All things EARTH...

[laurspag]

This looks pretty earthy to me, except maybe the blue. It's on Ebay and at a very good price:

 

[laurspag]

Of course, there's that silvery ring too. Why did they do that????

[laurspag]

I found these sandals yesterday at Lord and Taylor. The prices there are normally high for me, but I got 25% off, plus an extra 15%.

 

What do you think?

[Anita Latte]

It's so annoying when they put something like that silvery ring on a warm dress! I think the overall effect of the dress is EARTH...the blue does seem bright, but that doesn't mean anything really...I tried on a dress today in Cache that was obviously a muted blue, but it looks totally bright online.

 

Those sandals are very nice! The gold doesn't seem to brassy...also seems like the heel isn't too high...I like them!

[Anita Latte]

OK...I'm sharing these photos that I took today...mainly because I want Mom to see how the blue shirts she gave me look...and also because these are good photos for analysis...so everyone who has recently joined our conversation can see how it isn't really a big deal to do these photos...

 

It DOES get easier though when you have a control. From past color parties, I have a shirt that isn't necessarily my BEST shirt or color, but for whatever reason, I just can't take a bad photo in this shirt...so it is almost always one of my control shirts. Today I was wearing a yellow that I know is EARTH...so there are two "control" photos in the following group.

 

I took these other photos because Mom gave me these blue shirts that didn't work for her...thinking they might work for me...and I was curious about this one purple color...

 

 

Now here is the interesting thing about these photos...I can absolutely tell you without reservation that my control pictures are the only EARTH colors...the blues and purple are AIR all the way. They are muted colors...but they are cool...how can I tell?

 

Well...a very good clue is simply to look at the bed curtain in the background...this is a pure white curtain...and it looks pure white in the yellow and green shirt...and it looks aged in the blues and purple. And yet...these photos were taken, in this order...yellow, blue, aqua, green, purple...within minutes of each other. The camera did an automatic adjustment to the photos with the blues and purple shirts. This is a clue that the coloring was wrong.

 

Like I have said before...it can be a hard education to really understand what you look like when you look "good" especially when looking at a grouping of photos like this...because my hair actually looks better to my eye in the AIR colors...I like that more golden blonde look...but the fact is that this is just happening because of a camera adjustment...my hair is darker still from the winter...

 

And looking at my skin tone...there's a certain glow that is happening in the AIR colors because of whatever the camera did...but again...this is a hard education...but there is a quality to the way my skin photographed in the EARTH tones...I hesitate to use the word realistic...or sharp...but there IS a certain "un-retouched" quality to my skin in the EARTH colors...and yet...tired, with a skin break out, too-much sun on the chest, unbrushed hair, ruffled eyebrows, NO MAKEUP, etc....all those things considered...I look pretty good LOL!...I am distinct from the background...and there just isn't this same hard to describe quality in the AIR colors...

 

So there you go...I hope you can see what I've tried to describe. Sorry Mom, the blues did not work for me either...they will not be going to GA...let the curating continue...

[laurspag]

That yellow almost seems to have a touch of gold to it, so it definitely looks right, I agree. The first blue feels like ice, the second like air as it's a muted version of the first. I'm out in left field on the purple, I want to say air even though it isn't distinctively muted...confused? I sure am, lol. I can say they don't feel earthy to me, but I'm not good with blue and purple just yet.

 

I know my own personal best color is a dark chocolate brown. That is why one of my formal dresses is that color, and I absolutely love it. It was a unanimous vote through and through the house too, so others could clearly see it as a good color. I may not be right, but it seems to me like some of my best colors are the strongest of the autumn group. Maybe I'm just unsure about lighter colors? I am drawn to that olivey green taffeta (the later picture, not the first one in the dark green) but I am concerned it may be borderline when it comes to being muted. The brown chiffon works.

 

I love your experiments, and I love to see the pictures. I really need to take time to do that. My closet doors are bifold and painted white, so I could use them as a back drop. I look forward to seeing your red dress when it comes in. I know your mom really liked the color for you.

 

Those sandals are great - the heel isn't too high, and it's wide enough to make it comfortable to walk in. The gold is warm without being a gaudy yellowy tone.

[MJC]

Of course, there's that silvery ring too. Why did they do that????

 

That might be fixed by a hot glue gun and a trip to Michael's. That's such a cute dress.

 

I like the sandals too. Just enough straps and just the right height to be comfortable. Isn't it funny with gold that we can see with our eyes the borderline between gaudy and just right, but it's so hard to describe.

