BROWN
|
Good for rustic homeliness
|
Warmth,
earthiness, reliability, support.
|
Brown
What can I say about this? As a summer it is no longer my favourite
colour, much preferring the prettier shades of pink, however, I clearly
remember a phase in my childhood when brown was the ‘in colour’ for me. AND with a husband who is an autumn,
surrounded by friends and family of all seasons, I can clearly see browns
working well, weaving that luxurious, subtle harmonious flow of neutrals – just
not on me!
As the colour of rustic homeliness, I read a recommendation
somewhere to wear brown when ‘first meeting the mother-in-law’, on the basis
that it’s a non-threatening colour and her son would be in safe hands! I guess if you want to portray that image,
then it’s good advice…!
When we settle into our sofas and relax into our armchairs
at the end of a long day, we need to feel safe, secure and restful. The pace of life is such these days that
‘grounding’ is required for its restorative powers. As I pass through friends’ homes, I recognise
a proliferation of warm toned colour themes with accents being set off by the
neutral of brown in its various forms: beige, tan, chocolate, mahogany, mole,
oatmeal and stone. Interestingly, regardless
of what the inhabitant’s seasons are, there is still a propensity to furnishing
in warm shades.
I’ve noticed that when I’m in need of restorative time, I
move towards my browns which start at Rose Brown and verge into plums/purples; when
I’m in action, inspired and engaged with work, life and business, I tend to
wear more blues, reds and greens.
On the basis that everyone has every colour available to them,
we each need to identify which shade of the colour works best for us and, if
looking for a specific colour such as brown, which shade is yours? Is it dark brown, chocolate, moving into
burnished burgundy/dark red or chestnut?
Winters particularly, need to make sure their ‘brown’ goes no warmer
than the beautiful, luxurious mole, but be warned everyone else, mole won’t
look luxurious on many others. If Brown
isn’t great at 75% or 50%, try accenting with piping or patterns to incorporate
the colour and contrast without dominating the outfit….and you.
I wonder whether Winston Churchill was a Winter, as a result of this statement:
“I cannot pretend to
feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am
genuinely sorry for the poor browns.” — Winston Churchill
Remembering of course that every 5 years, “Brown is the new
Black” and referring to Almonds, Chocolate, Nutmeg, Beer and Coffee, whoever
you are.
Phrases:
·
As
brown as a berry - alluding to our never ending search to be tanned. From
Elizabeth I when pale, sallow skin was a
sign of being able to afford a life indoors
·
Browned
Off – WWII phrase signifying ‘fed up’ or ‘bored stiff’
·
To
be done brown – to be deceived, taken in
·
Brown
Badger – swot type of undergraduate, derived from the brown attaché case
which
students used to carry their books!
·
Brownie
points - a hypothetical social currency, which can be acquired by doing good
deeds
or earning favour in the eyes of another
·
Brown
Shirts – Hitler’s Nazi Party, so called from the colour of their shirts
Your Browns range
from:
|
|
Spring (warm
& clear)
|
Light beige,
through tan to chocolate
|
Summer (cool
& soft)
|
Pink Beige
through mushroom to Rose Brown - a
pink tinge
|
Autumn (warm
& soft)
|
Beige through
coffee, camel to Bronze and Dark Brown
|
Winter (cool
& clear)
|
Stone through
Mole – a grey tinge
|
Great Lipsticks
for the Browns of your Season, most will work from your season because Browns
tend to be neutrals and benefit from choosing a colour for your lips if your
outfit is all brown
|
||
Soft
|
Clear
|
|
Warm
|
Autumn – L308, L410, L491, L5, L506, L621, L64, L648, L653
|
Spring – L308, L410, L64,
|
Cool
|
Summer - L495, L50, L35, L718, L686
|
Winter - L512, L54, L673, L718, L50
|
