Can someone explain this whole cool/warm color thing to me?? And how some colors are neutrals and others aren't?? And what goes with what (I know that's broad, but maybe just some generalizations)? I love the idea of buying BV's in colors other than nero/ebano, but it's also a scary thought!
India, where are you?!!! I'm no expert but here's my two cents:
If a color has a blue undertone it can be considered a cooler color. You'll see this is most blues, some reds, pinks, a lot of purples, some greys, and teal.
If a color has yellow undertones it can be considered a warm color. So this would be almost any brown, orange, burgundy.
And so think about warm and cold weather. Warm? What do you see? A bright yellow sun, a sandy beach, a fire. Now think about cold weather? A foogy day. a cloudy day. the crisp blue of a winter sun.
And so these colors give off these vibes.
Here's a bit more from Wikipedia:
"Warm colors are said to advance or appear more active in a painting, while cool colors tend to recede; used in interior design or fashion, warm colors are said to arouse or stimulate the viewer, while cool colors calm and relax. Most of these effects, to the extent they are real, can be attributed to the higher saturation and lighter value of warm pigments in contrast to cool pigments. Thus, brown is a dark, unsaturated warm color that few people think of as visually active or psychologically arousing."
Since black is neutral you put a grey bag with it or something like Quetsche it's going to promote that cool relaxed look. You put orange or brown with it, it warms or livens it up.
I can wear most cool and warm colors with the exception of oatmeal/camel. I look terrible in it. There's no harmony or contrast with my skin. I prefer stronger colors (yes a bright color and therefore probably warm. But for me, it's a color that is DEFINITELY a color). So I just bought the Brique Cervo. I really like it because it's clearly a brick-red and I wanted something to soften up a weekend look of denim and grey. I'm less inclined to buy Quetsche because I don't really see the color (even though I know there is one).
In terms of something going, it's all about harmony. The right warm accent can warm an otherwise cool look (black with brown) and vice versa. And then a cooler accent can soften a warm look (grey with yellow). At the same time, a warm accent on a warm outfit just pull it all together (think of a great red dress and then adding an orange bag. Yowza! hot hot hot!) and cool on cool looks just dreamy (imagine quetsche with a soft grey sweater).
Look at nature for what works well together.