Edited April 22, 2012 by MJC
add info

[MJC]

Now here is the interesting thing about these photos...I can absolutely tell you without reservation that my control pictures are the only EARTH colors...the blues and purple are AIR all the way. They are muted colors...but they are cool...how can I tell?

 

Aside from the coolness and what they do to your skin tone, I think your coloring is very soft and you are easily overwhelmed by the saturation of those blues, muted or not. I am thinking that here is where our individual coloring tells us where our best colors are even within the core EARTH comfort zone, or what shade or tint of an EARTH color works best for us. Some websites talk about Light/Dark Autumns, or Soft/Deep or some other terminology, which I also think can be helpful as I try to puzzle out color. I'm connecting this thought with your earlier post about "baby poop green" and Laura's comment about her favorite being chocolate brown, and my general love of teal blue.

 

I'm just thinking aloud here (so to speak), so I don't think I'm trying to make a point of any kind. Just puzzling through.

 

Also, even if that purple were more muted it would still be a cool purple and not a warm one, too much blue in it. I keep thinking back to the purple dress on Natalie Portman that has more red in it:

 

[Anita Latte]

The idea of saturation is an interesting one...it's what Mom was talking about with regard to the lighter colors on some of the FIRE ladies...and how they don't provide enough color for many of the FIRE ladies...as for me...I don't know if I would call myself soft...I am one of the few ladies around here that doesn't have brown eyes...and I think that could be what makes you think that...because I don't have that darker element on my face...but I also can't wear pale colors...and I think I look really good in the darker plums that I know are EARTH and a darker green was everyone's fav on me (the shirt itself is just such a cheap ribbed tank).

 

When I bought that purple tank, I was thinking of Susan Sarandon's dress:

[laurspag]

I loved Natalie Portman's dress. I have been looking for that color. A few times when I've seen it, I do a double take and worry what it will look like in different lights. From a coloring standpoint, my hair and skin tone is similar to hers.

 

With Susan Sarandon, I think she looks gorgeous, but I had some trouble with the color of the dress. It seemed cool to me. It was definitely muted.

 

On another note, I love the orange dress next to it. I haven't fully figured out orange just yet. I did like that color a lot, and wondered about it.

 

Do you sometimes see certain colors as borderline cool/warm? It's like the color you see a lot now - not pink, not coral...not sure what it is!

[Member123]

Laurie, I know exactly what you mean! My DH came home from a mall shopping excursion and told me that he had seen a Ralph Lauren wrap dress that he thought I would love and he wanted me to go see it right away.. because he looked at the tag and the name of the color was Hot Coral. He thought I couldn't go wrong with that color name.

 

So, off I run to the mall and I look at that dress and, boy, was that a huge puzzle. So I thought I was "nuts" because how could a cool color be named a Hot name?!? But, I tried it on and it just didn't work. This dress was definitely not muted; not one bit. So I just couldn't make up my mind.

 

When I visited Anita, she and I saw that dress on one of our mall walks... she said, "I don't know WHAT that is trying to be!" I think it was a cool color with warm accents, because all the dress hardware was gold. Kind of like your EARTH dress with the silver neck hardware.

 

As IF we don't have enough issues trying to figure this out for us... the designers go and try to put together a dress that is a little bit of this and a little bit of that... and ultimately doesn't work for ANYone.

[laurspag]

I am even seeing that metallics are being altered a lot too, where you can't tell what something is.

 

I think I might get that dress, and then I will take off the silver thingy. I sew, although I don't reall make garments any more. I'm sure I can remove it, replace it, or alter it without too much work. The dress is $16.99, and the colors are quite good otherwise.

 

By the way, I was moving around some clothing today. Our weather has been so mixed here lately. It was in the 80's on Friday, and yesterday was 39. I figured I'd start to get out the nicer weather clothing, and I can wear a sweater or jacket over a short sleeve shirt. Well, I came across two things: a white 3/4 length sleeve sweater, and a tropical print sundress. The dress had some nice golds and greens in it, but it had a white background and some cool blues. I tea stained both of them. The sweater looks great, and the dress is more muted and toned down now.

 

It's scary to do, in a way, but I would have gotten rid of them otherwise so I'm happy I took the risk!

[cooki801]

I am beginning to wonder if I am a Fire not Earth?

I read the explanation over again and I don't have the dark green eyes but lighter green. I wish I knew the names of the celebs on the website so that I could Google them and see other pictures LOL I am so un-hip! LOL

I would love to get a personal consultation but it isn't in the budget at this time.

