Sunday 6 January 2013

What's Wrong With Taupe?

Peter over at Male Pattern Boldness was asking what's up with taupe yesterday. To quote Peter, "if you want to look like the inside of a late-model Hyundai, wear taupe."

Oh Peter! How you do get me thinking.   

Now, I'm not going to shoot down Peter's opinion. By all means he is welcome to it and he did admit that he is fighting a mild flu. It must be the fever talking? But it has me thinking what's wrong with taupe?  

Seriously, taupe does seem to be a classic. Why even Peter's example of women's taupe runway fashion is from 2011. Love it! 

Shopping for a knit fabric for Vogue 1312, I was drawn to a table of crepe knit. There were several colours to chose from but I was drawn to the taupe colour even though the sales lady was trying to talk me out of it and into the black crepe knit. 

If I weren't shopping for the Vogue pattern I had in mind, I would have picked up one of the other colours like orange. But I felt that the unique design of the dress called for something neutral as to not overpower the design. 

I wasn't convinced by the sales lady's  suggestion that that black was a better colour on me, besides I have enough black dresses sitting in my wardrobe. I craved something different, something calming.  


Brad Pitt's character Rusty in Ocean 11 hit it with the line, "they say taupe is very soothing." I agree.  

Taupe, for me, is the colour of comfort. I can see my taupe dress working with my jean jacket or my indigo coloured wool jacket. I can dress it up or dress it down and always feel comfortable in this colour.  

To me taupe is a neutral colour that has endless possibilities. And that is why I like taupe, with its greyish brown possibilities. 


But why all the taupe bashing? I guess colours are personal and some just invoke strong reactions or not.  

Pantone released their colour forecast for 2013 and apparently emerald is the colour of the year. It is being sold as the lively and vibrant colour.  

Now emerald is a colour that I'm not all that excited about. None of the Pantone 2012 colours actually jump out for me. They don't make my soul sing like tangerine did last year or the possibilities that taupe offers. 

And according to "experts", taupe is not considered "the perfect colour match" with my olive skin either. But sometimes you just have to say to heck with colour theories and forecasts and just go with what makes you feel good even if that is looking like the interior of a car. 

I can't wait to show you my new taupe dress. Soon... 

Until then, Happy Sewing!      


10 comments:

  1. Nothing wrong with Taupe! I, like you, love it - perhaps not as a full garment, but i so love my taupe shoes... they go with everything!

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  2. I've just ordered some taupe shoes, that's not what they called the colour, but it is still taupe. I also have a tin of taupe paint for the gables on our house, they are currently camel which is a colour that I really don't like; taupe is so much more modern and cleaner looking too. It's probably not a colour I'd wear next to my face, but then I won't wear rust next to my face either but it does make a lovely skirt which I can wear my favourite peacock with. By the way, although I like Emerald, I won't be putting it in my wardrobe, it shrieks with peacock, lol.

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  3. I like taupe. Like you said, it's very soothing and a great neutral. Of course, my new sewing room is vaguely what some might call taupe and I call a brownish gross blah. I like taupe on the more grey-ish side of light brown, not the drab, light-sucking version that's all over my walls. It's all in the tone, I guess. I think the word 'taupe' has a bad connontation (sorry for spelling - it's late and I don't feel like looking up the spelling for it); colours and shades that people generally don't like in that vague grey-brown colour is lumped under that word. Which is a shame because it can be a lovely colour.

    ANYWAYS, I can't wait to see your taupe (of awesomeness) dress!

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  4. I love taupe, and find it goes with just about anything! But what's in a name - one of my friends just refers to all shades of taupe as 'boring beige'.
    Apparently 'taupe' in French means 'mole' as in the little creature that destroys gardens - luckily not an Aussie animal...

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  5. I don't go with those "in" colours as chosen by the experts necessarily either, I think we all have a set of best colours that suit us individually, our own hair, skin and eye colour and its wise to stick to those most of the time. Taupe is one of "my" colours though, so I guess I'm biased too!
    Happy New Year Graca! and thank you so much for those kind words on my blog :)

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  6. I winced when I saw the colors- I can't wear most of these nd they look a little plastic to me. I can do taupe, tho!

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  7. I have been craving taupe for a while now. I am sure I have some in my stash somewhere...FIESTA

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  8. I'm a taupe fan as well. My mother always used to say that you couldn't go wrong with taupe shoes - they go with everything. I think that the same is with jackets/skirts etc - you can dress up taupe with ANY color.

    I am a taupe fan and happy to shout it out!!!

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  9. Another vote for taupe, it can be casual or sophisticated. Love it. I got confused in my reading order, I read your dress post before this one, and I love the colour of your dress. It's lovely.

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  10. I have no problems with other people wearing taupe - I think it's a fine color :) It makes me look a bit sick with my light colored hair, so I tend to avoid it, but I think others can pull it off quite nicely.

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