HOW TO DETERMINE THE UNDERTONE OF BEIGE

If you’ve been following me for a while, you might have noticed that I don’t tend to talk about trends much. I believe that we need to find our own style path, think longer term for our wardrobe and our style and only dip into the trends that work for us. However, trends are there to keep us from stagnating and we should use them to help evolve our style, so let’s take a look at one of the biggest trends for this season. Beige!

One of the key SS19 trends is to wear top-to-toe beige. I must admit that I struggle with not wanting to add a pop of colour and tend to feel rather flat in an all neutral outfit, but that’s simply because it doesn’t suit my personality or colouring. If you have colourful features - pinkish skin, blue eyes, blond or red hair - then you might not feel quite right in all neutrals. But I do like the aesthetic. I think mixing up textures and layering could make it work better for me.

Done right, this look is incredibly elegant and sophisticated and any pieces that you invest in this season should serve you well (styled differently) for years to come. Investing in good basics is one of the most important things we can do for our style and beige is a really good light basic.

add contrast somewhere if you have dark hair. Image from pinterest.

Top-to-toe beige is a great look if you have fair hair, but with dark hair I would recommend adding some contrast somewhere - even if it’s just a darker shoe to give you that pleasing visual bookending. Wearing one colour from head to toe is a great trick for making you look taller and slimmer, as there are no horizontal visual breaks in the look, so our eye is drawn upwards. If you added a slightly darker shade of beige or camel in the form of a blazer or jacket, then this would have even more slimming properties. If you do have a defined waist and aren’t vertically challenged, then breaking up the head to toe look with a contrasting belt would be a great look for you. It’s perhaps not one for Mums with babies or toddlers though… wait 4 years and light and white outfits will be yours again!

However there are different shades of beige - a lot more than 50. But some beiges are cool and some are warm, and I must admit it’s one of the trickier colours to spot when it’s in isolation. But if you’re working on putting together a cohesive wardrobe in your colour palette, it’s definitely worth taking into account. Cool shades of beige won’t look quite right mixed with warm colours and vice versa. And of course, getting the wrong shade won’t flatter you as much either - it’s a colour that has the ability to wash you out when done wrong.

When we look at the undertone of a colour, we usually think about whether a colour is yellow-based for warm and blue-based for cool. Think of it in terms of mixing paint - mix a bit of yellow with red and it becomes a warm tomato red or an orangey red (my favourite). Mix it with blue and we’re in cool raspberry territory. And so on for all the other colours of the rainbow.

With beiges, we’re still looking for yellow-toned beiges for a warm beige but pink-toned beiges for cool. Cool beiges can run into taupes and warm beiges into oatmeals and a multitude of other names!

So you see, even with a trend seemingly as simple as all beige, there is always a way to make it work even better for you and think about it longer term. If you know which colours suit you and what wardrobe gaps you have, then shopping becomes easier. It’s worth taking a look in your wardrobe to see what you already have and if you like this look or need some light neutrals to add to your wardrobe, then this season will be a good one to invest.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to find out what shade of beige suits you, get in touch or leave me a comment.