Anyone, can you give me a few more details on what differentiates Fire from Earth? It seems they are the same excepts for lighter eyes and general coloring?

[MJC]

I think I might get that dress, and then I will take off the silver thingy. I sew, although I don't reall make garments any more. I'm sure I can remove it, replace it, or alter it without too much work. The dress is $16.99, and the colors are quite good otherwise.

 

At such a price, it's worth trying! I think it's really cute.

 

I tea stained both of them. The sweater looks great, and the dress is more muted and toned down now.

 

It's scary to do, in a way, but I would have gotten rid of them otherwise so I'm happy I took the risk!

 

I tried tea staining for the first time this weekend, on a white tshirt that I was going to get rid of anyway. But, it came out with a small dark mark right in the middle of the front. I can't tell if it's from an old stain, or from contact with tea particles in the water. Any tips for me before I try it next time?

[MJC]

This Red Valentino dress is out of my price range, but so cute!

[laurspag]

Oh, I love that dress. I don't want to know what it costs though, lol.

[MJC]

Even the "low-end" Valentino is scary expensive. But it has gold beading and sequins on it too! Tastefully, of course.

[MJC]

Sometimes just a tiny bit of shopping is satisfying. Today I wanted some copper eye shadow, and I found this:

 

http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:pdp//objectid+Cos21l_4//{pdp_tab:pdp_overview//objectid+Cos21l_4//}|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank}

 

It's supposed to be waterproof and I'm going to leave it on all night and see how it wears, and whether it irritates my sensitive skin. It truly is a copper and not brown or gold.

 

I also bought this in Bad to the Bronze, but it is a very cool brown and not at all what it looks like in the package:

 

http://www.drugstore.com/maybelline-eyestudio-color-tattoo-24hr-eyeshadow-bad-to-the-bronze/qxp394237?catid=183538

 

I noticed that it emphasized the more ashy color of my brows and really clashed with my hair. Not good. I'll give it to my ICE friend.

 

And, I bought these at Bed Bath & Beyond, a nice collection of earthy shades (I had to use flash so the colors are a bit brighter than IRL), only $1.99:

[laurspag]

I put away some of my heavy winter things over the weekend, and took out the summery items. My timing is strange, since we've had a wet snow/rain combination off and on over the past few days!

 

I notice when I take a long look at my clothing, that I am fairly accurate overall. I tend to get tripped up by all those brown/beige like tones that end up cool by the time I get them home in a different light. This can be very true of pants. I have about 3 pair where I really can't tell ou what color they are! Then there are those that are cool, and I grabbed them anyway because they weren't black or gray. :confused:

 

Member 123 (Anita's mom) and I were discussing those off tones not too long ago. I really need to find suits and dress pants in my colors, that don't cost a small fortune. Maybe I will get to Kohls soon and see what they have.

[cooki801]

Thanks so much ladies for your input on what my colors might be.

It happened again yesterday when I showed up to a get together with friends in an outfit I bought before the whole color thing began and was told how great it looked on me!

It was pretty much a Clear Aqua as listed on the fire palette so after looking at myself in a few colors from fire I think I am actually a fire.

It is funny how things like lighting and personal coloring can be so confusing but I have learned a lot.

I will see you on the boards but I don't think I will be clogging up the Earth board with stuff any more LOL

[Anita Latte]

I'm in a chatty mood...waiting on the dryer...*sigh*...I'm so sick of laundry...but I'm doing more than normal because DH leaves this weekend for Georgia...he starts his new job on Monday...we bought him new clothes which need to be washed...and I want to make sure all his dress shirts are in good shape...etc etc.

 

SO.

 

I can't find the new sandals that I bought over the weekend online, of course. I finally found a pair of T-strap sandals that I like...Gianni Bini brand...in a NICE metallic gold...and the sole isn't completely flat...there is a little, LITTLE bit of padding. They are cute sandals that are good for "smart casual." I still need to find a pair of "athletic casual" sandals...but I've been needing sandals to wear with sundresses and nicer skirts and nicer capris for quite a while...so I'm pleased. I noticed that the metallic near the buckle was wearing thin on the floor model, so I don't expect these shoes to last and last.

 

Listening to you ladies changing from your winter to your warmer weather clothing...I wonder if it gets colder in North Georgia? The closest thing that I do clothing-wise with the changing seasons is to either wear jeans or shorts! LOL.

