Color-stuck?

[SometimesJen]

I recently ran across a thread that posits Beau Brummell was single-handedly responsible for eliminating most colors and frills from menswear, damning genetic males for centuries to a drab palette of black, grey, olive, and navy, practically forever separating the genders and building an invisible cultural barrier that keeps us from dressing as we like. Has it become so ingrained that we're stuck in that palette, even when we consciously choose to step outside the norm?

I was discussing this with my SO when she pointed out that most of my dresses, skirts, blouses, pants, and even my boots fall in the range of darker earth tones. I have a few pieces that are rich jewel toned blue, green, and red (which look fabulous), but only a single pink dress, which I've never worn.

Help! Am I color-stuck? Do I have any hope of breaking out of this drab mold? Who else is so bound by our indoctrination of what we should wear that, even when we try to break the style boundaries, are still stuck in the same drab colors?

[Stephanie47]

You have to do a personal examination of your color choices. Myself? I will agree my men's dress/work pants do fall into the earth tones; black, browns, greys. Solids, no patterns. However, my dress shirts ranged all over the color spectrum. Generally, solids because of the professional look of said attire. However, I expressed myself with colorful ties, and, ties with even graphic designs. No dark blue suits with white shirt and red power tie. Being retired now I rarely wear a solid dress shirt. It's patterns. Or in the realm of tee shirts, it's graphic tee shirts.

My dresses? I do have some earth tone solids among my 162 dresses. Yep, the basic little black dresses and sweater dresses for winter; grey and browns, which can be accessorized to break up the solid color. Other solids are white, cream, red. Other single color dresses have patterns in the fabric. What you're describing is almost the classic utilitarian look of the old communist block countries. My personal preferences are prints; especially floral dresses.

I peruse the e-commerce sites for dresses, and, I see lots of pretty and colorful dresses. You just have consciously break the mold. And, many women seem to be stuck in the drab mold too when it comes to jeans. Out of 100 women in jeans at the mall, how many are wearing a color other than blue?

[Patience]

Yes. No. Maybe. Who cares? What was the question?

I don't know if you're a stay at home dresser or if you go out. Personally, I like earth tones and sensible colors. They help me blend when I go out dressed. Also, earth-tones look good on most people.

I think once one's accepted one's dressing, all that gender convention stuff flies pretty much out the window, including colors. Yes, itis possible we gravitate towards colors we're used to, maybe subconsciously, maybe deliberately, or even by mere chance. The point is, do you like your outfits or not?

We all have items we'd like in our wardrobe. There's so much stuff to be had, it's just a matter of tailoring one's shopping to that particular item and/or waiting for the right piece to come along. I hope this makes sense.

[Elizabeth G]

A couple of years ago I took a long hard look at my femme wardrobe and realized that my penchant for "safe" ( a.k.a. drab) colors in my male clothes had carried over. I decided to liven up my women's clothes by consciously going outside my comfort zone and with a little bit of help from a friend (ok, maybe more than a little bit) I have really expanded my colors. Now I find it to be way more fun picking out outfits!

[Tracii G]

Your choices of colors is up to you and if you have dark earth tones then thats because you bought them.
Don't blame some dead person for your choices.
There seems to be a "lets blame others" culture going on these days.
If I mess up its my fault, if I buy black yoga pants it was my choice.

[Micki_Finn]

Being to dress as you like is one of the reasons we do this, no? If you want to wear earth tones, then you go for it! It’s about what makes you happy, not living up to some preconceived standard.

In a way your own conundrum reveals latently sexist thinking. Why do women have to wear bright colors?

[Nikki A.]

I've also looked at my wardrobe and see that I've fallen into the dark color (especially black) trap. Part of the problem is that it is sometimes hard to find larger sizes in brighter colors. I make it a point not to buy anything else black unless it is something completely different or a can't pass up deal.

[Bobbi46]

being colour stuck is from being used for so long to drab middle of the road colours however where dressing comes in there has and always will be a greater choice of styles and colours to find some of them a bit daunting to try because it is a new world we are living in and and also colours are something to get to grips with. Used to be stuck with dark greys and dark blues but now my skirts are a bit more colourful, my pink and white cowl neck pullover is a special thing for me.
I think finding the right colours to choose is hard from the start but once you step outside the loop it gets easier.

[Maid_Marion]

I've worn pretty much everything on the color spectrum, including bright pink, yellow, and orange. Lately I've been buying a lot of floral prints.

