reply

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