 

I am deciding slowly but surely...that I will be getting rid of EVERYTHING that I shrank out of...like I said, I have these shorts that give me what I am calling "balloon butt" because they are SO baggy...and they HAVE to go...

 

I'm thinking that I don't even want them around as an option for meeting new people. I don't want to risk the comfort zone of still putting on these familiar clothes that really don't do anything for me...and force myself to choose from the unfamiliar clothes that fit me better and look much better.

 

There is a book I read at some point that talked about this idea...the idea of how you have to "get used" your new clothes...and how this can be a rough process...and how the "old familiars," even they aren't right for you any more are something that you keep on wearing SIMPLY because they are FAMILIAR. Isn't that a funny concept. But I totally relate to it.

 

OH! The dryer just stopped!

[MJC]

I'm thinking that I don't even want them around as an option for meeting new people. I don't want to risk the comfort zone of still putting on these familiar clothes that really don't do anything for me...and force myself to choose from the unfamiliar clothes that fit me better and look much better.

 

There is a book I read at some point that talked about this idea...the idea of how you have to "get used" your new clothes...and how this can be a rough process...and how the "old familiars," even they aren't right for you any more are something that you keep on wearing SIMPLY because they are FAMILIAR. Isn't that a funny concept. But I totally relate to it.

 

 

I was just reading this in the small closet blog which you had posted a link to somewhere here on CC at some point in the past (now I don't remember where). The specific post was about not buying too many new clothes at once, but rather to buy things a bit at a time, and to integrate them into your daily wardrobe right away to make them familiar and not "strangers in your closet." It inspired me to pull out a gold tank that I haven't worn yet to wear with a sweater to work today. I bought it to go with a particular jacket that I haven't worn yet either! I need to make friends with them, I guess.

 

Get rid of the balloon shorts now! I had to ramp up a new wardrobe fairly quickly when I changed careers, and having new and appropriate things to wear gave me a shot of confidence while wading into unfamiliar waters. Fitness professionals have to project an aura of success and professionalism with their clothing too, not just business people in suits.

 

Get them all sweaty, spill coffee on them, clean the house in them, then toss. It's much easier to get rid of comfortable clothes when they're at their worst. ;)

[Anita Latte]

I just developed a chart of my DH to use to keep track of his wardrobe in Georgia. Sounds funny...but I did a bit of research and found all kinds of different apps and things that people use to try to keep track of what they wear. Does anyone do this?

 

I guess you could say that DH has something of a capsule wardrobe for work. He thinks it is appropriate to wear long sleeved dress shirts in his new position. He used to wear them with his previous employer but with his current one, with less customer contact, he fell into wearing the polos that were so common. But now we are back to a "smart business" look, I guess you could call it. He has exactly 12 long-sleeved dress shirts...and because of a mandate to wear a red polo on his "on Fridays"...(he will be working a 9/80...80 hours in 9 days with every other Friday off)...he has exactly 3 weeks worth of shirts...if he can wear each shirt 2X before washing...then he can do laundry every 6 weeks!

 

So I made an Excel spreadsheet for him...and printed it out 2-up on a sheet to cut in half and put into his planner. Conveniently, the shirts fit into 4 categories...Solids, White with Stripes, Light Pattern, and Dark Pattern...so he could pick one category for each work day...there are 3 choices in each category...and if he marks the date he wore the shirt and which pants (he has 6 pairs) he wore...he can have a nice variety of shirts...and frankly, who cares about the pants really except to spread the love and not wear them too many times between laundry day...because that matters more than whether or not people notice a repeat on the pants.

 

 

Anybody do anything like this? I'm thinking I need to this for my Zumba clothes so that I can keep track of what I wear to which class...LOL.

Edited April 26, 2012 by Anita Latte

[Anita Latte]

Margaret...OMG...I love it! I was thinking that I could continue to wear those shorts and some other ratty T-shirts that are supposed to be for sweaty house/yard work...and just toss them away on moving day and move with few dirty clothes! You are so right about throwing them away when they are not their best. ;)

[laurspag]

You know, Anita and MJC, this is on the same idea, but in a different way...

 

I have this pair of jeans that I don't like because they gap in the back and I'm constantly pulling them up. I decided to keep them as painting pants. You know, who cares if they get all yucky, right?

 

Then last week, I was getting ready to paint and put the old painting pants on. The fact is, they won't feel any better for painting or going shopping.

 

Just like those balloon shorts...they won't look good in any situation, right?