[Eemz]

For me it was mostly habit - I had figured out that blues work for me in male mode and earth tones make me look ill, and so I applied the same rules to shopping in the women's section. Combined with fear that "loud" colors would make me stand out, which was the last thing I wanted.

Interestingly, I've started to move my color choices recently because I finally realized that the brown wig changes things. So I now have some femme clothes that really work, in colors that would make me look like I had jaundice in male mode. This is all new, so it's interesting to open my eyes to things I would never consider before.

[foxy bartender]

I read that thread as well, and it was quite interesting. I try to blend bold, bright colors, with more subdued pieces so I don’t get color stuck. I always make sure I have at least one pop of color in my outfit, and try to coordinate that pop of color with my nail polish and my makeup.
I definitely understand why its so easy to keep everything in a similar color palette, and thats why i always try to break out of that.
Just my two cents

[Angie G]

Wear what suits you whatever your comfortable in. But OMG girl you need to put that pink dress on Jen.
Angie

[Jean 103]

Tracii is right, it's your choice.

One of my friends recently referred to me as the pink lady, because I wear pink a lot. I love color.

[RADER]

You might be on to something; Most of my skirts are a darker color, And a few Tops are also.
Now my LBD is black, and I also have a white and black one, and a dark blue one too.
So I am guilty of being color blind. I am going to go and find a bright color dress this weekend.
Thank You for the help.
Rader

[Beverley Sims]

In male mode I gravitate towards grey, fawn and brown.

As a girl I grevitate towards light bright colours.

I do not carry the colour cast across to my female side.

[Tracii G]

Red and black are my fave combination.
I'm not a fan of yellow but I had a yellow top on and a GF told me how great yellow looked on me.
I thought I looked ok at best but she loved it on me so I do wear yellow more often than I used to.
I do wear pink quite a bit.

[Macey]

More earthy over here as well. Lately a lot of blues and burgundies. Pink was never my color, I tend to loath orange. My male side likes greens and I've got to get more in my fem wardrobe.

[alice one day]

I tried some brighter colours with my male wardrobe and got lots of snide comments which surprised me. I currently have a deep red sparkly top and a silvery top which I love but do tend to buy plain colours.

[t-girlxsophie]

Quite a mixed bag of colours for me have a lot of black/ dark clothing.But my wardrobe is also awash with pink, I've recently began getting things with different colours that are new or rare to me

Sophif

[Asew]

I often mix my male shirts and hoodies with skirts. I quickly realized how colorful my skirts were compared to my boring menswear. So as a result I have added some color to my menswear side of the closet to match better.

[BobbiKay]

I'm usually in jeans and a collared shirt on the job. One of my rationales for wearing women's jeans is the wider color palette. Same goes for golf shirts. Or I'll put a colorful t-shirt under a drab shirt for a hint of color.

If only the jeans had real pockets, not pretend ones!

[Robertacd]

The premise that men don't have colorful clothing to choose from is really not true these days.

Frankly I am a peacock but I don't like the way I look in DRAB so I stick to a lot of blacks, blues, earth tones.

But DRAG anything goes from blacks ,deep purples and reds, bold colors, bight flowers, colorful geometric prints to pastels.

Honestly there are not many colors I can't wear, makes my wife mad because she is so pale there are many colors she can't wear that I can.

[Ineke Vashon]

I visited an REI last week. On the ladies clothes side, abundant and vibrant spring colors. On the men's side, all dark and drab. I asked one sales person why the dull shades. He said that's what's coming out. YECH!

Ineke

[Robertacd]

Sure at REI, but look in any department store's men's department you see dress shirts in all the colors of the rainbow, in the casual section, bright prints, colorful plaids, and colors abound.

BTW: For those of you that don't know REI is an outdoor clothing and gear store in the Pacific Northwest. The more limited colors make sense for REI because most ourdoorsmen want to blend in with nature or be camouflaged and women are more likely thinking I don't want to get lost in the woods so give me a bright color jacket.

Not to mention "athleisure" in the Pacific NW is wearing Colombia and North Face not Nike and Reebok

[Jasmine Jones NZ]

If I was to do the calculation my wardrobe would be over 90% black but there’s probably reasons for it without actually doing it on purpose.
Firstly I like black and live little black dresses.
Black is slimming, is any other reason required.
I know black suits me therefore there is no risk of buying a colour that doesn’t suit.
I have all of the accessories for black dresses therefore I don’t have to buy matching shoes or purse to go with a new dress.
Now having said all of this I’m looking at getting a few new colours in the wardrobe.